The Movie Guys: ‘Lost Souls’ needs to find its story

Friday, Oct. 13, 2000 | 10:54 a.m.

The Movie Guys, starring Jeff Howard and Dave Neil, appears Fridays in the Sun. They can also be seen on the 11 a.m. Friday newscast on KVVU Channel 5, and check them out online at lasvegassun.com/sun/sunlife/visual and themovieguys.com.

Grade: Jeff B, Dave D

Starring: Winona Ryder, Ben Chaplin, Phillip Baker Hall, Elias Koteas and John Hurt.

Screenplay: Pierce Garder.

Director: Janusz Kaminski.

Rated: R for graphic violence, profanity and adult themes.

Running time: 102 minutes.

Playing at: UA Showcase 8, UA Rainbow Promenade 10, Century Orleans, Century Suncoast, Century Cinedome 12 Henderson, Rancho Santa Fe 16, Las Vegas Drive-in, Regal Cinemas Boulder Station, Regal Cinemas Sunset Station, Regal Cinemas Colonnade 14, Regal Cinemas Texas Station 18.

Synopsis: In a modern thriller in which faith battles reason, Winona Ryder plays a young woman who becomes aware of a conspiracy to enable the devil to walk the earth in human form.

To defeat the prophecy, she must convince a respected New York crime journalist (Ben Chaplin), who is devoid of faith, that he is in fact the target of the demonic conspiracy.

Jeff: It just wouldn't be a October without a good horror film to quicken your heartbeat and make your flesh crawl.

"Lost Souls," the new thriller that involves possessed mental patients, cross-wielding priests and a brief guest appearance by the Lord of Darkness himself, is just what horror fans need to make their Halloween extra spooky.

The film has been lost itself, having been on the studio shelf for nearly a year. The reasoning was that too many devil movies coming out at the same time (Schwarzenegger's "End of Days" and the forgettable "Stigmata") would have hurt any chance for "Lost Souls" scaring up any business.

A year later the timing couldn't be better, with the recent re-release of "The Exorcist." It can only help, as two devil films are better than one, with "Lost Souls" preaching about the apocalyptic downfall of mankind and the triumph of evil.

Dave: My poor, delusional colleague, Jeff, would once again have you believe that a movie as empty as this latest supernatural-genre entry is as deserving of your theater time as William Friedkin's classic "The Exorcist." I sometimes question whether we are reviewing the same movie.

Winona Ryder plays Maya Larkin, a Catholic schoolteacher who, for some reason, accompanies her peers as they perform a requested, Church-sanctioned exorcism that numerically reveals the name Peter Kelson (Ben Chaplin, last seen in 1998's "Thin Red Line") as the anti-Christ.

Thank God there is only one Peter Kelson in the whole world that Maya need find; plus, the fact that he is in the public image as a popular author and crime specialist makes her search that much more expedient.

Before the transformation can take place, however, she races to convince the skeptical Peter, oblivious to the entire conspiracy at hand, of the truth and save his soul from the Devil's clutches. Sounds like a chapter from "The Omen" series.

Jeff: This is testimony coming from the man who is too scared to see the re-release of "The Exorcist," and who thinks that "The Omen" is the first and last film ever to be made about the anti-Christ. Dave couldn't enjoy a good horror film, even if the devil himself put his arm around him and said, "That's my boy!"

"Lost Souls" explores much more than simple possession and exorcism, and comments on faith and beliefs, challenging centuries of religious ideology against modern skepticism.

Maya is clairvoyant, and because of her demonic possession in her childhood she can foresee the telltale signs of the coming of the anti-Christ. But she must fight her reputation of being a radical and finds the Catholic church discrediting her theories about the coming of Satan and the impending possession of Peter Kelson.

Signs are all around her and Peter: Dreams become horrific visions and symbols hold hidden meanings that predict the end of the world. Peter (played convincingly by Chaplin) has no faith, yet cannot explain the bizarre events occurring while he is sleeping or the satanic symbols hidden beneath his apartment.

Ryder takes on a role that is unlike anything she has ever attempted, and it's a welcome change.

Dave: Ah, come on Jeff, "a welcome change" from what? This summer's romantic bore-fest, "Autumn in New York"? If the talented Ryder cared to follow up her last venture into horror flicks (1992's "Bram Stoker's Dracula"), she should have chosen her material more wisely. As should have veteran Oscar-winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminski ("Schindler's List," "Saving Private Ryan"), making his directorial debut a scare-less disappointment. Highly stylized shots and goth-inspired settings hardly conceal an undeveloped script by Pierce Gardner.

And as much as Jeff would like to give "Lost Souls" more credit than it deserves, I assure you that nothing happens, nor is anything explained.

Every eerie devil-induced movie creates the sense that Satan is lurking somewhere in the background, and by the third act will make his monstrous presence known in some horrific, astounding manner.

Instead, we witness the digital clock in Peter's car serving as the final countdown for his condemned soul, and Maya patiently waiting with a gun ready to save the world from his evil rule. How riveting can it be, as we are left to ponder some rhetorical nonsense about the truth behind the conspiracy?

Jeff: Dave, I hate to admit, has uncovered a major flaw of "Lost Souls." The ending just fizzles and resorts to cliches, ending abruptly. Concerning the direction by Kaminski, I couldn't disagree more, Dave.

Kaminski's efforts and vision are pure poetry and the images are haunting and stunning. "Lost Souls" is an exceptional thriller that glorifies the ongoing struggle of good against evil.

And (much to my delight) the devil doesn't make a demonic exit in a grand Hollywood fashion, as Dave would have preferred. Evil comes in many forms, shapes and sizes, and Satan is once again defeated and sent back to hell.

That is, until the next "Omen" movie.