Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist - DVD Review

Maybe the incredibly descriptive title for Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist will start a new trend in naming movies. Think of the possiblities. We could one day watch "Seen: Sequel to Saw," "Oval: Remake of The Ring," or "Playdoh: Prequel to House of Wax." Okay, maybe not. Weird title aside, the most notable thing about Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist is that it's not the only prequel to the classic film. You may have seen a little film called Exorcist: The Beginning, which was also a prequel to Father Merrin's adventures with the devil. But this version was technically the first. When Director Paul Schrader delivered this moody, atmospheric ramble on the true nature of evil in the world, the producers saw arthouse dollars, freaked out and grabbed Renny Harlin for a quickie remake, keeping very little of the original. Dominion is what caused the freak out.

Just a few years ago, Dominion would have shuffled off into history, a cautionary tale about trying to get too artistic with a studio looking for a straight-up horror movie (the ironic end of the story being how much Harlin didn't really deliver that either). But now, film students everywhere get to contrast and compare both versions of Merrin Jr. You say you like alternate endings and deleted scenes with your DVDs? How about a deleted movie? As a film, Dominion doesn't work significantly better than Harlin's version. It's undeniably more ambitious, but also incredibly slow at times. It's easy to see why the execs called for a filmmaking exorcism of their own. But the key here is not quality, it's the opportunity for the comparison. So much film has rolled in Hollywood, never to see the light of day. Directors everywhere will love the chance to see two different voices try to tell the same story, even if neither telling of the tale works as well as it should. Maybe next time, for "Preeminence: A Prequel to Dominion," they could work together.

Until that day, we'll have the typically strong DVD treatment given to Dominion by WB. The anamorphic widescreen transfer in its theatrical 1.85:1 aspect ratio is your standard WB video, with clear, vivid colors, and very little softness in the darker scenes. The sound is also strong, in Dolby Digital 5.1, with the rear speakers not employed as much as they could be, but when the action picks up in the final act, your neighbors may call a priest.

The opportunity to hear Paul Schrader talk about what happened with Dominion on the audio commentary track doesn't quite raise the devil, as the modest director is awfully quiet, and seems unsure of what he should be saying. He talks a bit about production problems, but there are large downtimes and it just doesn't seem the right platform for Schrader. An interview probably would have worked better. Next to the commentary track (and, considering he made the same movie twice, it would have been nice to hear from star Stellan Skarsgard on one of the DVDs), Dominion tacks on a few additional scenes and a stills gallery.

The tale of Dominion is one that will be repeated long after anyone remembers if either the Harlin or the Schrader version are actually any good. The quickest remake in history will be the answer to trivia questions for years to come and it's great that we have a medium that allows for both versions to grace your DVD shelf. Hell, it's probably worth picking up just because it's the only DVD you'll own with the word prequel in the title. You have to love truth in advertising.