Lost Souls (2000)
Ashley Edner, Ben Chaplin, Elias Koteas, John Diehl, John Hurt ... (see more) , Leslie Stefanson , Philip Baker Hall , Sarah Wynter , W. Earl Brown , Winona Ryder
Lost Souls is certainly one of the most gorgeous-looking movies to come out in 2000. The cinematography has a striking, visual texture reminiscent of old photographs, all the color bleeding out into rich and evocative shades of grey and black. The movie doesn't quite live up to its look, though it's... (read more) Lost Souls is certainly one of the most gorgeous-looking movies to come out in 2000. The cinematography has a striking, visual texture reminiscent of old photographs, all the color bleeding out into rich and evocative shades of grey and black. The movie doesn't quite live up to its look, though it's not without its pleasures. The broader outlines of its story--about a true-crime writer (Ben Chaplin) who discovers, through the efforts of a former victim of possession (Winona Ryder), that he's about to become the Antichrist--lack any surprises or ingenuity. But individual scenes are largely well-written, spookily directed, and acted with commitment and intensity. Chaplin is particularly good, Ryder does her best, and a crew of superb character actors (including John Hurt, Elias Koteas, and Philip Baker Hall) flesh out the skeletally scripted supporting characters with skill and intelligence. Some of the special effects go a little overboard, but the movie is surprisingly free of the cheesy, demonic posturing and portentous speeches that afflict too many religious thrillers. Fans of The Exorcist or The Omen may find Lost Souls to be a modest but flavorful variation on the "devil-is-coming-to-get-you" genre. --Bret Fetzer
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R, 98 min.
Directed by:
Janusz Kaminski
Release Date: Oct 13, 2000
DVD Release Date: Jun 01, 2004
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Legendary cinematographer Janusz Kaminski's directorial debut is, as expected, visually stunning with excellent, stylish cinematography. Unfortunately, it falls flat as a story - a Satanic conspiracy potboiler that's alternately dull and completely r... (read more) Legendary cinematographer Janusz Kaminski's directorial debut is, as expected, visually stunning with excellent, stylish cinematography. Unfortunately, it falls flat as a story - a Satanic conspiracy potboiler that's alternately dull and completely ridiculous. The strong cast struggles to make the hokey script work - Winona Ryder takes the brunt of it, as she throws herself completely into her role (how many times can one person gasp in a single film?). Great slick production values, impressive special effects, and a strong score by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek - but ultimately, a hokey mess.
El prestigioso fotografo Janusz Kamisnski debuta como director en esta cinta acerca del apocalipsis y el demonio. El resultado es una pelicula visualmente atractiva que trata de ocultar numerosos cliches, poco contenido y nada de sustos.
it's not bad.talking about Devil will control a human,
but i think the ending was not so good.
because seem very hurry.
One of my friends got me to watch this and I found ti very interesting. its mostly about exorcisms and the anti-christ. It was well done and kept my attention through the whole thing. Demon possession is real and it was good to watch, theres not alot... (read more) One of my friends got me to watch this and I found ti very interesting. its mostly about exorcisms and the anti-christ. It was well done and kept my attention through the whole thing. Demon possession is real and it was good to watch, theres not alot of movies about it that are good. It is fictional completely so overall its great. The idea about the anti-christ in it i find is unbiblical but still very interesting.
[Being pagan, I took little personal interest in the exorcism storyline of this movie, and paid more attention to the design, acting, etc., so my review and rating are both given with that in mind.] This movie looked exquisite. It was darkly rich a... (read more) [Being pagan, I took little personal interest in the exorcism storyline of this movie, and paid more attention to the design, acting, etc., so my review and rating are both given with that in mind.] This movie looked exquisite. It was darkly rich and textured, with colouring vaguely reminiscent of the Underworld series, and there was a bathroom scene which had wonderful special effects (rapid decay of a room, tiles falling, etc.) that are also found within the 'Darkness' scenes from the movie Silent Hill. Such a pity that it was really the only scene within this movie of that nature. The music was atmospheric and often as grim as the scenes it was trying to emphasise. My biggest qualm with this movie is actually that it didn't explore that grimness for longer nor deeper.
Good movie but the ending was a let down. Good side won, but was there a better ending?.. I think so.
Critic Reviews
With the original Exorcist back at the multiplex, you don't need this pale copy.full review
For a thriller about demonic possession and the birth of the antichrist, it's curiously flat.full review
Despite its spooky, color-desaturated visuals, guffaws, not screams, are more in order.
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