.: The Priest :.

Manage to catch the premier of The Priest in GSC One Utama last night, all thanks to Ben who won a pair of tickets from Red FM.

For some reason or another, this premier screening was very strict as we had to deposit our handphones and whatever recording device at the entrance of the cinema.

A screening via a hand detector was done right at the entrance of the Cinema Hall to ensure that all complied with the rules. And of course those who were not honest had to run back to the entrance to deposit their devices *shame on you for not self-declaring it* Ladies handbag was not spared the molestation as they too are being search thoroughly.

Anyways, we were handed our geeky 3D glasses and off we went to our allocated seats.

The movie started abit late (typical Malaysian time isn’t it) when the cinema was full. But the Red FM announcers (politically correct to call them announcers as Ben corrected me when I refer to them as DJs) was entertaining the punctual lots.

And then, bout 15 minutes after 9pm, the movie starts.

I initially thought it was a horror movie from its title, coz it wasn’t really well promoted here in Malaysia (or it is just me being under the coconut shell?). But it turns out more action & sci-fi than horror/thriller.

Anyways, it was all in all a okay movie. One that is okay enough to watch in 3D at that. The movie plot was very cliché and predictable. Definitely lacks originality! Not way too many gory fighting scenes (which can be good to some, but not for me – I want more BLOOD!).

The cast was a bit too lacking of on-stage chemistry (which is such a shame coz the movie have more potential). I understand that it was originally intended to star Gerald Butler, but was lateron replaced with Paul Bettany, which in my personal opinion, would have done a better job.

The storyline revolves around a Warrior Priest (Paul Bettany) from the last Vampire War who now lives in obscurity among the other downtrodden human inhabitants in walled-in dystopian cities ruled by the Church. When his niece is abducted by a murderous pack of vampires, Priest breaks his sacred vows to venture out on an obsessive quest to find her before they turn her into one of them. He is joined on his crusade by his niece's boyfriend, a trigger-fingered young wasteland sheriff, and a former Warrior Priestess who possesses otherworldly fighting skills.

But overall, it was pleasantly palatable, not exactly *dare I say?* award winning material, but good enough for a lil kick in the cinema!