Director Brad Peyton tries all the staple effects – a genre trademark of sorts, but none of it gets a rise out of us. If you are looking for intensity and gore you probably are in the wrong movie. Aaron Eckhart might have thought he had a potential franchise on his hands but doesn't look like this one is going to spawn any new surprises!
'Incarnate' - Movie Review
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'Incarnate'
A; Horror/Thriller
Director: Brad Peyton
Cast: David Mazouz, Aaron Eckhart, Mark Henry, John Pirruccello, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Matt Nable, Keir O'Donnell, Carice van Houten, Emily Jackson, Tomas Arana
Rating:
It’s called an eviction not exorcism and therein lies the problem. Movies about exorcism have fundamentally worked because of the audience inherent belief systems linked to religion. In ‘Incarnate’ we have an atheist scientist of sorts calling the same thing an ‘Eviction.’ And he doesn’t do it by prayer, he has a set of gadgets and serums that aide him in fighting the evil spirit that has homed in on its victim.
A Vatican representative calls on wheelchair-bound scientist Dr. Seth Ember (Aaron Eckhart) in order to help aid the eviction of a demonic spirit possessing a single mother’s 11-year-old son (David Mazouz). At first reluctant, Ember, decides to do the deed when he realises that the demon inhabiting the child’s body has links with Maggie, the evil incarnate who was responsible for his own personal grief and loss. Of course, it’s a given that in the process, he is also risking his own future existence.
This one is neither close to the original ‘Exorcist’ nor does it have the unique appeal of a ‘Paranormal Activity’ – instead what we have is a weak inspiration of the Renny Harlin directed ‘Exorcist’ remake. And that itself is quite telling. That a crappy film like that one, could spawn an uninspired rendition like this one, makes it quite clear that the makers did not have a clue in hell.
Director Brad Peyton tries all the staple effects – a genre trademark of sorts, but none of it gets a rise out of us. The screenplay by Ronnie Christensen borrows material from quite a few sources, but none of it works. And if you are looking for intensity and gore you probably are in the wrong movie. Aaron Eckhart might have thought he had a potential franchise on his hands but doesn’t look like this one is going to spawn any new surprises!