The greatest trick the devil ever played was convincing the world he didn't exist. If you believe in God, then surely you must believe in the devil as well. Michael Kovak (Colin O'Donoghue) has entered the religious order to become a priest, although he isn't quite sure yet that this is what he wants to do. All that is about to change when he meets one of the few performing exorcists in Rome, Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins).

After questioning his faith, Michael is sent to Rome to take a course on exorcisms. I supposed the clergy intend to scare him into becoming a priest. Regardless of their intentions, Michael decides to give it one last shot when he is sent to study under Father Lucas, who is already busy exorcising the young and pregnant Rosaria. Unfortunately, even priests are not safe from the devil as Father Lucas soon becomes enveloped by pure evil. Can Michael find his faith and ultimately free the priest from the devil's grasp?

Supposedly inspired by true events, The Rite explores the secretive and controversial world of exorcisms. In all honestly, it's nothing we haven't seen before in film already. Twitching limbs, inhuman voices, supernatural forces; the film has it all. While nothing new, it's still enjoyable to watch Hopkins slowly transform into this ungodly beast. There is no doubting of his acting ability, especially when it comes to portraying a madman. That's about as much as The Rite gets right.

The majority of the film revolves around Michael's "spiritual journey" within himself as he struggles to accept the world around him. Ever since he was a kid, he's always been running away from things. We get the fact that he is questioning religion; we don't need to be constantly reminded of it throughout. Many scenes seem unnecessary, such as when Michael confronts the red-eyed mule, as they only distract us from the disturbing nature of the exorcisms with their ridiculous nature.

The Rite makes all the wrong mistakes. It's overly dull and feels like a chore to watch rather than something entertaining. The exorcism scenes and Anthony Hopkins are the films only saving grace. If you absolutely must see it, wait until it's released to video, you'll thank me later.

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