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Parents' Guide to

Priest

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Sci-fi vampire tale has weak characters, heavy violence.

Movie PG-13 2011 87 minutes
Priest Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 5 parent reviews

pvtplatypus
pvtplatypus Adult
January 20, 2012
age 13+

Worse than Legion

Director Scott Stewart has managed to make a movie worse than his last film, Legion. Mr. Stewart is a special effects artist, not a director. Maybe he should stop trying to make terrible movies starring Paul Bettany, who was the lead character in both movies. I can't take another one of these movies. Anyway, parents should know that there is violence, obviously. Some blood and some language. Just please avoid the movie.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
DasGinatron
DasGinatron Adult
November 6, 2011
age 16+

Meh.

This movie could have been much better. The ending was abrupt and horrible, and definitely left the audience wanting. I would not advise watching this movie with early teens or children. There are some disturbing images and while I did not find the movie scary, I think a younger crowd would.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much violence
Too much swearing
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Many years ago, a man known only as Priest (Paul Bettany) and others like him fought a war against a race of faceless vampires. Now that war is over, and the priests are having a hard time fitting in ... until a new band of vampires attacks and kidnaps a member of the Priest's family. Along with the cowboy-like Hicks (Cam Gigandet) and one of his former colleagues (Maggie Q), Priest heads out into the wastelands beyond the dark, ruined cities to find clues. Unfortunately, it looks as though Priest's brutal past is about to catch up with him in the form of a new breed of vampire. Can he pull off the rescue and stop the new vampire attack?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (7 ):

With PRIEST, former special effects man-turned-director Scott Stewart produces a movie much like his feature debut, Legion: It's great-looking but lifeless. The premise is an interesting combination of a post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie, vampire lore, and the American West, and it cooks up dazzling landscapes and sets that deserve comparison to Blade Runner. But after that, the movie simply borrows ideas without much joy or enthusiasm.

The dour, depressing, wooden characters don't help much. Not even memorable cult actors like Brad Dourif, Steven Moyer (of TV's True Blood) or Madchen Amick (formerly of Twin Peaks) can help. Nobody appears to be having much fun. The scary moments are old hat, and the fight scenes are gray and choppy and don't generate much excitement. Fans of the comic book by Hyung Min-woo would probably do better to stick to the printed page.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the movie's violence. How did it affect you? Do you think all of it was necessary to the story? How does it compare to movies with more gore and blood? Which do you find scarier?

  • How does this movie compare to other vampire movies and TV shows? Why do you think vampires are so popular? Why do you think some are so much more violent than others?

Movie Details

  • In theaters: May 13, 2011
  • On DVD or streaming: August 16, 2011
  • Cast: Cam Gigandet , Karl Urban , Maggie Q , Paul Bettany
  • Director: Scott Stewart
  • Inclusion Information: Female actors, Asian actors
  • Studio: Screen Gems
  • Genre: Science Fiction
  • Run time: 87 minutes
  • MPAA rating: PG-13
  • MPAA explanation: intense sequences of violence and action, disturbing images and brief strong language
  • Last updated: December 20, 2022

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