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The Reaping

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The Reaping (2007)

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Reviews Counted: 129

Fresh: 11

Rotten:118

Average Rating: 3.5/10

Consensus: It may feature such accomplished actors as Hilary Swank and Stephen Rea, but The Reaping also boasts the apropos tagline "What hath God wrought?" It's schlocky, spiritually shallow, and scare-free.

Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Theatrical Release: 2007

Box Office: $25,083,945

Synopsis: In this thriller from director Stephen Hopkins (LOST IN SPACE, UNDER SUSPICION), Oscar winner Hilary Swank is Katherine Winter, a college professor who refutes mysteries and so-called miracles with... In this thriller from director Stephen Hopkins (LOST IN SPACE, UNDER SUSPICION), Oscar winner Hilary Swank is Katherine Winter, a college professor who refutes mysteries and so-called miracles with scientific evidence. When science teacher Doug Blackwell (David Morrisey) invites Katherine and her former teaching assistant/current colleague, Ben (Idris Elba), to his hometown of Haven, Louisiana, to investigate a river whose water has turned blood-red following the mysterious death of a local boy, the cynical professor is forced to find her own faith. The river of blood is just the first in a series of strange occurrences in Haven. It seems that each of the 10 plagues from Exodus is being manifested, in order. The citizens of this Bible Belt town are convinced that 12-year-old Loren McConnell (AnnaSophia Robb) is responsible for her brother's death and for the strange events. Soon, Katherine finds herself questioning everything as memories from her past suddenly infiltrate the present in her search for the truth. The Deep South setting is both beautiful and creepy--particularly Doug's classic antebellum mansion, and the swamps where the McConnell family lives. Swank is reliably solid as Katherine, a woman of faith who lost everything important to her and turned to science for answers. Young AnnaSophia Robb, a young actress to watch, has a captivating screen presence. Brits David Morrissey and Idris Elba (THE WIRE) round out the main characters, with Morrissey a convincing Southern gentleman and Elba a man who overcame his tough life on the streets to become a professor. Stephen Rea also appears as Father Costigan, a link to Katherine's sad past. [More]

Starring: Hilary Swank, David Morrissey, AnnaSophia Robb, Idris Elba

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

Director: Stephen Hopkins

Director: Stephen Hopkins
Screenwriter: Chad Hayes, Carey W. Hayes
Story: Bruce Rousso
Producer: Robert Zemeckis, Joel Silver, Susan Downey, Herbert W. Gains
Composer: Philip Glass, John Frizzell
Studio: Warner Bros.

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Release:

Oct 16, 2007

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Anamorphic Widescreen
  • Full Frame - 1.33

Audio:

  • Dolby Surround 5.1 - English, French, Spanish
  • Subtitles - English, French, Spanish

Additional Release Material:

  • Featurettes - 1. SCIENCE OF THE PLAGUES
  • 2. THE CHARACTERS
  • 3. A PLACE CALLED HAVEN
  • 4. THE REAPING: THE SEVENTH PLAGUE

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Reviews for The Reaping

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Ratings Image

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
11/20/08
Michael Szymanski
Hollywood.com
Ratings Image

At no time does director Stephen Hopkins give us reason to care.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
07/19/08
Rossiter Drake
San Francisco Examiner
Ratings Image

Although terrible, this film does raise ... interesting questions: Why does Hollywood keep ripping off THE OMEN? Why would anyone continue hiring Stephen Hopkins to direct a movie? Why would two-time Oscar-winner Hilary Swank agre to be in this mess?

Full Review Source: ESplatter | comment Comment
07/07/08
Steve Biodrowski
ESplatter
Ratings Image

I did like the bugs.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
10/06/07
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com
Ratings Image

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound
Ratings Image

If The Reaping had been sown with fresher ideas, you might actually care if the devil went down to Georgia, er, Louisiana.

Full Review Source: IGN Movies | comment Comment
06/25/07
Stax
IGN Movies
Ratings Image

The cumulative effect is likely to make viewers weary, but not so weary that they can't manage a chuckle or two during the film's cheesed-out final minutes.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
05/28/07
Carla Meyer
Dallas Morning News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Is this movie a good old-fashioned good versus evil potboiler or a newfangled political statement about anti-intellectualism? The Reaping could have gone either way, but it did neither, and it did so spectacularly.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
05/06/07
Karina Montgomery
rec.arts.movies.reviews
Ratings Image

click for review

Full Review Source: Movies for the Masses | comment Comment
05/03/07
Joseph Proimakis
Movies for the Masses
Ratings Image

The most positive thing about The Reaping is that it isn't as big a waste of time as last year's Omen remake; it's 14 minutes shorter.

Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
05/02/07
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
Ratings Image

The 11th Biblical plague.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
05/01/07
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)
Ratings Image

The impressive cast do their best to bring a sense of conviction to the piece, but it had to have been blind faith that brought them into such an unholy mess.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/28/07
Liz Beardsworth
Empire Magazine
Ratings Image

Between effects-shots is a whole movie of people discussing how fascinating things are.

Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment Comment
04/25/07
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
Ratings Image

If you had to choose between watching this and suffering boils, take the option which at least you can treat with a cream rather than years of expensive therapy

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
04/24/07
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
Ratings Image

It's a sad state of affairs when the fit of Hilary Swank's casual slacks is more interesting than a plague of locusts.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/24/07
Anna Smith
BBC
Ratings Image

Satanic horror films are always good for a laugh, and this one is no exception.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
04/21/07
Andrew Pulver
Guardian [UK]
Ratings Image

... goes from barely tolerable to insufferable in the time it takes to unveil a stupid twist ending ...

Full Review Source: Atlantic City Weekly | comment Comment
04/20/07
Lori Hoffman
Atlantic City Weekly
Ratings Image

Here, for all fans of the world's most pathetic movies, is an apocalyptically disastrous horror flick set in the Bible belt.

Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
04/20/07
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]
Ratings Image

With a touch of X Files, a smattering of The Omen and perhaps a little too much hokiness, it’s all agreeably daft fun.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
04/20/07
Jonathan Ross
Daily Mirror [UK]
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
04/20/07
Sydney Morning Herald
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Latest News for The Reaping

August 30, 2008: OtherCool.com: Swank pouts her way through The Reaping as a disillusioned minister turned cynical professional globe trotting religious miracle debunker. Opens in new window
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George Clooney, the Mayor McCheese of Hollywood, leaves behind Oscar season and returns to the big screen with lighter fare with the period sports comedy Leatherheads. More...

October 16, 2007: RT on DVD: Transformers, Planet Terror, More That Meet The Eye
It's a blockbuster week for DVD watchers, as two highly anticipated titles -- a little robot action here (Transformers), a little zombie plague there (Planet Terror) -- come... More...

June 21, 2007: Box Office Guru Preview: Evan Shall Lead the Way
Universal looks to score its first number one hit in nearly a year this weekend with the new Steve Carell comedy "Evan Almighty" which hits the multiplexes on Friday... More...

See More Topics...

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