Starring: Hilary Swank Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC Label: Warner Home Video Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: October 16, 2007 Running Time: 99 minutes Theatrical Release Date: April 05, 2007
Description: Investigative scholar Katherine Winter (Hilary Swank) is a debunker of modern "miracles," bringing scientific light to superstition and fraud. But events in tiny Haven, Louisiana, defy even her expertise. There, the 10 Biblical Plagues seem to be reoccurring. And the more she seeks answers, the more she questions her own beliefs. Two-time Academy Award (R) winner Swank headlines this electrifying Dark Castle Entertainment production that reaps locusts, frogs, a river of blood and more - all to eye-filling, fear-inducing, heart-probing, must-see effect.
Amazon.com: The Reaping capitalizes on cheesy clichés to begin with, rendering it even less scary than predecessors like Children of the Corn, The Devil's Rain, Satan's Blood, or All the Colors of the Dark. Overuse of CG special effects ruin this already bad film about Louisiana State University scientist Katherine Winter (Hilary Swank), who heads to the bayou to investigate what at first she denies is a Biblical plague. The river has turned to blood, frogs fall from the sky, cattle die, and the townspeople keel over covered with red bumps, while Katherine, who happens to have been an ordained minister before she became a university professor, struggles to justify these horrendous events sans religion. Eventually, Katherine's skepticism places her in danger, as the town lays blame on Loren McConnell (AnnaSophia Robb), bewitched daughter of a local Satan worshipping family, and the one whom Katherine tries to protect since Loren recalls her own deceased daughter. As Katherine and Loren battle as angel and devil, they learn to instead forge Team Faith against the townsfolk who are all part of a sinister, inbred, Satanic cult. The film is badly cast, and the acting is horrendous, save Hilary Swank, who at least looks sexy traversing the swamps with a hunting knife hooked through her belt. The Rosemary's Baby ending is the icing on the cake. There is nothing original about The Reaping, except that it might be the biggest rip-off of previous Satanic cult films ever made. —Trinie Dalton
The Reaping Starring Hilary Swank "The Reaping" is for the most part a good supernatural/horror film..... That is until the last 20 minutes of the storyline went completely haywire and the over-the-top special effects & the "End of Days" type theme killed the movie.
The Pros: Hilary Swank does a fine acting job in this film. I also liked the initial theme of "The Reaping", where Swank's character, Katherine Winter, is a LSU theology professor who goes around debunking so called "religious phenomenon" with her partner as there is usually a scientific explanation(s) for the religious phenomenon being reported..... Hence, Swank's character along with the help of her partner are then able to debunk the "religious phenomenon". Then Swank's character along with her partner are called to the small town of Haven to solve a lot of inexplicable "religious phenomenon" that have the townsfolk upset. Just when you think that Swank's character along that of her partner are going to be able to debunk these "religious phenomenon" with scientific evidence, the complete reverse happens and we find that the "religious phenomenon" can not be debunked with scientific evidence.
The Cons: The last 20 minutes of "The Reaping" was bad. As I mentioned above, the storyline goes haywire towards the end and the special effects were way too over-the-top.
Possibly the 11th Biblical Plague Professor Katherine Winter (Hilary Swank) was once an ordained minister, but has since relinquished her faith and title after the tragic death of her husband and daughter. (Before going further, it needs to be said that Swank is actually very pretty in this movie, the most feminine of her career, and the only real reason to watch The Reaping) With anger and despair filling her heart, Winter spends her free time disproving religious-themed miracles.
Next up is a small Louisiana bayou town and a collection of Biblical plagues, as the fish die in a river that looks like a giant batch of Koolaid, which eventually leads to the demise of the WB frog, and flies that are apparently reincarnated ninjas (you'll understand if you see it). The anxiety of small-minded townfolk and a need to blame someone leads the yokels - especially a cartoonish mayor who looks like Colonel Sanders' morbidly obese cousin - to blame a young, swamp-dwelling girl based upon nothing more than the hearsay of a local busybody.
Anyway, it's up to Winter to disprove the plagues and make rational decisions - even though it's clear that Swank didn't make one when she signed on for his movie. Eventually she has to cross the line between the possibilities of a disapproving God wreaking havoc, and a mischevious Devil tricking local idiots who no doubt follow the same philosophical principles as The Waterboy's momma. All of this is mashed together with misfitting subplots of cults and child sacrifice and convoluted flashbacks, not to mention a pointless secondary minister who I hoped from the beginning would incur the nasty boils plague.
With a boring, hokey ending, and a collection of uninteresting characters, the "surprise" plot-twist was spoiled. When God eventually reigns down his judgement, I sincerely doubt it will be this boring. Believable science behind the plagues is supported by a mesmerizing DVD-extra that explains how the events could have occurred, but there isn't really much in the actual movie's fear or horror department. Unfortunately, it's completely stereotypical - the disbeliever's faith-restored moment takes place, the black sidekick dies before the end, and there is a painfully unnecessary set up for a sequel. Otherwise it's single-viewing, derivitave movie that should have been sacrificed at the terrible script alter.
Good Horror - Bad Ending Yet another 4 star film that lost a star in the last minutes of the film. This one lost it in the last 15 seconds. Overall, still quality horror in the vein of Exorcist, The Omen, etc. Effects ranged from blah to excellent. I guess they spent the extra cash on the lightning, and couldn't afford a real-looking dead bull...oh well. This is still worth a watch. A rent, nothing more.
Could have been better... Swank is such a talented actress, and her costar Idris Elba is equally talented. But their talent is wasted in this film. The script is pretty standard stuff, though the ending did have a decent twist. (however, if you pay attention you will catch on well before the climax). The scenery is beautiful, marred only by the plagues infesting this small town.
AnnaSophia Robb, who play little Loren McConnell, is a lovely child, with very captivating eyes, but again she is wasted here.
The movie isn't bad, but it falls prey to cliche's of this genre'. And that is another problem...it doesn't really fit into a specific mold. It isn't horror, not really suspense, not quite mystery....so it had the potential to be great, but it was one cliche after another.
Too bad, because this isn't a type of movie we see often, and it was full of talented actors, but if you have a slow, rainy two hours you could certainly do worse.
Movies This movie had a good plot that led you to believe many different things were going to happen in the end. Hillary Swank is a great actress, but I don't think she delivered in this movie. The end was a total FLOP, ruined the whole movie, which could have been a great movie.
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