Priest (3D)
- Year:2011
- Rating:M
- Director:Scott Stewart
- Cast:Paul Bettany, Maggie Q, Karl Urban
- Release Date:August 25, 2011
- Distributor:Sony
- Running time:87 minutes
- Film Worth:$10.00
- FILMINK rates movies out of $20 - the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Predictable action sequences & lazy character development add up to an all too blatant cash in at the box office
Based on the Hyung Min-woo's graphic novel of the same name, Priest is the ultimate good versus evil story, pitting kickass priests against vicious bloodsucking vampires. But they aren't your Twilight vampires; these guys are more like what nightmares are made of. Unfortunately, despite a decent and promising story, the film ends up a hollow shell of an action film.
Priest is set in a world where vampires and humans had been at war until priests subdued the wild vampires and sent them to reservations. When ‘Priest' (Paul Bettany) hears word that his niece Lucy (Lily Collins) has been kidnapped by vampires, he rejects his oath to the clergy in the Orwellian 1984-like Cathedral City and goes on the hunt, joined by local sheriff Hicks (Cam Gigandet). However, Priest not only has the vampires to contend with, but also the clergy, who have sent a posse of priests to capture him...
Paul Bettany re-teams with his Legion director Scott Stewart here, and they still have not learned that it takes more than just fight scenes and explosions to make an impressive action film. Priest relies heavily on predictable action sequences and sub-par character development. Even the menacing Black Hat (Karl Urban) is given an obvious back story, predictable from the first scene.
At times, Priest feels like I Am Legend mixed with The Book of Eli, which would be fine had there been as strong a message here. Furthermore, with its rushed 2D to 3D post-production conversion, which adds nothing to the film, Priest is a prime example of a promising idea poorly executed, blatantly cashing-in on the flavours of the month: 3D and vampires.
