Anthony Hopkins and Colin O'Donoghue fight the Devil in "The Rite" (Egon Endrenyi/Warner Brothers Pictures)

(USA, 2011, 112 mins)

A horror movie released in January? One may argue that alone seals the fate of the success of “The Rite,” the latest Catholic-priest-battles-devil-possession to hit the box office.

The plot is basic and generic enough – Michael Kovak (played by newcomer Colin O’Donoghue) is the son of a mortician, who finds himself taking the path of a priest, simply because his father refuses to pay for college to study a more zesty profession. Despite immersing himself in religion, Kovak finds it difficult to find his own faith, and is packed off to Rome to study exorcisms, a subject on the periphery of the Church’s teachings. In Rome, he finds an unconventional priest (Anthony Hopkins), discovers his demons, and stumbles across a pretty but nosey girl (Alice Braga) along the way.

O’Donoghue portrays Kovak’s languid passivity accurately enough, but his attempts at emotion are as convincing as Keanu Reeves. There’s no denying that Anthony Hopkins is a brilliant actor – hell, he could make the phone book sound like an Oscar-winning script if he had to. But unfortunately for Sir Hopkins, his particular acting chops were not essential in “The Rite.” Any actor could have played the role of Father Lucas Trevant, and personally, it might have been slightly more effective to see someone else in that role. We all know and fear Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter, so why go ruin that legendary notion by third-rate devil possession?

While the archaic backdrop of the city of Rome adds a haunting mystery to the film, it doesn’t ease the sub-par exorcism plot. Despite being billed as “inspired by true events,” the film hasn’t really tried to keep up with the shift in the exorcism-horror genre to make faux-docu-horrors. Last year’s “The Last Exorcism” and the “Paranormal Activity” franchise have marketed themselves on the “real story” aspect, but “The Rite” ignores this, and thus comes across a little dated. 

If your mood is craving a horror to combat the influx of rom-coms slowly flooding the theaters in the run-up to February 14, “The Rite” isn’t the worst choice. However, you may find more chilling thrills from the warmth and comfort of your own couch by turning on the Travel Channel and watching three grown men in tight t-shirts chasing ghosts on infra-red. Much more compelling, trust me. 

Reach Senior Entertainment Editor Piya Sinha-Roy here, and follow her on Twitter @PiyaSRoy.