Priest (2011)

Priest (2011)

by Eric Maus

"The War is Eternal."

   There have been quite the number of vampire films over the past decade. The classic tale of the handsome blood-sucking beasts that by means of seduction bring many young girls to their deaths is a very popular one, especially amongst female teens, because of the culture-sweeping Twilight series. With Priest (rated PG-13 for violence, action, and disturbing images), we are offered something that takes a step away from the norm.

   Set in an alternate world, the wars between humans and vampires have raged since the beginning. The Church, taking upon itself the duty of protecting the people, sent their greatest weapon to destroy the vampires once and for all. This weapon is a group of priests, warriors who use their God-given abilities to destroy the evil creatures. After a long and arduous campaign, the Church leads the people to believe that all the vampires have been annihilated. The priests, however, know this is far from the case. After his brother's farm is ravaged, one of the priests begs the leader of the Church to allow him to rescue his niece, who had been kidnapped. This request is not granted. Priest, having no other choice, breaks his sacred vows, and sets off to deliver the girl.

   This movie's style is amazing. Based on a graphic novel, Priest slips out of the popular vampire story we are used to and tired of, and presents us something fresh. Instead of a seductive neighbor next door, the vampires in Priest are vicious, terrifying monsters, solely devoted to drinking the blood of any human they come across. In accordance with the legends of old, they are repelled by all things holy, they are nocturnal, and, instead of sparkling in the sun (Twilight), they are burned to a crisp by its rays. The settings are incredible, as is the visual effects. The action, whether it be fight sequences or motorcycle chases, is masterfully choreographed and executed, giving us many adrenaline pumping scenes. Paul Bettany's role as Priest is superb; he delivers perfectly. Karl Urban, known for his prowess in portraying villains, does not let us down here. He plays the Black Hat with absolute precision. Maggie Q's role as the Priestess was also very strong and believable.

    I walked into this movie thinking it was going to be very anti-religion, based on lines from the trailer, such as, "What good is that faith if its a lie?" However, I was wrong. Instead, this movie offers a very positive message, similar to that of Luther (2003). The Church has been lying to its members for years, convincing them that the vampire menace is non-existent, to allow for peace, order, and compliance. Many of their rules and regulations are not God's law at all, but merely laws created to give them control. Priest sees through the deception, and does what is good and right, even if that means disobeying the Church. He says at one point, "My allegiance lies not to the Church, but to God."

   Now, while the message Priest offers is a great one, it still fell short in many other areas. With the story material at hand, the potential for this film was great. However, many characters that could have been prominent and powerful in the structure of the story were underdeveloped. The story itself could have been much less simple and much more exhaustive. The tyranny of the Church also should have been more clearly presented, and the opposition to a tyrannical church could have been more direct. Finally, many details were left unexplained, resulting in a bit of confusion.

   So, while still being enjoyable, Priest could have offered a lot more than it did. It's disappointing that such good material could go to waste. However, since the ending leaves much room for a sequel, all hope is not lost. All that story material still has a chance to be put to good use.