16th May, 2008 Login • Register
Search This Site
The Reaping (2007) DVD Review
The Reaping (2007) DVD Credits:
The Reaping (2007) Directed by:
James Cox
The Reaping (2007) Written by:
Chad Hayes, Carey Hayes
The Reaping (2007) Cast:
Idris Elba, Andrea Frankle, Samuel Garland, Stuart Greer, Lara Grice, Burgess Jenkins, David Jensen, David Morrissey, William Ragsdale, Annasophia Robb, Hilary Swank
The Reaping (2007) Released by:
Not available at this time
Region:
1
The Reaping (2007) DVD Release Date:
15th October 2007
Our Rating: Extras Rating:

User Rating:  Log in to rate this DVD
The Reaping (2007) Synopsis:

The story centers on a university professor (Swank) who debunks miracles. She is summoned to a small Louisiana town by a man (Morrissey) to investigate a series of bizarre occurrences that appear to be the 10 biblical plagues. Swank begins to fall for Morrissey but soon learns that he is not all that he appears.

The Reaping (2007) DVD Review:

As always, it is the skeptics who are placed in the real situations of true modern miracles. Hilary Swank is former ordained minister turned investigative scholar Katherine Winter, a woman who doesn’t believe in miracles, God or the devil ever since she lost her only daughter. Katherine makes a living out of bringing scientific evidence against miracles many believe to be caused by God. Katherine has no problem destroying the hope of many in order to keep her own personal faith in science alive, even keeping a tally of the miracles she has scientifically invalidated to rattle off to her students proudly. But when Katherine is sent to Haven, Louisiana to investigate what seems to be recreations of the ten Biblical Plagues, the roles are reversed and it is Katherine’s faith that is quickly put to the test.

Despite her usual excursions across the world and often into third-world countries, this task is conveniently set in her back yard, so Katherine takes some time away from her teaching job at Louisiana State University and travels to the small town which is blaming a young girl for the plagues. Katherine is already certain that she can destroy the rumors quickly, so when an old friend, Father Costigan (Stephen Rea), calls to tell her that all of the photos of her from Africa have burned her image away it is a reminder of what she has lost more than any threat to her. Africa was the place where Katherine lost her daughter, husband and her faith, turning her attention towards proving miracles false from then on. The strength of any demonic film seems to rest far more on the regaining of faith, just as The Exorcist shows so perfectly. Katherine has simply failed to experience inexplicable events, so when even her expertise is not enough to disprove the events in Haven she is forced to rethink her stubborn ways.

The town is overwhelmingly dedicated to their religion, using the church as a base for the town, which is not comforting considering it proudly displays a stain-glass scene of the very fire-and-brimstone preaching one can only imagine goes on each Sunday. As determined as Katherine is for the plagues to be false, the church seems just as dedicated to the idea that a young girl is causing the plagues. The river filled with blood is the first of the plagues and as they are exploring the elaborate substance filling the river Katherine meets the young girl accused of creating the plagues after the death of her brother. Anna-Sophia Robb plays Laura, the young girl accused, plastered on the gorgeous DVD cover with swarms of locust and a large snake. Robb seems to have taken over the younger roles that Dakota Fanning is now too old for and she fills the large shoes quite easily. There is a mysterious maturity to the young actress and she is undeniably intense as this mysterious girl living in the woods with her family.

The DVD includes a biased featurette about the scientific explanations behind the 10 plagues. The interviews are obnoxious and the information leading, while the “Characters” featurette with cast interviews is much livelier. There is also a featurette about the landscape of the film and “The Reaping: The Seventh Plague: Those Creepy Bugs” which has a far longer title than running time.

Our Rating: Extras Rating: User Rating:  Log in to rate this DVD

The Reaping (2007) DVD review written by: Ryan Izay

Content Management System provided by P J Thomson - Freelance Web Design - PHP/MySQL Development