PRIEST

US, 2011, 87 minutes. Colour.
Paul Bettany, Karl Urban, Cam Gigandet, Christopher Plummer, Maggie Q, Brad Dourif, Stephen Moyer, Maedchin Amick, Lily Collins, Alan Dale.
Directed by Scott Stewart.

No, not another film exploring the Catholic priesthood and celibacy. Rather, this is another graphic novel (from a Korean author) showing the struggle between good and evil.

Actually, there is an amount of Catholic background and iconography in the film. However, it simply means that the makers have some familiarity with things Catholic but are offering them as images and plot devices rather than indicating any understanding of the Church. This is explained quite early in what is a short film (under 90 minutes). During the credits, the screen is filled with effective, narrative graphic novel panels which means that we are not to be taking anything literally. This is an alternate world, a world of fantasy.

But, what is this world like?

It is dark, frequently dark. Daylight scenes in the desert come as something of a surprise and a relief. Vampires (looking like mutant monsters rather than variations on a well-dressed Dracula) have conquered the world and forced humans into retreat. However, the Church has nominated priests who are warriors to destroy the vampires and intern them in settlements. These priests, having achieved their task, are now retired and forgotten (like veterans returning home after some wars). Paul Bettany plays the central Priest, a former champion, who keeps dreaming of a trap where his colleague (Karl Urban) fell to his death. He communicates this to the Monsignor in charge. He is played by Christopher Plummer with full authority and resonant voice. The whole thing (and the city visuals) seem like a post-Blade Runner civilisation.

Then, we are in the desert, just like a western, and what seems like a variation on the plot of The Searchers. A young girl is abducted by marauding vampires, her parents killed. Her fiancé, a local sheriff (Cam Gigandet), goes to the Priest to get his help in tracking down the abducted girl. The Monsignor refuses permission for this mission but the Priest goes anyway (you can quickly work out why). Enter the Priestess (Maggie Q), sent to control the Priest but who assists him (with moves and leaps like The Matrix choreography) and causes a great deal of damage including charging an oncoming train (filled with vampire pods) on a motorbike.

It seems that the Priest’s partner did not die but has been vampirised – which, of course, leads to a spectacular confrontation, between the Priest and Black Hat, as his is now called.

Actually, Priest delivers exactly what it set out to do with an appeal only to its niche audience of graphic novel fans.

1. The popularity of graphic novels, the characters, the plots, the struggle between good and evil?

2. The world of fantasy, science fiction? Post- Apocalyptic worlds? The worlds of vampire conquest? The alternate world? The world of human survival? The role of the church? The crusade against the vampires and saving humans?

3. The animation sequences, from the graphic novels, setting the tone, stylised? Giving the information about the vampires, coexistence with the humans? The struggles, the graphics of the fights, the destruction of the humans? The priests and the war against the vampires, controlling them, confining them to special camps? The graphic comics – stylised, not real?

4. The importance of the special effects, the 3D effects? The dark world, the night sequences, the dark city, the streets and buildings, the desert, the caves, the train? The stunts, the bikes, the leaps, the fights, the weapons?

5. The musical score, Mozart background, Carmina Burana, liturgical music, the combination?

6. The title, the role of the church, the use of Catholic background, the familiarity with Catholic background (rather than understanding it)? The church, the priests, the icons, the signs of the cross, the language, the authority – good and bad? The role of the priests, the warriors, the vampires? The powers?

7. The fate of the priests, their achievement in destroying the vampires, fading from the public, the priestess, her powers? The control of the authorities in the church? Forbidding the priests to do any warrior work?

8. The monsignor, Christopher Plummer’s presence and voice? Seeing him on the wide screens? The confession? The priest telling his story? The church, control, the meetings, the Monsignor Chamberlain? The priest asking for his mission to confront the vampires, find his daughter? The orders, disobedience? The return, the achievement of the mission, the monsignor in denial?

9. The opening, the priests, the cave, the priest finding the trick, Black Hat and his falling into the abyss? The priest and his recurring dream? Recounting it in confession? The later visit again to the cave? The revelation of what happened to Black Hat? The bond between the two? The meeting, the confrontation on the train, death? The story of Black Hat, the fall, the queen of the vampires, his being transformed, getting the new population, the pods in the train, the hope for the future? The build-up to the confrontation?

10. Owen and Shannon, their life in the desert, the hard work, Lucy and her rebellion? Going into town? The atmosphere of the western? Hiding in the cellar, the vampires overcoming the family, the death of Shannon, Owen in hospital, his surviving to explain to the priest? Lucy and her being taken?

11. Hicks, his place in the West, young, his arrival in the city, the confrontation with the priest, trying to persuade him to find Lucy? Accompanying the priest on the trip, getting to know him, threatening him if he killed Lucy?

12. The priest and his decision to go, riding the bikes, the priestess and her appearance, her mission from the church? The background of the story, the priest’s love for his daughter? The priestess and the telling Hicks the truth? Helping? Putting the explosives on the railway line, confronting the riders, driving into the train? Surviving?

13. The priest and Hicks, the scenes in the desert, riding, talking, their destroying of the pods? Finding Lucy? The background of the salesman, the priest confronting him, running him out of town? On the train, his talking with Black Hat, Black Hat killing him? Priest and the train, Hicks and the priest getting on the train, on the roof, Hicks discovering the pods, their explosions? Being thrown off the train? The priest and Black Hat, the fight, Lucy and the rescue, Hicks and his arrival? Black Hat and impaling the priest, his becoming free, the finale and the mayhem with the bike and the crash of the train?

14. The restoration of peace, Priest’s return, the monsignor’s disbelief? The heroics – and indications of a sequel?