The Reaping was a movie that I hated the first time I saw a trailer for it. However, now I’ve actually watched it and may have been converted.
The Reaping was directed by Stephen Hopkins, who’s best film prior to this could arguably been the killer lion flick The Ghost In The Darkness. Anyone who watches any sort of media that advertises movies knows that Hilary Swank stars in The Reaping and that it has something to do with a town besieged by what appear to be biblical plagues, perhaps caused by a little blonde girl who lives in the swamp. Swank plays a former minister turned God-hating professor setting out to prove miracles all have scientific explanations.
Hilary Swank doesn’t appeal to me when I think of headlining actresses and yet I am usually not disappointed by her performances. This film is no exception, she earns her paycheck. The supporting cast earn theirs as well, though surely a much smaller one. The little girl actress in the film, Annasophia Robb, is cute and all, only borderline creepy and fills her role well enough, but she isn’t a Dakota Fanning.
A popular comment amongst other critics are to say that the story behind The Reaping is cliché and that the movie would have been straight to Dvd had it not been for the star power of Swank. The twist or where the film is heading is very predictable, but the story is entertaining overall. This is a solid movie and I disagree and think, though Swank didn’t hurt, it could carry itself. Then again I like dark religious plots and things that involve cults.
The special effects are CGI goofiness, but they did not steal away from my opinion of the movie and overall I just have to say I was surprised I say through it all; pleasantly so. A solid and decent movie worth a rent.
I will have to disagree here. I won’t lie, I was entertained. The problem is I never laughed so hard at a film that wasn’t suppose to be funny. The ending was confusing. What I got out of it is that the little girl is an angel sent to kill all of the 2nd born children. And in the end I figured that Hilary Swank got pregnate from one of the 2nd born children and is now holding Satan’s child. If that is what the movie was getting at, it is pretty darn stupid to me. But that is why they make so many different films and have so many different critics.
I’m not going to lie. I did not see this movie. I thought the trailer was confused. A cool idea to center a supernatural thriller around the Plagues of Egypt, but not so hot when it seems to be done by less-than-innovative filmmakers. And I might as well admit that I, too, was not thrilled with the idea of watching Hillary Swank for 2 hours, even though she is a fine actress. I don’t know what it is about her.
Anyway, even though you seem to be recommending this film with your review, and I loved “The Ghost In the Darkness”, I must say that your mentions of the cliche God-hating former minister and goofy CGI silliness make me satisfied with not having wasted my time with this one.
As always, very well-written review.
I disagree. I hated this movie and am so tired of movies being advertised as horror flicks when in actuality they are boring flicks. I have only been this bored during a movie a few times. I thought the idea could have been original if the movie had been written well, which it wasn’t. Dul, Dull, Dull