Review Detail
9.6 16 10
(Updated: September 16, 2012)
Enjoyment
10.0
Review by FatherMerrin — March 29, 2011 @ 1:06 pm
This outstanding edit brings to life the film that should of been. This edit removes all unnecessary scenes and as a result the film flows better and actually now makes much more sense.
Added footage involving the priest in the church put a massive smile on my face and gave the scene the extra shock it needed. The added footage where Kinderman first meets Gemini/Karras makes that scene finally work.
The only added footage I wasn’t 100% convinced by is the scene at the end where the Gemini says “I have dreams of a rose…” and it fades in & out of some dream footage. For me it had the effect of making the scene feel like 2 separate scenes. But William Pete Blatty was also very keen on this type of editing, so it is actually in keeping of the style of the movie.
All the removal of Exorcist/possession subplots did nothing but enchance the film and how Spicediver handled the Nurse Possession at the end which simple and brilliant.
Finally and most importantly, the ending. Having seen some previous attempts to correct the ending on youtube I was quite apprehensive. Those cursed bug eyes seem to be a problem no-one could solve. Well… Spicediver has succeeded where everybody else has failed! The ending not only works it is also haunting in a way I think Mark Kermode described when he saw the original Legion.
The big bonus for me is that this film from start to fininsh actually felt different from the Exorcist III. I can’t explain why but Spicediver’s version has a different air to it and as as result it’s like watching a whole new movie. Instead of watching the same movies with corrections, like most edits are.
As an Exorcist fan Spicediver’s edit of The Exorcist is in all likelyhood the closet I’m ever going to get to seeing Legion. Whether it will appeal to anyone outside the Exorcist or Horror community I don’t know, but this is a fine piece of work that should be scene by all edit fans.
This outstanding edit brings to life the film that should of been. This edit removes all unnecessary scenes and as a result the film flows better and actually now makes much more sense.
Added footage involving the priest in the church put a massive smile on my face and gave the scene the extra shock it needed. The added footage where Kinderman first meets Gemini/Karras makes that scene finally work.
The only added footage I wasn’t 100% convinced by is the scene at the end where the Gemini says “I have dreams of a rose…” and it fades in & out of some dream footage. For me it had the effect of making the scene feel like 2 separate scenes. But William Pete Blatty was also very keen on this type of editing, so it is actually in keeping of the style of the movie.
All the removal of Exorcist/possession subplots did nothing but enchance the film and how Spicediver handled the Nurse Possession at the end which simple and brilliant.
Finally and most importantly, the ending. Having seen some previous attempts to correct the ending on youtube I was quite apprehensive. Those cursed bug eyes seem to be a problem no-one could solve. Well… Spicediver has succeeded where everybody else has failed! The ending not only works it is also haunting in a way I think Mark Kermode described when he saw the original Legion.
The big bonus for me is that this film from start to fininsh actually felt different from the Exorcist III. I can’t explain why but Spicediver’s version has a different air to it and as as result it’s like watching a whole new movie. Instead of watching the same movies with corrections, like most edits are.
As an Exorcist fan Spicediver’s edit of The Exorcist is in all likelyhood the closet I’m ever going to get to seeing Legion. Whether it will appeal to anyone outside the Exorcist or Horror community I don’t know, but this is a fine piece of work that should be scene by all edit fans.
F