I was really tempted to give The Sentinel a lower score than what I eventually settled on. After all, it's a horribly cliched film. It's like a bastard hybrid of The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby. A famous fashion model moves into a Brooklyn apartment only to eventually discover that it's a gateway to hell. All of the residents of the apartment are reincarnated demons...all expect for a blind priest who lives on the top floor. The blind priest serves as a buffer, or "sentinel," against the forces of darkness. However, the current sentinel is about to die. So, the Catholic Church decides that this random fashion model would be the perfect choice for a new sentinel. Why they choose her instead of one of literally a billion other Catholics is never really explained. The only reasoning that we're really given is that she can use her newfound duties to atone for her trying to commit suicide twice. I dunno, this film was really uninspired, despite its phenomenal cast including Ava Gardner, Burgess Meredith, Eli Wallach, Christopher Walken, Jerry Orbach, and Jeff Goldblum. The entire thing felt old and recycled. So why didn't I give it a lower score? Because while it didn't do anything new or interesting, it didn't do anything...badly. It isn't good, it isn't bad...it just kinda...exists...
5/10
I just read your review of The Brood, and in thinking about scary movies, I thought of The Sentinel. So I looked to see if you had done a review of that. I have to say I don't agree about the movie -- I thought it was good. It did have elements of the other movies, as you said. Burgess Meredith was so creepy, and he usually is someone you like, and that scared me. Also the demons from helll, which were actual deformed people. The filmmakers got a lot of flack about that, but it was done by Tod Browning in Freaks, and I don't think it's so bad if the people themselves don't mind it. Anyway, that ending scene scared me to death, as did the scene when she realizes the building is empty except for her and the priest. Plenty of shivers, at least for me.
ReplyDeleteThere were definitely parts of "The Sentinel" that were well done. But I just don't feel like the entire film cohered together very well. But I will agree that Burgess Meredith was awesome (as usual).
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