WARNING: This Review May Contain Spoilers
It is very rare for two versions of a prequel film to be include in a film’s anthology. I’m being serious, both Dominion and Exorcist: The Beginning are included in the DVD boxset. It does make you wonder if one is a deliberate remake of the other or if two directors presented similar ideas and both films were made. The fact they were a year apart, and cast the same actor in the leading role – I’m not quite sure what the reasoning is.
Skarsgård vs Skarsgård
Stellan Skarsgård plays Father Merrin (the role held by Max Von Sydow in The Exorcist) in both Dominion and Exorcist: The Beginning. Truthfully, he doesn’t play the role in any way different between the two films, so clearly this must have been one of the only things that they did not believe to be wrong with The Beginning when they chose to make Dominion. That, and the script.
Joseph and Cheche
As we are on the topic of change, I feel like this is a pretty significant one. It feel that it is important to mention that Joseph seems to be aged around 10 or 11 (possibly younger) which for me is in keeping with the original film as Regan, the daughter in The Exorcist, is 12 years old. Cheche however, could very easily be mistaken for a teenager. I wonder if this was changed between the two films because by the noughties it may have been believed to be too uncomfortable for audiences to see a child so reasonably young possessed by a demon. Or so we are led to believe for the majority of the film…
In addition to this, Cheche is written as being an outcast of the Kenyan tribe in Dominion whereas Joseph is the son of the local hotel owner. Something about this character set up seems to evoke more emotion from the viewer when watching Exorcist: The Beginning because there is more of a background to him.
Significant Connections
This is only prevalent in Exorcist: The Beginning, possibly because of it being made first and feels more like part of the canon than Dominion. I won’t pretend there are loads but they are significant nonetheless. Firstly, there’s the icon that Merrin is sent to look for in the first place. It is the same idol that he discovers at the beginning of The Exorcist whilst digging in Iraq. It is the same for the statue that is discovered inside the Byzantium church in Kenya – as it is the same as that Merrin stands staring at in the first film. Having now watched both films, it comes across as a look of recollection. Neither of these feature in Dominion.
In addition to this, there is the way Father Merrin is dressed at the end of the film with his faith restored once again. The closing scene is similar to that of Dominion with him walking away from the camera – however he is dressed in a long black coat with a black hat, much like the Father Merrin we know from The Exorcist.
Use of CGI
In Dominion, for some reason a decision was made to use what looks like CGI as well as puppetry when it comes to the hyenas. I am ashamed to say the CGI used looks absolutely terrible, you can tell automatically that they are not real. It is the same with the snake that Father Francis sees in the church and when the cows are eating the hyenas (I know, weird right?) Let me use a point of reference. This film was made in 2005, at which time both the Harry Potter series and Lord of The Rings had been or were being made. The CGI in those films far exceeds the CGI in this.
In Conclusion
I’m not going to pretend I am any clearer on why the decision was made to film Dominion in 2005 when the two films are exactly the same story – albeit a few different twists and turns. So, I am not basing the following opinion on the story but more the way it has been portrayed and for that reason I have to say I prefer Exorcist: The Beginning. I’m sorry, I am sucker for a dark tale and it felt more like an Exorcist film.
