People are voting emotionally.

Absolutely Fantastic

What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

So here we have, Bless the Child (2000) Directed by Chuck Russell based on a Novel by Cathy Cash Spellman, and brought to screen by Thomas Rickman. I enjoyed it, so, Spoiler Alert ahead. Reminiscent of movies like The Omen (1976) and The End of Days (1999) plainly stated, stories about the anti Christ as a child. In The movie, Bless the Child we have a twist. The movie could be called the anti Omen. The child of beauty here is Cody played by Holliston Coleman, Her mother Jenna, Played by Angela 'Bettis, abandoned the child to her older sister Maggie played by Kim Basinger. Six years pass, as the young girl Cody is brought up in a loving environment.From out of nowhere, Jenna returns to claim her child. She is married to a wealthy charismatic cult leader Eric, played with as much sleaze as can be mustered by Rufus Sewell. What follows is a fairly taught game of cat and mouse, as the cult Eric leads is investigated for child disappearances and murders. Agent John Travis, played by Jimmy Smits leads the investigation. On the good side, the movie is well acted, intelligently and entertainingly written. If taken on a cult of evil, vs the forces of good, without the supernatural flourishes, it would have done well enoughOn the negative side, I could relate to someone not wanting to have to be force fed morality. The movie is unashamed to move into the realm of the angelic. it is unabashedly pro a loving deity; For if there be demons, there must surly be angels. Effective cinematography, Editing and sound, An effective score composed by Christopher Young. All top rate production values. Eight out of Ten 'It's entertainment" Stars.

Released in 2000, "Bless the Child" is a thriller/horror that comes across as an inverted "The Omen" (1976) with elements of "End of Days" (1999). A little girl with awe-inspiring abilities is raised by her aunt, Maggie O'Connor (Kim Basinger), because her mother is a drug addict (Angela Bettis). The latter hooks up with a weird cult, led by the arrogant Eric Stark (Rufus Sewell), and they want the child for diabolical purposes.This is no low-budget production as it cost $40 million to make and was directed by Chuck Russell, who's known for a few fairly significant movies, like "Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors," the remake of "The Blob" and 1994's highly successful "The Mask." Despite this, "Bless the Child" strangely comes across as a Lifetime movie with a higher budget. In other words, it somehow lacks the sheen and pizazz of an expensive production, which explains the film's mediocre ratings.While I understand this criticism I was able to enter into the world of the characters and enjoy the movie. It's not technically as good as "The Omen" (and some would say that it's sacrilege to even compare them), but I personally prefer "Bless the Child" simply because I like the story, characters and themes better, despite the film's limitations.Concerning the cast: Kim Basinger was past her physical prime, but she still looks good and she's a likable and compassionate protagonist. Jimmy Smits co-stars as the detective on the case and he's effective, as always. Cutie Christina Ricci shines in a small role as a runaway who tries to help Maggie. They're all good, but it's Rufus Sewell who's most memorable as the leader of a cult that mixes elements of LaVeyian Satanism with Sciencefictionology.The CGI is a mixed bag, some of the effects are pretty good while some are barely serviceable, but you have to consider the age of the movie. Regardless, special effects are just icing on the cake; it's the story and characters that count and this is where "Bless the Child" is solid—nothing great or exceptionally good, but solid.The film runs 107 minutes and was shot in Toronto, Burlington and Sarnia, Ontario.GRADE: B or B-

Let's be honest, Kim Basinger isn't the greatest actress out there and this film is just further proof.I liked the premise of this film and here are spoilers:There's a young girl born to Kim Basinger's sister who was born under the same star as Jesus. Kim's sister is a drug addict and promptly leaves the baby with Basinger. As time goes by, it becomes clear the girl is not quite normal. At first, its unclear whether she is evil or good, but that suspense is quickly dispelled as we see the girl bring a dead bird back to life and other acts. Well, it turns out there is a cult that worships Satan but poses as a self-help group. The leader of this group knows that anyone born under the aforementioned star is blessed with special gifts from God. He seeks to either turn the child or kill them, which he does to several children. At some point, Basinger's sister turns back up under the influence of the cult and they kidnap the girl, but Basinger gets the help of FBI Agent Jimmy Smits to help. There are some chase scenes and a few fight scenes and a final confrontation at an old church.The general plot line is decent, but some of the acting is terrible. Some of the dialogue is just dumb:Like when Basinger pulls a gun on the cult leader and says "I've never shot a gun before!" Why would she say that?Or when she goes to the police and says her (adopted) daughter has been kidnapped and the stereotypical uncaring police officer blandly says "calm down..." Really??Iam Holm is in this film, but don't blink because you'll miss him. He plays a wheelchair bound former priest who battles evil cults and tells Basinger about the cult. That's really the extent of his role.If they had made this movie without Basinger and really worked through the plot and took more time with it, this would have been a good film, but as it is...eh, you can find better.

This was a terrible film. The acting had great potential with the big names that were on the cast list so I blame the direction (or lack thereof) for the lackluster delivery, non-existent screen presences and slow movement.The plot was rambling and predictable; it was only my die-hard film fan friends that encouraged me to stick it out. I thought that it was ending at least thrice only to be disappointed in the final scenes. There was no real denouement, character development or moral lesson as would have been rightly expected from a potentially great script. The effects were hazy and obvious, reminiscent of Technicolor or the bad old days of smoke and mirrors.The character's were clichéd and exaggerated portraying only the obvious arch-types of villain, victim and savior-savant. A pathetic attempt all round, I would recommend this title only for the most devoted fans of the supernatural horror/thriller genre.