Time to try something new! I’ve recently got to see two movies early that have still yet to come out in theaters in the USA. Because of the fact these movies are fairly new and hardly anyone outside of critics or folks in advance screenings, I don’t want to go too deep into them. However, this does compel me to start doing some so-called mini-reviews whenever I’m able to see something early. In the sense, to where I won’t go that far into the movie itself and basically just be completely straight forward of giving the movie a thumbs up or thumbs down. Although I’ve already done reviews for movies that I’ve seen, it did feel like I went deeper into those movies than I really should have. These two movies I’m gonna be talking about are no other than Renfield and The Pope’s Exorcist. These are two movies that are set to open this weekend and I will let you know whether or not I think it’s worth your time. Again, I’m going over basic details and the pros and cons without digging too deep into any of it. That way, I can have more free time and you’ll know straight away if you should see it or not.
First off, Renfield.
To put it simply, Renfield is a mixed bag. On paper, it has the right ingredients to be an instant horror camp classic. You got Chris McKay, one of the funniest and creative guys in the entertainment business in the director’s chair, a cast of comedic talent such as Awkwafina and Ben Schwartz that have the range to carry the material, proving social/meta commentary on being in an abusive co-relationship, the perfect rating to show off it’s impressive blood, kills, gore, and over-the-top humor, and of course Nicky Cage as Count Dracula himself! However, despite being an entertaining time at the movies, it can never fully utilized it’s potential.
The ideas and character dynamics are never fleshed out as well as it can, most notably due to it’s relatively brief 93-minute long runtime. The potential intrigue of seeing a fully-formed relationship between Renfield and Dracula and the impact it has on others aren’t given the time it needs for proper depth because the movie is in such a rush to get from one set piece to the other. Which doesn’t help that the action for the first half is rather poor with awkward cuts, camera constantly shaking, and not feeling as stake heavy as it should. You also have Ben Schwartz that just disappear but then reappears whenever the movie needs them and the writers struggling to give Awkwafina’s character a real purpose to the story aside from giving Renfield a potential love interest.
While those that were expecting plenty of creativity in terms of story and depth will likely be underwhelmed, those that just come here to enjoy some brutal kills, campy humor, and Nicholas Cage killing it as Dracula will likely get their money’s worth. The rest of the cast is solid with Nicholas Hoult being engaging enough as Reinfield, Awkwafina being her usually charming self, and Ben Schwartz threatening to steal every scene he is in, even the ones where he’s with Cage. The make-up is convincing while gruesome and there is plenty of blood, gore, and dirty words to justify the movie’s R-rating.
Overall, Renfield is an enjoyable time but you can definitely tell the elements were there for a better picture. The ideas it has aren’t given time to flesh out, the characters, while fun, lack compelling depth and motivations, and the commentary that the movie constantly flirts with barely resonate because they mostly get pushed aside in favor of the movie’s humor and set pieces. That said, the humor and set pieces (at least in the second half anyway) still does it’s job and Nicolas Cage as Dracula is as much of a match made in heaven as you would expect. It’s a fun night out and makes for the perfect movie to see on a discount Tuesday but don’t go in expecting a classic because it never reaches there.
Next, we have The Pope’s Exorcist.
If you ever imagined a movie that felt like the worst and cheapest knock-off of The Conjuring and The Exorcist mix together with a laughable MCU franchise style ending, you basically get The Pope’s Exorcist. It’s a weak and poorly made exorcism film that does very little to stand out with the very best or even the very worst of these kind of movies. I can’t say it’s the worst movie of the year that I’ve seen but it’s certainly one of the most the least interesting and unremarkable experiences I have had of 2023.
It starts off well enough with an intriguing opening sequence and a premise that is set up rather well. Unfortunately, things begin to go off the rails right around the end of the first act and the movie basically feels like a betrayal of itself. For a movie that sets itself up to be a more serious and grounded exorcist movie, that ultimately gets undermined at a certain point as the film then commits to being as silly and over-the-top as possible.
The characters themselves are idiots who constantly do stupid decisions, the demons they fight are not frightening and beyond ridiculous, and it all leads to a climax and resolution so bizarre that I still don’t believe I actually saw it happen. You will also likely ask yourself certain questions about the demon towards the end. Most notably, why he waited until now to do something when he had all the time in the world to do it beforehand? Russell Crowe does what he can with the material and he does seem to be the only one aware of the kind of movie he is in but that is not enough to make this movie worth while.
The Pope’s Exorcist is ultimately a dud with no originality, entertainment, or scares to speak off. It’s a bad, disposable horror flick that doesn’t deserve your attention whatsoever. Russell Crowe is able to keep the whole thing watchable but nearly everything else falls flat on here. Feel free to skip this one!
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