As I sit back and look at my cable bill and wonder what happened to last weeks paycheck I remember that I went to go see the Rite! It's not a movie I usualy go see and it definitely isn't something I have been following, it kind of just happened. ( I see a lot of movies)

This has all the claims these type of movies have: based on true events, neutral relate able character's soul becomes the battle ground for good and evil, and so on. The plot is pretty predictable. Anthony Hopkins is Anthony Hopkins for better and worse. The movie is about a middle American male who convinces himself that he either has to follow the family business of running a funeral home or join the priest hood. (Yes these are the choices he says he has) In order to get away he chooses the latter. 4 years later, as he is about to finish the college education portion, he decides it's time to doge the vows of priesthood and skate with the degree. Before he can get out though he's put in a position where he has to preform a ceremony of last rites for the victim of a horrific and irresponsible accident. His priest mentor convinces him to fly to Rome, on the churches dime, to take some exorcist courses. He does the typical American thing in Rome, has some fun but eventually runs into Anthony Hopkins, the super Exorcist, and bad scary things happen. Long story short lessons are learned and fear / denials are faced. It does offer an interesting take. One thing I did like was the point it made. The point of the movie isn't to scare you into church, although it does take some jabs to make you feel a bit of guilt, but it simply asks you to acknowledge that there are phenomena that you can't explain and choosing to ignore them may not be the best choice and doesn't make them go away.

This was not a movie you should plan on seeing. That being said it's not unwatchable. Is it the next in a long line of Exorcist clones? Probably, 2 out of 5 for me.