The Pope’s Exorcist appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This was a generally positive presentation.
Sharpness looked solid. A few lower-light shots were slightly soft, but not to a substantial degree, so most of the movie seemed accurate and concise.
No jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and I saw no edge haloes. Source flaws were a non-factor, as the movie stayed clean.
Like most modern flicks, Pope’s Exorcist favored a decided teal and amber/orange palette. Within these parameters, the colors appeared solid.
Blacks seemed deep and tight, while shadows were smooth and well-delineated. In the end, the transfer proved to be appealing.
I also felt positive about the pretty good DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Pope’s Exorcist. Given the nature of the story, moody environmental information dominated the mix.
These elements filled out the speakers in a fairly involving manner. The movie didn’t become a constant whiz-bang soundfield, but it created a decent sense of place.
The more active “scare moments” used the spectrum in the most dynamic manner, but they failed to appear on a frequent basis. Instead, music and moody ambience became the most prominent components.
Audio quality was fine. Speech seemed natural and concise. Effects depicted the elements with acceptable accuracy and boasted pleasing low-end when necessary.
Music showed positive clarity and range, and they also packed solid bass response at times. This was a perfectly positive mix for the material.
Two featurettes appear here, and Introducing Father Amorth runs six minutes, 28 seconds. It brings notes from producer Jeff Katz, filmmaker William Friedkin, and actors Russell Crowe and Daniel Zovatto.
Here we learn about the real man behind the film’s Father Amorth character and Crowe’s approach to the role. Though brief, this offers a decent overview.
What Possessed You? goes for four minutes, 51 seconds and involves Crowe, Katz, director Julius Avery,
“Possessed” examines the story and the filmmakers’ attempts to differentiate the movie from its genre peers. A few minor insights emerge.
The disc opens with ads for 65, The Unholy and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. No trailer for Pope’s appears here.
In a well-trodden genre, can The Pope’s Exorcist give us anything creative? Not really, as other than its connection to the pontiff – and an overqualified lead actor – the film feels like just another cheap scarefest. The Blu-ray brings pretty good picture and audio but it brings only minor bonus materials. I’ve seen worse exorcism movies than this one but it nonetheless fails to deliver anything fresh.