The reaping

Year of release : 2007

Run time : 1h39m

Genre : Supernatural Horror / Thriller

Cast : Hilary Swank, Idris Elba, David Morrissey, AnnaSophia Robb, Stephen Rea

Katherine, a former Christian missionary, and her colleague, Ben, investigate miracles, disproving them. They just returned from Chile, where they discovered that toxic waste preserved the body of a priest, people considered a saint, and prayed to him, turning his tomb into an altar.

Katherine is contacted by Doug Blackwell, from a small town called Haven,in Louisiana, who asks her to investigate the water turning red, as the locals blame it on a 12 year old girl, Loren, whom they believe k1lled her brother.

At the same time, Katherine is contacted by her former friend, priest Michael, who tells her to beware the sickle symbol God has showed him. Katherine, who's family was sacrificed by a tribe in a country they went on a mission, doesn't believe in God anymore, hence her work in disproving miracles. Which makes her the perfect target.

The town's people seem very religious, as there are passages from the Bible written everywhere, and people seem very religious. But are they?

The people seem to think the 10 plagues of Egypt were sent upon them, and Katherine is trying to figure out what's going on, as she knows what scientifically led to the 10 plagues of Egypt.

Doing the tests, Katherine finds out the river contains human blood, and the town is somehow under a sort of plague curse.

Her priest friend tells her about a satanic cult who marks their first born and sacrifices all their other children to satan, about God sending them an angel at the height of their power to destroy them, but also about satan giving them the antichrist born out of their "strive". He thinks Loren is satan's child and tells her to k1ll her. But what if he's wrong?

I personally enjoyed the movie, not as much as I enjoyed it many years ago when I first watched it. The characters have depth, Katherine doesn't believe in God anymore after her family was k1lled by superstitious people, but her character goes through changes, and grows.

Opposite to her is her colleague,Ben, who believes in God, as he used to be a soldier who was shot many times, and should have been dead, knowing God is the only reason he is still alive.

The acting was good.

The visual effects were good.

The soundtrack, by John Fizzell, was good, with amazing choirs.

The movie was shot in 2005 ( filming was halted for a week, as Hurricane Katrina happened in the middle of filming in late August 2005),originally set to be released in August 2006!

The movie received negative reviews, and grossed 62.8 million dollars at the box office, against a budget of 40 million.

You can watch the full movie here, for free :

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9smw10

Rating : Worth a watch !