The Rite 2011

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: O'Donoghue is so stunningly uncharismatic that he kills whatever possibilities this picture from the director of the silly-scary-smart "1408″ had. Read more

Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: ...it fails most crucially in pulling its strings together in a way that's not nearly as impressive as it's straining to be. Read more

Stephen Holden, New York Times: Is it the devil's work or a psychiatric disorder? That is the spurious debate that sputters along in this dull, pretentiously verbose movie that (need it be said?) enthusiastically takes the devil's side. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: You wait, bored, with demons crawling up your ass, for the good stuff to start. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: Dave Whitehead's sound design fills the production with ominous whooshings that sometimes overwhelm the dialogue, not that the dialogue doesn't deserve it. Read more

Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: Perhaps one day, someone will adapt "The Rite" for two actors on stage, minus token effects, and really dig into the dynamics between its two leads. That would be something to see. Read more

Keith Phipps, AV Club: You know what isn't terrifying? Mules. Also not terrifying: mules with red eyes and baleful expressions. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: Hafstrom creates a nice, creepy vibe, especially for the first part of the movie, which has a menacing atmosphere. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: So many skilled scenery chewers in supporting roles, and they still can't make up for the void in the center that is O'Donoghue. Read more

Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader: Horror fans may be disappointed by this handsome exorcism drama, which aspires to the serious religious feeling of William Friedkin's The Exorcist but delivers little of its shock or gore. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: For an hour "The Rite," as scripted by Michael Petroni, delivers the expected, but with panache... The supporting cast is unusually strong... Read more

Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle: Sure, there are cliches (why must possessed characters talk like Darth Vader in a bathtub?), but the film avoids the schlockier pitfalls of outright Exorcist wannabes. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: The Rite commits the supreme sin of making the devil dull. Read more

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: Anthony Hopkins classes up The Rite, as you can imagine he would most every situation. But even his otherworldly powers can only make this overly familiar demonic possession thriller engaging for so long. Read more

Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: The Rite becomes more ludicrous as it goes along, with more than a few lines of dialogue from Michael Petroni's over-the-top screenplay eliciting unintended titters. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: Oooh. Scary. Read more

Ian Buckwalter, NPR: There may be redemption in store for some of his characters, but Hafstrom has some serious work ahead of him if he wants any kind of absolution after this wreck. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: Despite an impressive cast (excluding the excruciatingly dull O'Donoghue, a newcomer from Ireland), "The Rite" is the sort of misfire that Hollywood has long buried in January. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: As Hopkins himself goes wild-eyed and FX-ed with popping veins, The Rite gives up on asking us to take it seriously. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: There are some interesting ideas and themes in The Rite; unfortunately, an uneven tone and a disappointingly generic climax dilute them. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: I found myself drawn in. It is sincere. It is not exploitative; a certain amount of screaming, frothing and thrashing comes with the territory. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: The Rite goes wrong in every way. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: If it's a nonsensical patchwork quilt, it's mostly a watchable one, with supporting performances from Ciaran Hinds and Rutger Hauer (which is a lot of long, gloomy faces for one movie). Read more

Tom Horgen, Minneapolis Star Tribune: A horror film that goes nowhere very, very slowly. Read more

Kevin C. Johnson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: This is an exorcism movie that those who actually saw The Exorcist in theaters can get into. Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: Starts glumly before flipping into supernatural camp. Read more

Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine: The Rite is all windup, weak delivery. Read more

Nigel Floyd, Time Out: This is a dreary metaphysical drama dressed in the vestments of a religious horror movie. Read more

Scott Bowles, USA Today: There's nothing wrong with The Rite that spinning heads and a little pea soup wouldn't cure. Read more

Joe Leydon, Variety: A largely low-key, intelligent effort. Read more

Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice: Director Mikael Hafstrom's foot-dragging pace makes a pretense of intent character study, but Michael's spiritual trials are occluded by Michael Petroni's patchy screenplay. Read more

Sean O'Connell, Washington Post: A run-of-the-mill chiller that spends an inordinate amount of time flirting with unconventional scare tactics before sacrificing all of its ingenuity to become the latest in a long line of "The Exorcist" clones. Read more