Karl Urban might be best known for starring as Butcher in the comic book adaptation “The Boys,” but the actor has appeared in a slew of comic book adaptations and nerdy movies, including 2011’s “Priest.” By far the worst adaptation Urban has starred in, “Priest” is a messy film that pales in comparison to Urban’s starring role in 2012’s “Dredd,” based on 2000AD’s “Judge Dredd.”
“Priest” follows the titular character, played by Paul Bettany, as he attempts to defeat vampires that have killed his family and threaten various human encampments. Urban plays the villain, Black Hat, who can control vampires. Despite the film’s lackluster quality, Urban still gives it his all while pestering Bettany’s Priest character with evil schemes to bring about humanity’s demise.
Much like “The Boys” deviating from the comics, “Priest” is only very loosely based on the source material by author Hyung Min-woo. The original Korean comic, or manhwa, doesn’t deal with vampires directly; instead, it uses fallen angels as the antagonists. There’s not even a character called Priest; the main character is Ivan Isaacs, who happens to be a demon-possessed priest. Urban’s character is entirely original to the new plot.
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Paul Bettany was a major letdown for some
“Priest” was poorly received when it was released in May, 2011, earning 16% on Rotten Tomatoes and 41 out of 100 on Metacritic, once reviews were aggregated. One of the more positive reviews was from the now-defunct outlet Movieline, which praised how quickly it set up the adventure and left the rest of the film to its action-focused plot. Another positive review from The Vine gave it three stars out of five, praising the action once again.
Most reviews actually critiqued Bettany’s acting as “devoid of life,” or pointed out that at the time, he kept choosing bad scripts for action movies. The star got his comic book success just a few years later, as he took the role of J.A.R.V.I.S. in Marvel’s “Iron Man,” who eventually becomes Vision in “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” Vision is set to get his own show in 2026.
However, Den of Geek praised Urban’s acting. From just a few clips online, it’s clear the actor was indeed relishing the role’s silliness. The movie, ultimately, sits in a pile of comic book adaptations that have long since been forgotten, as everyone chased the Marvel cash.
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