Critical: The Reaping

Critical is a series of examinations about media in popular culture. It's an explicit look, which means those who don't want key plot points revealed to you should likely avoid continuing. Critical does not even know what the word spoilers MEANS.

Well, you got me, movie.


I underestimated you. Based on the previews I saw, I assumed you would be a very straight forward, run of the mill anti-Christ movie. You looked pretty enough, what with your fancy budget and all, but still I thought you were a one-trick pony. You've got a skeptical scientist who makes it her business to investigate miracles and prove they have scientific explanations, because the death of her husband and children at the hand of insane cultists has warped her sensibilities and made her turn her back on the church, and then she comes upon a case of the Biblical plagues and, shock of shocks, this time it's for real!

And yes, all that does happen. So, no surprises there, movie. You did take a bit of a turn when you made the anti-Christ a girl, as usually movies stick to Damien-types for that, but changing the sex of the Child of Satan isn't exactly radical. I still figured that I had you pegged, movie.

But there you go and hit me with an actual, honest to goodness plot twist that I did not see coming. Had I not been so narrow-minded, I could have guessed the twist, because you did foreshadow pretty nicely and everything, but I did not give you nearly enough credit and I lulled myself into believing you were much baser than you were. So, kudos there. You were smarter and better than I gave you credit for. It's a mistake I won't make again soon, and it's all because of you.

What The Reaping is, to put it simply, is a good movie. I have some issues with it, mainly the renumbering of the plagues for dramatic effect, and you rely on wacky dream sequences a bit too much, and that final scene in the car felt tacked on and just out of place, but you can't let those three things detract from the overall impression, and The Reaping is good. It's beautifully shot, and although I complained about excessive use of dreams, some of them played with light and dark so masterfully that I can forgive some of them. There's even a few bits that are incredibly creepy, so you've got that going for you, too.

Not worth owning, but I wouldn't be adverse to watching you again some time, movie. Next time, I'll treat you better, I promise.