Danke, Arianna.
Nach den folgenden Kritiken muss ich anschließend dann auch mal etwas los werden, worauf sich meine Markierungen beziehen:
Zitat:
13th Century Story Gets 21st Century Treatment in ‘Pilgrimage’
by Warren Cantrell on August 11, 2017
[Rating: Solid Rock Fist Up]
A religious relic road-trip flick that sports an action-minded underbelly, Pilgrimage does a fine job side-stepping expectations and never fails to keep its feet pointed in the right direction. It’s out today in theaters, on VOD and Digital HD.
Washed of almost all color, and set beneath a sky that seems unfamiliar with the concept of a sun, the gloomy, Gregorian chant-scored film manages to inject some 21st century life into a 13th century story. And while the build-up is somewhat slow, the eventual payoff exceeds expectations, due in large part to the work put in by the leads and a clever script that knows a thing or two about subtext.
Set in 1209 A.D. Ireland, Pilgrimage follows a group of Catholic monks who are tasked with delivering a sacred relic through the Celt-infested forests surrounding their monastery. The stooge that the Vatican sends to oversee this mission, Brother Geraldus (Stanley Weber), tells the monks watching over the holy relic that the Pope needs the object’s divine power to inspire yet another Crusade. Geraldus is confident that their Lord’s protection is all the help they’ll need to make it safely off the island, yet the monks living in the area know better. They send a handful of brothers to assist in the journey, along with “The Mute” (Jon Bernthal), an adopted castaway that works for the monks and is as mysterious as he is strong.
One of the monks along for the journey is a young man named Brother Diarmuid (Tom Holland), who has never ventured outside of the monastery, and is sent to get a taste of the outside world. Not long into their trek, the monks link up with a kindly lord loyal to England’s King Richard, who assigns his adult son and a group of knights to accompany and protect the holy coterie. Trouble looms on the horizon, however, and despite their guards, the monks come under attack and must flee with their prized relic. From here, Pilgrimage transforms into a boilerplate 90s chase movie, a-la Judgment Night, Hard Rain, Terminator 2, etc., which might sound jarring…except that it actually, weirdly works.
Bernthal’s mute stranger with a past reveals himself to be a Rambo-level killer in a pinch, which acts as a great foil to the movie’s big-bad as played by Richard Armitage. To be fair, it’s all a little silly, which almost seems to be the point. Director Brendan Muldowney digs his heels into the deadly-serious tone of the whole thing, scoring the picture with an oppressive Gregorian chant-esque score, which he lays over sword fight dismemberments and face-smashing assaults that would make any Game of Thrones fan proud. The solemnity of the music clashes with the balls-out sensibilities of the action, which seems random at first, only to eventually circle back around on itself to become profound again.
Indeed, the hypocrisy of the church and the monks’ mission is no more absurd than earnest chanting played over ear-ripping, guts-spilling, hand-to-hand combat. Brother Geraldus has no qualms killing (passively or actively) anyone that stands in the mission’s way, which seems like a hell of an attitude considering his chosen profession. For guys like Geraldus (and the movie implies that he’s in good company back in Rome), piety is relative when on a holy quest. Like a holy choir playing over a gutting, it’s not always possible to keep what one believes and what one does in alignment. Holy men though they may be, their actions are sometimes anything but.
It’s an interesting take on an age-old critique of organized religion (tragic hypocrisy), and the fact that Spider-man (Holland) and the Punisher (Bernthal) lead the effort injects Pilgrimage with an extra dose of irony. Just like a monk learning that the world is a cruel, unjust, and violent place despite God’s grace, audiences likewise get to watch as the polished veneer of their cherished superheroes (today’s demigods) wash away. Naturally, the script by Jamie Hannigan would have been written months or even years before casting was finalized, yet the juxtaposition of solemn religious themes against Braveheart-level violence as perpetrated by Marvel’s best and brightest can’t help but to tickle a little.
Another Spider-man, Andrew Garfield, tried his hand at a religious road trip movie last year, and despite its Scorsese pedigree, Silence didn’t connect with audiences. Although Muldowney does fine work in Pilgrimage, one wonders if that’s enough to elevate HIS Spider-man’s version of a similar story on a different continent. Only time will tell, yet being a full hour shorter, and with twice the action and an even more interesting set of themes, it has a fighting chance.
http://www.scene-stealers.com/reviews/print-reviews/13th-century-story-gets-21st-century-treatment-in-pilgrimage/Zitat:
Pilgrimage (2017) Review
Brutal adventure about a sacred rock starring Tom Holland.
By David Duprey
Last updated Aug 12, 2017
Pilgrimage is a 2017 adventure about a group of monks in 13th century Ireland who must escort a sacred relic across an Irish landscape fraught with peril.
