Exorcist: The Beginning
Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: August 20, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
30
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
0
Mixed:
11
Negative:
11
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
Dallas ObserverGregory Weinkauf
Here's a popcorn movie with soul, welcoming the masses to consider how much can change in popular culture over 30 years, as the horrific becomes the familiar. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
The movie goes too far on too little motivation - and the middle section, with its maggoty villains, roiling skies and native revolts, seems almost barmy. Yet Exorcist: Beginning does score a small victory. It's not as bad as you'd think.
50
Los Angeles TimesKevin Crust
A perfectly mediocre horror film. There is some hoot-inducing dialogue and cheesy effects, but the film's workmanlike narrative marches gamely forward, managing a handful of respectable scares along the way. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Nothing fails like bad horror. But it's not despicable. It is merely boring. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
While the fourth "Exorcist" movie may have unmitigated disaster written all over it, the finished product is somehow sort-of-kind-of not all that bad. Read full review
42
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
The new movie is a dusty piñata stuffed with omens and not much more. Read full review
40
VarietyJoe Leydon
Earns points simply for not being bad enough to leave a stain on the screen. Unfortunately, this annoyingly disjointed shocker stumbles badly after promising early scenes, and quickly devolves into a chaotic blur of underdeveloped characters, illogical transitions and standard-issue scary-movie tropes. Read full review
40
Film ThreatPete Vonder Haar
A horror movie that starts off decently but quickly falls victim to cliché. It is, ultimately, a disappointing genre entry, and one that falls far short of the original’s greatness. Read full review
40
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
The gooseberry Harlin came up with will win no proselytizers, but it does have a pleasant matinee modesty, a cool sepia-period look, and an interesting flashback relationship with Nazis. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyRon Stringer
The “surprise” ending, when it comes, is more of a hoot than a holler. Read full review
40
EmpireIan Nathan
It isn’t quite hell, but clambering to the end of this dusty remnant of an idea is certainly purgatory. Read full review
38
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Congratulations, Renny Harlin. You've successfully exorcised all the horror out of The Exorcist. Read full review
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
The devil is back in Exorcist: The Beginning, and he is more disgusting than ever. Not more scary, just really yucky, in a kind of maggots-on-a-pizza-slice way. Read full review
30
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
The scariest thing about this film is how desperate the makers are to earn a scream. Read full review
30
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
The risible dialogue, the bulging eyeballs, the heaving bosoms, the digitally rendered hyenas and squirming maggots, the movie fails to achieve the status of the instant camp classic. That's partly because the vibe of the film is too torpid. Read full review
30
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
There's no pea soup, but sketchy effects, cheap jolts, swirling cameras, and buckets of blood surround Exorcist: The Beginning with the potent aroma of cheese. Read full review
25
New York PostLou Lumenick
The acting is serviceable at best, the direction unfocused - and the special effects and makeup cheesy-looking. This is surely the most dreary-looking film ever shot by the great Vittorio Storaro ("Apocalypse Now"). Read full review
25
PremiereAaron Hillis
It’s terrible enough to torture the damned. Read full review
20
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Pokey, blood-spattered, cheap-scare-larded prequel. Read full review
20
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
The serious Catholic themes that made the original film genuinely disturbing have been flattened out into a cartoonish backstory. Read full review
12
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
This prequel has something to appall everybody. Read full review
11
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Sloppy, confusing, and dull as a dented crucifix. Read full review
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