Before Anthony Hopkins dons a golden eye patch to bellow things about heroism and destiny in next summer’s Thor, he’ll be seen in The Rite, a January thriller where he plays an “unorthodox priest†confronted with a terrifying exorcism. Yes, yes, we know that when you hear words like “Anthony Hopkins,†“January,†and “exorcism thriller,†you’re already inferring that this is a so-so supernatural programmer and just another paycheck gig for Hopkins to sleepwalk through — based on the trailer, you’re not wrong! But let’s hope there’s more camp than what’s on display here; we know that Hopkins can bring the ham, and there are promising bits of ludicrousness to be glimpsed, like the Vatican’s high-tech classrooms and touch screens. (Now all we need to see is a beautiful young nun-in-training and Hopkins trembling with a crucifix, shouting a trailer-ready “NOOOO!†at a computer-generated Beelzebub.)
