Religious Ninja Seeks Girl in Distress THE MOVIE

When I go to a movie, I expect to be entertained and not be subjected to a social commentary of today’s society. If I want deeper meaning, I’ll watch a documentary. That being said, I was excited to see Priest after reading a couple of reviews that promised me such an experience.

The story is basic and predictable. Priest breaks away from church to save a girl who has been kidnapped by vampires (that were supposedly wiped out or imprisoned during a ‘great war’). Church sends more priests to take down the one who has “dishonored the church, and therefore, dishonored God.” Totally awesome ninja western booty-kicking ensues. Paul Bettany, in my opinion, has been type cast again as a brooding holy man. He has done this role often enough that he has almost perfected it. Every time I see Karl Urban in a new role, I respect him more as an actor (my favorite roll of his is still “Bones” McCoy in the new Star Trek though). The ninja western booty-kicking experience outweighs the predictable and simple story. The only thing that sort of rubbed me the wrong way (as a Catholic) is that the church is a bad guy, yet again.

The vampires are obviously CG. As someone who studied production in college, I can say the effects in the movie are better than average. They probably won’t win any awards, but they’re not as bad as other movies that have come out recently.

As a mom I would not let my children watch this movie until they are at least 10, possibly older. This movie is PG-13 for good reason. The language is not out of control, but the F-bomb is dropped once. There is not a lot of blood, but there is death and killing. It is not a scary movie, but there are suspenseful moments that make you jump.

I saw this movie in something called 2D. Why? Mainly because I don’t feel like buying the equivalent of two tickets to wear two pair of glasses at the same time (no contacts here, folks) and give myself a headache (while trying to focus on something the movie makers don’t want me to focus on), and motion sickness. I like the classic experience.

Priest is based on a graphic novel written by Min-Woo Hyung. The Priest graphic novels are available on Amazon. I know I have added them to my wishlist knowing that the movie leaves open the possibility of a sequel, which I would gladly watch after this satisfying, yet simple, adventure.