EXORCIST:
RE-EDITED EDITION
- Don't get the three stars wrong,
this is by all means a five star movie, but for this review we have factored
in the original vs the re-edited version as well as the hype that went
on with the new version. Taking all that in stride we feel that the
re-edited version failed to deliver what was promised. We expected
a lot of new material but we got only snippets. Only the new stairs
scene impressed as well of a few enhanced face morphs which seemed out
of place with the camera work of the day. The sound was well mixed
in surround and in fact we had to shut our surround system off because
it was freaking us out. No one should have to hear those noises from
behind. Its horrifying and for that reason its a huge success.
However, where the sound succeeds the restoration fails. The print
was still grainy, certainly too grainy with today's technology. Someone
didn't spend what they should have.
Although the new scenes and clips are far between, the best part about watching the re-edited version is it makes you pay attention to every moment and look for new scenes. Therefore, every moment is intense and makes the movie enjoyable as if you were watching it for the first time. It is not to be missed.
The bottom line: Seeing how much hype given to the re-edit, we were disappointed and in the end declare the original version more than adequate. Its very hard to improve on this classic and its clear from this version that the original edit was one hell of an accomplishment.
| copyright PARAseeek.com, 2001 |