The Ritual (2025)

Review: The Ritual (2025)

ATwo priests, one in crisis with his faith and the other confronting a turbulent past, must overcome their differences to perform a risky exorcism. I'm guessing Russell Crowe was too busy for this latest attempt at a priestly exorcism, so an almost unrecognizable Al Pacino stepped in instead. He plays a Capetian father who helps the reluctant Fr. Joseph (Dan Stevens) with a really tough case. The young Emma (Abigail Cowen) needs to be freed from an unwanted presence inside her body. Fr. Theophilus tries various methods to get rid of it, but they don't go down well with the young father or the sisters present. As the exorcism continues, Emma starts acting out more and more—she starts bleeding uncontrollably, uses bad language, throws violent tantrums, and even tries the usual trick of being hung upside down from the ceiling lamp. All of this happens under constant repetition of Bible verses, and I counted at least seven attempts at this kind of ritual. It all sounds very familiar. Apart from Pacino giving a slightly different performance than usual, the rest of the movie feels unoriginal. It seems like it only has one claim to fame: it's based on old notes from Fr. Joseph about events that are said to have really happened. But we've seen all of this before so many times that even the traditional collapsible bed doesn't make this any more interesting. The only thing that might be worth noting is the clear indication that Catholicism in the 1920s was full of incantations, superstitions, and symbolic practices that hadn't really changed since the time of the Borgias. This might work on TV during Halloween if you're already drunk on Grappa, but as a movie experience, it's disappointing and completely forgettable. Sorry.

Story Overview

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5)

Watch Official Trailer: The Ritual (2025)

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