Review of The Ninth Configuration (1980) by Riley H — 15 Dec 2010
Blatty is not a director and it is obvious. The pacing is bizarre but worse is the tone. He can't ever commit to anything: comedy, suspense, religious mystery, social comment. Much of this movie should be funny, but it isn't.
Most of the jokes fall flat, because they are too obvious or the exact opposite (many times the audience barely hears them). And Blatty never balances his obvious attempts at being funny with his attempts at creating a mystery (the solution to which is fairly obvious early on, despite the blurb from zip suggesting it will shock us at the conclusion of the film).
Finally, why Blatty feels he must include a religious lecture in this strange mash-up of genres is beyond me. It doesn't fit, and it is yet another thing he doesn't handle well. I have never read his novels, and I'm sure they're fine, but the man should stick to writing.
This review of The Ninth Configuration (1980) was written by Riley H on 15 December 2010.
The Ninth Configuration has generally received mixed reviews.
Was this review helpful?
