Russell Crowe’s The Pope’s Exorcist, inspired by the true story of the Chief Exorcist of the Vatican, Father Gabriele Amorth, landed crazy reviews following its release. While most fans found the movie extremely bizarre, and even the Golden Raspberry Awards, aka the Razzies, offered the worst actor nomination to Crowe, Japanese video game designer Hideo Kojima found the movie amusing.
Initially regretting missing out on the movie when it was released in theatres, Hideo Kojima recently notified his fans via X that he is preparing to watch Russell Crowe’s The Pope’s Exorcist on Prime Video. Further, after completing his watch, the video game designer expressed his appreciation for the movie and even mentioned how people in Japan love it.
Hideo Kojima Expressed His Appreciation for The Pope’s Exorcist
Following the release of Russell Crowe’s big exorcist movie in theatres, The Pope’s Exorcist, the film performed notably well despite the mixed reviews. Further, as the film landed on OTT platforms, it gained momentum and soon turned into Netflix’s number-one streaming film. But then came the wave of reviews and criticisms that hailed Crowe but slammed the film.
However, while Russell Crowe’s horror flick was showered with mixed reviews from fans and critics alike, it was apparently hailed by people in Japan. The news was brought to audiences after Japanese video game designer Hideo Kojima took to his X account to share his appreciation for the film with his followers.
Initially claiming to have missed out on the movie after it was released in theatres, Hideo Kojima informed that he would be watching The Pope’s Exorcist on Amazon Prime Video. Further, after watching the movie, Kojima retweeted his appreciation for the film. Claiming to finally realize why people in Japan were huge fans of Russell Crowe’s movie, the video game designer said that it’s a “brilliantly entertaining film”.
"The Pope’s Exorcist" is found it amusing! If Friedkin's "The Exorcist" is a human drama about the struggle against evil, this one condenses that theme and yet sublimates it into a brilliantly entertaining film! I can see why everyone calls it "Vatixxo" in Japan and loves it.… https://t.co/U76ix0qORd
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) February 19, 2024
Comparing Russell Crowe’s The Pope’s Exorcist with William Friedkin’s 1973 classic The Exorcist, Hideo Kojima mentioned how Crowe’s film utilizes Friedkin’s “human drama about the struggle against evil” and “condenses that theme and yet sublimates it”. Further stating, “I can see why everyone calls it ‘Vatixxo’ in Japan and loves it” Kojima claimed that “Russell Crowe’s character stands out” in the movie.
After appreciating every bit of the film, Hideo Kojima yet again admitted regretting having missed out on The Pope’s Exorcist when it hit the theatres.
Russell Crowe Landed a Razzie Nomination for Worst Actor
Meanwhile, as Hideo Kojima tweeted his appreciation for Russell Crowe’s The Pope’s Exorcist, after catching the movie on Amazon Prime, the world found the movie truly bizarre. Slamming the film with mixed reviews, fans, and critics’ opinions ended up with Crowe landing the worst actor nomination.
As Hollywood’s award season came in full force, all eyes were set on the nominations for the Academy Awards as well as the Golden Globes’ prestigious spectacle. Meanwhile, amid the glitz and glamor of these highly sought-after awards, Russell Crowe got his name tied to the Golden Raspberry Awards, aka the Razzies, as per DailyMail.
Adding a dose of humor into the typically anxious award seasons in Tinseltown, the 44th Razzies nominated films and actors who garnered less-than-enthusiastic response from audiences and critics. Therefore, Russell Crowe landed a nomination for his role in The Pope’s Exorcist. Although fans have always stood in favor of Crowe’s performance in the movie, claiming that he was the only good thing that happened in The Pope’s Exorcist, the Razzies perhaps saw otherwise.
The Pope’s Exorcist had undoubtedly created hype leading up to its premiere, where Russell Crowe portrayed Father Gabriel Amorth. While Variety credited Crowe for saving the film to some extent, critics and reviewers ended up giving the film mixed blessings with just a 50 percent approval rating.
