Today’s quick review: Priest. A retired priest (Paul Bettany) who fought in humanity’s wars against the vampires defies his order when a gang of vampires led by an ally thought dead (Karl Urban) breaks containment, kills his brother and sister-in-law, and kidnaps his niece (Lily Collins). The ruling government, a militant evolution of the Catholic Church and humanity’s only protection against the vampires, forbids the priest’s mission of revenge on the grounds that the vampires can no longer be seen to be a threat. They send a trio of priests to stop him, including an old friend of his (Maggie Q). Aided only by a local sheriff (Cam Gigandet), the priest uses his advanced training and a bevy of weapons to track the vampires and his niece across the frontier wastes.
Priest is a sci-fi Western crossed with action horror. Humanity has been ravaged by its wars with the vampires, and now entire stretches of land are barren wastes, punctuated only by polluted mega-cities fortified against the vampire threat. The priests were trained specially to combat the vampires’ enhanced strength and reflexes, but after the end of the wars, they live meager lives, barred from the purpose for which they were trained and shunned by the civilians they helped save.
Priest is a shallow but enjoyable movie with a basic plot, minimal acting, and a creative aesthetic. The priests are essentially Christian-themed ninjas in the vein of Equilibrium’s Grammaton clerics; armed with shuriken, blades, and their own fists, they are an excuse for action movie stunts writ large. The bleak mega-cities lend Priest aspects of dystopian sci-fi, while the wastes surrounding them allow aspects of the Western genre to bleed through. None of the movie’s many genres is fully exploited, but a few nice touches, such as rocket-powered motorcycles in lieu of horses, give the movie a bit of flair.
Priest is a good choice when you’re in the mood for sci-fi action and not too concerned with plot or character. Priest does not live up to the potential that its blend of elements would suggest, but the action scenes are satisfying, the setting is interesting, and a few standout moments make the film worth a watch. From a quality perspective, Priest is outclassed by other movies in the genre like Underworld or Equilibrium. But few of its rivals sport its unique blend of influences, and Priest is well worth a watch for those looking for a bit of gun-toting, shuriken-throwing action.
5.7 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it 6.5 to 7.0 for passable quality, an interesting setting, and plenty of action.