ubbed a superhero/horror/western, Priest is loosely based on the comic book series of the same name and is another comic that I never took the time to explore. Set in an apocalyptic future, after the war between vampires and mankind is seemingly over, the church disbanded their warrior Priests and left them to fend for themselves in the world. When Bettany's character's family is attacked and his niece is kidnapped, Priest disregards the church’s orders to stand down and sets out with a young sheriff in order to save his niece from Black Hat and an immense army of vampires
If you are expecting more from Paul Bettany's than in his last film, Legion, you may be a bit disappointed. This movie has a cool concept yet does not deliver much beyond the recent flurry of romantic and comical vampire movies nor dispenses anything beyond better vampire flicks such as 30 Days of Night. It begins with a somewhat rushed opening sequence in which viewers are given a brief background of Priest (Paul Bettany) and the ill-fated Black Hat (Karl Urban). The animated sequence that follows would have been a much better opener for the movie, laying out the history of the war between the vampires and mankind, especially since the opening sequence is flashed back a few times during the course of the movie. Nevertheless, the story does start out strong, but begins to crumble after before it is half over.
Visually this film is pretty solid and the action sequences are above par. The soundtrack is decent but something was amidst, possibly the absence of the sound of teeth or knives enter flesh. Performances from the cast are a little on and off though. Paul Bettany does deliver as Priest, much to the degree as he did in Legion; why he is not cast in more lead roles beyond the ones he has is beyond me. Karl Urban (Black Hat) played the perfect antagonist and played off Bettany well. Lilly Collins was respectable given the scant time she had on screen. Karl Urban was a solid antagonist and played off Bettany well. Cam Gigandet (Priest’s ad hock sidekick) came off as a little forced most of the time but not to the degree that it took away from the role of film itself.
All in all, there are many who will enjoy this film, taken for what it is. I believe readers of Priest may be disappointed though, so, again, taken for what it is, it’s a decent film, nothing to rush and see but definitely weekend rental material.