Stepping boldly away from the slew of retread action shooters and seen-it-all before summer dramas comes Pilgrimage, a unique adventure tale that treads on often uncharted lands, and not since Jean-Jacques Annaud‘s 1986 classic The Name of the Rose has there been a more compelling story involving monks and mystery. It’s a challenging film, sometimes brutal, but a powerful one nonetheless.
In 55 AD, a Catholic man of great importance is dragged to an isolated plain and stoned to death by his persecutors, the killing stone wielded in two hands as a storm gathers above, the blow making the man a martyr and the rock now a treasured relic. It is housed in a modest monastery in the hills of Ireland nearly a thousand years later in 1209 AD and is thought to be a source of great power. As the Crusades wage on, drawing nearer to the island, Rome is forced to send an emissary in Brother Geraldus (Stanley Weber) to move the relic back to the Pope and so he travels with Brothers Ciaran (John Lynch), Rua (Ruaidhri Conroy), Diarmuid (Tom Holland), and a man called The Mute (Jon Bernthal) across the dangerous lands of Europe. They are met by Norman knights, led by Raymond (Richard Armitage) who offer their protection but have vested interests of their own.
Directed by Brendan Muldowney, Pilgrimage is a multi-lingual journey, dark and atmospheric, sometimes gruesome with a gripping sense of authenticity. It’s muddied and grimy and entrenched in the times with the men in this circle greatly tested. We are meant to question the motives and actions of all those compelled to join the march, learning of the vast diversity among them and the reasons for their quest. At the heart of it all are the monks, with weathered, wise, and aged Ciaran guiding the far younger and curious Diarmuid, unfamiliar with the armored men who surround him. By its very nature, it is a test of one’s faith as trust is laid at their feet. Not all will pass.
As grounded as it is in its religion, the story is more about the times, and as such the men fall upon terrible, graphic violence. Muldowney spares nothing in its savagery, keeping it once again, startling realistic. Bodies and limbs are severed and pierced, heads roll and blood spills, but it’s never hyper-stylized like in most contemporary films, but rather jarringly convincing. A terrifying ambush by a fierce clan of woodsman is a brutal moment and from it a surprise force among them rises. And no matter the battles, what convinces more is the harrowing sorrow and agony some will endure. It’s not always easy to watch, but it is impossible to look away.
Pilgrimage follows a familiar road, a trapping of the premise, the rock the MacGuffin throughout, yet Muldowney never relents, keeping this a taut thriller throughout. Performances all around are above board with Holland very good as the boy whose arc is the most defined though Bernthal, in a (almost) completely silent role, is astonishing. Buoyed by Stephen McKeon‘s excellent thunderous, choral-fused score and Tom Comerford‘s cinematography, Pilgrimage delivers a terrifying and grueling viewing experience that hits hard and resonates long after.
Pilgrimage (2017) Review
Movie description: Pilgrimage is a 2017 adventure about a group of monks in 13th century Ireland who must escort a sacred relic across an Irish landscape fraught with peril.
Director(s): Brendan Muldowney
Actor(s): Tom Holland, Richard Armitage, Jon Bernthal
Genre: Adventure
http://thatmomentin.com/2017/08/12/pilgrimage-2017-review/Ich halte mich bewusst mit kritischen Bemerkungen zur historischen Authentizität u.ä. zurück, weil der Film ja kein Lehrstück für angehende Geschichtswissenschaftler ist - und im Großen und Ganzen finde ich auch, dass Autor, Regisseur, Ausstattungsabteilung etc. in der Kürze der Zeit und mit ihrem schmalen Budget die Sache gut gemacht haben. Meine große Skepsis, die ich dem Film entgegengebracht hatte, mag mich da nun auch milder stimmen. Auch zielt Mittelalterrezeption ja gerade darauf, dazu anzuregen, Bezüge zur Gegenwart zu ziehen und zum Nachdenken darüber anzuregen. Auch da muss man Rezensenten, wie allen anderen Rezipienten, zugestehen, dass aus ihrem Wissenskontext heraus manche Verknüpfung nicht so differenziert ist, wie man sich das aus fachwissenschaftlicher Perspektive wünschen mag. Zudem steht zu vermuten, dass die Macher gerade das Nicht-Fachpublikum mit ihren Assoziationen im Blick hatten. Was ich langsam, aber sicher - insbesondere im Reformationsjubiläumsjahr - in all den Reviews nicht mehr lesen kann, ohne das mein Blutdruck steigt, ist so etwas wie "die katholische Kirche", "katholische Mönche" oder gar "ein Katholik 55 n. Chr." .
Letzteres ist allerdings so schräg, dass ich darüber schon fast wieder lachen kann.