Priest (2011) Review

Priest (2011)

Directed by Scott Charles Stewart

Starring Paul Bettany, Maggie Q, Cam Gigandet, Lily Collins, and Karl Urban

rklenseth's Star Rating:

Priest takes place in an alternate reality where humans and vampires have been at war for centuries.  This war has all but leveled the Earth to a barren landscape and, from a brief animated feature at the top of the film, the audience learns that the humans have finally won the war with the vampires by means of humans with extraordinary powers whom have been termed Priests.  With the end of the war, the humans have retreated to walled off cities, the vampires that survived are put on reservations (aka high security prisons) and the human government, a fanatical Christian theocracy, has disbanded the Priests on fear that they may turn their powers against them.

In the beginning of the film, a group of Priests led by a man named Priest (Paul Bettany) have infiltrated a vampire hive and not long after realized that they have fallen into a trap.  Upon retreating from the hive, a priest (Karl Urban) trips up and the vampires end up grabbing him.  Priest tries to save his comrade but is unable to do so and the man is pulled into the hive where presumably he is killed.  Now fast forward a few years later and the humans believe that the vampire threat is over but when Priest is contacted by a local sheriff named Hicks (Cam Gigandet) from a town in the wasteland that his niece (Lily Collins) has been kidnapped by vampires, Priest's instincts warn him that something is afoul.  Going against the theocratic government that wishes that he not get involved, Priest then embarks on a journey to find and save his niece as well as deal with whatever vampire threat may exist.  Along that journey, Hicks and eventually another priest called the Priestess (Maggie Q) joins him on his crusade to rid the world of the vampires that nobody considers a menace.

This film is a very interesting take on the vampire genre.  Other than the sucking blood part and suffering from really bad and fatal sun burns, the vampires of this film do not resemble any that I have seen before.  They are humanoid, sightless, disgusting looking creatures that prefer to walk and run on all fours and act with a bee colony mentality.  These blood suckers live in what are called hives and resemble the inside of a bee hive.  Humans can also suffer a form of vampirism after being bitten by a vampire but they are known as familiars and they do not need to suck blood nor are they affected by the sun.  The film hints that eventually a familiar will go to full vampire and will no longer resemble human but during their familiar stage they are simply used as slaves by the vampires for mundane tasks or guard duty during the day. 

Also, the world that these humans inhabit is absorbing both visually and content wise.  From the Christian theocratic government to the dark and visually stunning city, there is a lot to look and ponder at.  You can tell this world has a history and it scars itself onto the landscape.  The most interesting story of the humans and furthermore the central story is that of the Priests.  They are humans that have extraordinary powers and by that I don't mean superpowers but just quicker reflexes and better instincts than regular humans that allow them to fight the vampires more effectively.  These humans are tattooed on the forehead with a cross that immediately identifies them as a Priest and, although having been the key instrument in winning the war, they are shunned by human society and feared by the human theocratic government they once served.

Alas, now that I may have actually gotten you interested in this film, I must let you down as this is a poorly executed attempt.  The dialogue at times is laughable and sometimes the expressions on the actors' faces seem to simulate that look of complete disbelief at what they are saying.  Additionally, the fight scenes seem to completely defy the law of physics and I know the Priests are suppose to be better than human but not super human and that really bothered me.

The story is pretty straightforward from what I have written above and I really didn't mind it so much but a lot of the ideas have been done better in other films.  Now the one thing I did not like concerning the story is that not all the story elements are wrapped up by the end of the film and leaves it completely open for a sequel.  Now while I'm okay with sequels and all, I'm not okay with introducing key story elements and leaving them incomplete especially when it is the first film and sequels aren't guaranteed.  It makes me feel as if I've paid for an incomplete film of which I may never see the rest of the story.

Paul Bettany is befitting in the lead role and he is much like the character he played in Legion (2009).  He is definitely good at the brooding and dangerous character type.  Maggie Q graces the screen and is visually stunning during her action scenes.   Cam Gigandet is tolerable in his role and Lily Collins is probably the most annoying of all in the film.  I can't tell whether it was her character or her acting that annoyed me.  And lastly, Karl Urban is pleasing in the role of the villain.

Overall, Priest is an average film with a few defects and flaws but the world and premise are interesting enough and the story is decent and watchable.

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