I probably am the wrong person to be reviewing an Exorcist film, being that I fell asleep during a sitting of the re-release of the original. I'm not a big fan of religious horror, and usually shy away from films where spoken word is used as the method of confrontation between good and evil. However, the Mrs. had a hankering to see this film, so I graciously obliged and hit a Monday night showing.

The prequel to the franchise, the Beginning isn't a half bad flick considering the mess that followed the original Exorcist and its sensational success. Taking place nearly 30 years prior to Father Merrin's encounter with Regan MacNeil, the Beginning journeys into East Africa, where Merrin is called upon to seek out an ancient artifact buried within a newly discovered church. The puzzling aspect of this newfound church is that it was apparently built prior to the Byzantine Empire's sweep through Africa exterminating Christianity, and left unharmed for hundreds of years. Merrin, a priest turned archaelogist has lost his faith due to an incident involving the Nazis and senseless executions, agrees to visit the dig site because an imprint of the artifact stirs up some emotions in him.

Settling in just off the city of Nairobi, Merrin meets up with the head expediter Jeffries (Ford), a real scumbag with a tooth decay problem and some wicked boils on his face. The two don't hit it off right away, and slowly more cast members trickle in to ease the tension of the situation. Amongst the additional bodies is Sarah (Scorupco), the resident doctor of the excavation, and a personal favorite of Jeffries. Merrin's attraction to Sarah is quite evident, as he hams up to her repeatedly, but not in an offensive manner. After the slew of character intros, we're led to the site where Merrin enters the undeground church, along with Father Francis, a tag along sent by the Vatican to keep his eyes on the site. The duo find that the crucifix has been turned upside down over a tomb and come to the conclusion that the site was vandalized by the last lead archaeologist. So Merrin heads to Nairobi to speak with the last lead archaeologist, who has been institutionalized because he was "touched by the devil".

After visiting the sanitarium, Merrin returns to the church site to unearth the tomb below the crucifix and finds a tunnel leading to a site where human sacrifices were made to the devil. It is around the same time that we learn Father Francis' true motivations for being at the site: the Vatican believes that this is the exact area where Lucifer landed when he fell from heaven.

Although the story is a bit bland and drags for extensive periods of time, much is explained in the prequel to answer questions raised by the preceeding Exorcist films. Father Merrin's past, as well as the origins of Pazuzu and the artifact all come to light in great detail. The Beginning is sort of a key to the entire series, tying up loose ends and closing loopholes that existed in the previous storylines. Bringing back Renny Harlin to reshoot the film was a bit last minute, but possibly the best situation given his familiarity with the franchise and the character evolution.

Much is left to be desired by the prequel, it's not a great film by any stretch of the imagination. Certain sequences seem out of place in the film and almost patched together for aesthetic purposes, rather than explanatory reasons. Visually, however, the movie is astounding, offering an extreme amount of gore and violence, areas lacking from the previous installments. Yes, some of the past Exorcist moments pushed the limits, but the scene where a little black boy gets torn to shreds by CGI hyenas definitely puts the Beginning over the top. Sequences like that one and the Nazi flashbacks are an incredible vehicle for Merrin's character, and the reasoning behind his mettle in the future set films.

Overall, the Beginning is definitely a must see for fans of the series, as it answers questions that linger from the other films. It isn't however, one that you must rush to the theaters to see. I'd recommend a rental, where, from what I was told by Head Cheeze, it will be paired with the original director's cut of the film, shot with an entirely different storyline and select cast members.