| Reviewed on 2007-04-06 |
| Rated | R |
| Received |   [2.5] out of 4 stars |
| Genre | Horror / Thriller |
| Website | http://www.thereapingmovie.com |
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| In The Reaping, Katherine Winter (Hilary Swank) is a former Christian missionary who loses her faith after her family is tragically killed, and since has become world renowned in disproving religious phenomena. Things change when a small-town schoolteacher named Doug Blackwell (David Morrissey) seeks her help in figuring out why the Ten Plagues of Egypt seem to be manifesting themselves through one of his young students, Loren McConnell (AnnaSophia Robb). When Katherine and her colleague Ben (Idris Elba) arrive, the rivers have already been turned red with blood, and before long the horrifying countdown goes into full throttle.
The Reaping takes the subject matter seriously, and it is quite suspenseful (the movie is definitely more thriller than horror); however, its impact is slightly flawed by an over abundance of computer generated images. While it's understandable that the Ten Biblical Plagues are pretty incredible and the showing of them in all their glory profits from some modern technology. Occasionally, the look is too phony and pulls you out of the screening concept.
The highlight of the movie is definitely Hilary Swank. She delivers a solid performance as expected. She brings intensity to every scene and is a completely believable character. On the flip side there are a lot of questions raised by this movie and left unanswered. I feel there may be some disappointment from the audience when any movie discussing religion and science is released. There was some validity to the scientific questions raised but sometimes religion is just that, a belief in something larger than oneself.
The Reaping was entertaining and thrilling but fell slightly short on plot development. I would recommend it for a compelling night at the movies. There will no doubt be some great conversations with your friends afterwards. The debate between religion and science is there and the movie opens the door in a thrilling, extravagant way.
Review By: Maleah Moran
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