Revising the story


What could have made a so-so film great

I'm a movie guy. There aren't too many I won't watch.

Some friends invited me over for an "intelligent" horror film, Dominion, which is one of the prequel films to The Exorcist.

It wasn't a bad film, it just wasn't especially great either. But as the film went on, it dawned on me that part of what made the film weak was the actions of the Christian god and his followers.

It would have been a much better film if the other god, the demon, was the good guy.

I mean think about it. You're the local god, doing your own thing, and then along come the priests of this new god and they bind you in your own temple. Then to keep you from getting out, they build a church on top of your temple and consecrate it. But they aren't done yet. They bury the church practically unused under the desert just so the world forgets where your temple is. And there it stays.

For fifteen hundred years.

Then two of the priests from the cult that bound you in the first place find the church and let you out. This causes major disturbances in the local wildlife, including the British Army units stationed there. Just when you have picked an avatar and cured him of his crippled hand and chronic malnutrition while facing down one priest, the other priest gets his mad on and faces you in a battle of will and faith. You show him that he's carrying a load of guilt for something that isn't his fault, hint strongly that his god is either ignoring people or casting them into the fire, and doing reasonably well at making your presence felt.

That's when the priest sucker punches you and steals your avatar.

Now that is substantially the same story, but it would have been more interesting.

Even the people I was with thought so.

Ah well. The popcorn was good, the film was so-so, and the company was excellent. Pretty good way to spend an evening.

Posted: Mon - March 23, 2009 at 07:42 AM
 ◊ 
 ◊  ◊  ◊  ◊ 

Random selections from NeoWayland's library


Technopagan Yearnings
© 2005 - 2010   All Rights Reserved