Al Pacino at the 96th Annual Oscars held at Dolby Theatre on March 10, 2024 in Los Angeles, … More
Variety via Getty ImagesOscar-winning actor Al Pacino is getting no love from Rotten Tomatoes critics for his new horror movie The Ritual.
Pacino, of course, is the legendary star of such films as Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Trilogy, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Scarface and Heat. Recently, Pacino — who has been nominated for nine Oscars and won for Best Actor for the 1992 drama Scent of a Woman — has recently starred in such acclaimed films as Martin Scorese’s The Irishman and Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci.
Pacino’s The Ritual — which opened in theaters on Friday — has critics not raving, but ripping the celebrated actor’s exorcism film. The official summary for the film reads, “The Ritual is based on the true story of Emma Schmidt’s 1928 exorcism — one of the most terrifying in U.S. history.
“After years of disturbing behavior, she underwent a week-long ordeal in an Iowa convent led by Father Theophilus Riesinger (Pacino). Witnesses reported levitation, unearthly voices, and supernatural strength. Sanctioned by the Church, her case inspired decades of horror — and now, The Ritual brings the original story to life.”
The Ritual also stars Dan Stevens, Ashley Greene, Patrick Fabian and Patricia Heaton.
As of Saturday morning, Rotten Tomatoes critics have collectively given The Ritual a lowly 6% “rotten” score based on 48 reviews.
The RT Critics Consensus for The Ritual reads, “The Ritual purportedly presents a real occult occurrence, but the most blasphemous thing about it may be wasting Al Pacino’s talents on a clichéd story with uninspired execution.”
What Are Individual Critics Saying About Al Pacino’s ‘The Ritual’?
Dennis Harvey of Variety is among the top critics on RT who gives The Ritual a “Rotten” review, writing, “It just isn’t much fun, even as it lacks the gravitas needed to make a more deeply unsetting impression, as William Friedkin famously managed with The Exorcist 52 years ago,” while Glenn Kenney of the New York Times simply notes, “Just watch The Exorcist again.”
In addition, the Guardian’s Leslie Felperin’s “rotten” RT summary reads, “[Al] Pacino doesn’t seem to be taking any of it seriously as he phones in an uncharacteristically low-volume performance.”
Meagan Navarro of the horror film site Bloody Disgusting also fails to find any thrills and chills in her RT summary, writing, “The ‘based on a true story’ horror movie fails to evoke any emotion as it sleepwalks through a tired recreation of an exorcism movie’s third act, committing the ultimate cardinal sin in cinema: it’s boring.”
The only “fresh” review from RT’s top critics comes from Thelma Adams of AARP Movies for Grown-Ups, who writes, “There is much faith testing and holy water slinging, but not a single jump scare. Still, [Al] Pacino is oddly compelling to watch.”
The Ritual, starring Al Pacino, is now playing in in theaters.
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