Friday, June 26, 2009

The Unborn



Movies about demonic possession and satanism have somewhat become a sub-genre (almost like holocaust or prison films). Polanski's Rosemary's Baby, Friedkin's The Exorcist, and Donner's The Omen are three notable films that handled the subject matter of demonic possession with a sense of poignancy that something such as The Unborn doesn't have. Consider it The Exorcist-lite. The first problem is that you take a lot of things at face value in this movie, especially when it comes to a lot of the demonic imagery that doesn't seem to hold much value in the grand scheme of the story (dog with an upside down head?). The script is also weak when you compare it to how men such as Blaty or Polanski handled the idea (and Goyer, who penned Batman Begins and Dark City, is capable of thrilling an audience) and frankly despite the savagery and brief intensity of some of the moments, there is very little else to be found here. The thrills and frights definitely still hit you in the face, but they just leave so very quickly.

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