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Lost Souls |
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At age 32, Peter Kendell has already
established himself as a cutting-edge author
and an authority on serial killers. He studies
them. He interviews them. He writes about
them. But there’s more to Kendell than even
he realizes. He is the man who, at an
appointed "time of transformation,"
will be indwelt by Satan and become the
Antichrist. The unassuming, handsome
Kendell is oblivious to his destiny, but others
are not. He is surrounded by apostates
of hell who protect and manipulate him. Then
there’s Maya Larkin, a young woman of devout
faith who was a demon-possessed juvenile
delinquent before being rescued by Father
Laraeux and his Catholic colleagues. Now
she’s a school teacher and occasional
sidekick of Laraeux when her dark
background can aid him in ministering to
other lost souls. After witnessing a failed
exorcism, she decodes a message scribbled
by the institutionalized madman. It identifies
Kendell as the Beast. So Maya sets out to
educate Kendell, save his life and avert global
disaster.
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positive elements: God good, devil
bad. Even though this bizarre concoction plays
fast and loose with biblical prophecy, Maya
and others express a deep, life-altering faith in
the Lord. Maya, trying to keep Peter from
lowering himself to the level of his fiendish
friends, tells him, "If you commit murder,
you accept evil." Other noble moments
(theological loopiness notwithstanding)
include Maya looking past Peter’s destiny and
trying to help him as a human being
("Until it happens, you’re still a
person"), and Peter rejecting the offer of
absolute Satanic power, even preferring death
over playing such a diabolical role in
mankind’s history.
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spiritual content: Weird, though
occasionally inspiring. The film opens with a
strange reference to "Deuteronomy book
17" which supposedly speaks of the
Antichrist being a product of incest. Huh? The
film also hypothesizes that Satan, at
millennium time, will hijack the body of a
chosen man on his 33rd birthday and use the
guy to establish a kingdom on earth (a priest
in league with the devil states, "They had
their 2000 years. Now it’s our turn"). The
final scene also implies that the plan can be
thwarted if the intended host is killed. Are
end-times prophecies that easily derailed?
One of the characters who reveals Peter’s
identity is a self-proclaimed
"psychic" who interprets a dream
and tells him that the "time of
transformation is near."
Symbolism ranges from the mark of the
Beast (666) to a huge pentagram that has
been placed over Peter for protection. A priest
decides to assassinate Peter and prays,
clinging to his rosary, prior to making the
attempt on Peter’s life. Several characters
suffer from demon possession. Unfortunately,
one is faithful Father Laraeux which suggests
that a saved person can actually become a
puppet for evil against his will. Still, this sets
up an interesting confrontation. The
possessed Laraeux tells Maya to cease and
desist—that everything’s going to be alright.
She’s suspicious. To "test the
spirits" and confirm that Laraeux is
indeed channeling evil, she baits them by
saying this must mean that Christ has
claimed His ultimate victory and Satan is a
defeated, groveling worm. It works. The
demons can’t stand it and blow their
cover.
Maya boldly tells Peter (who initially
contends that good and evil are merely
illusions), "What if I told you I believed in
God and the devil. In fact, I know that they both
exist." Best of all, she has chosen sides
and has chosen wisely. Peter, on the other
hand, claims to be the needle on his own
moral compass. But even he comes around.
As evidence turns up suggesting that he is
indeed being groomed for Armageddon, he
goes to a church to pray and, at the foot of a
crucifix, asks God for help. In one scene, Maya
is asked by a little girl if she’s lonely. "I
have someone who takes care of me,"
she responds, referring to Jesus. Then the
child turns vicious, obviously an apparition
sent to torment her. "Jesus is
dead!," the girl taunts over and over
before telling Maya, "You are so
weak!" Again, this could be perceived as
a slap at Christ’s resurrection power or
a desperate lie from a crafty enemy bent on
discouraging one of God’s people.
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sexual content: No sexual activity,
though the topic comes up in
conversation.
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violent content: A serial killer
threatens Maya with a knife. Then, once he
has outlived his usefulness to Satan, the
psycho falls to his knees and is reduced to a
mass of snapping limbs and ooze. Several
people are shot and killed. A priest’s neck is
broken. Peter is told how his neighbor hanged
herself. Nightmarish visions haunt Maya.
Exorcisms are violent and creepy.
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crude or profane language: Only a
handful of profanities, but they include three
f-words.
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drug and alcohol content: Maya is
often seen smoking cigarettes. Peter indulges
in a cancer stick as well.
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conclusion: Lost Souls, which
was scheduled to hit theaters nearly a year
after it was first scheduled, has run into
scathing critical reviews. And justifiably so. It’s
not a very good movie. This bizarre mix of
pseudo-Bible prophesy, illogical plot turns
and tortured characters adds up to a
convoluted muddle. A few frights. Some gothic
set pieces. If it has any redemptive value at all,
it’s the story’s clear distinction between good
and evil and its affection for noble religious
people. Maya even has a few solid lines about
the sovereignty of Christ. But for all of its talk of
supreme spiritual warfare, the film gives Maya
and Peter—two confused, distraught
humans—entirely too much control over the
proceedings. That’s a lot to swallow,
regardless of your theology. As millennial
thrillers go, Lost Souls is simply
ridiculous.
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