Movies: 'Unborn,' unscreened

Peter Lovino/rogue

Rabbi Sendak (GARY OLDMAN) and Casey Beldon (ODETTE YUSTMAN) attempt an exorcism in a supernatural thriller that tells the story of a young woman pulled into a world of nightmares when a demonic spirit haunts her and threatens everyone she loves--"The Unborn."

Last update: January 8, 2009 - 8:39 PM

'THE UNBORN'

Opens today: The Kabbalah. Hot college students. An abandoned mental institution. Gary Oldman. Jogging. Twins. Nazi scientists. A suicidal mother. A lost blue mitten. They're all pieces in the convoluted mythology of "The Unborn" (★ 1/2 out of four stars; rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and terror, disturbing images, thematic material and language including sexual references). There are some effective scares here, but other images and bits of dialogue are just hilarious, which probably wasn't the intention. Casey Beldon (Odette Yustman, pictured above with Oldman) is a young woman haunted by startling dreams and hallucinations. Only Oldman, who classes things up in his few scenes as a rabbi, can help Casey fend off the impending possession. Jane Alexander pops up as a mysterious woman in an old-age home who may have clues about Casey's mom's suicide, the twin brother she never knew she had and why images of little boys keep popping up everywhere. One kid repeatedly utters the menacing line, "Jumby wants to be born now," which perhaps won't grab hold of the cultural zeitgeist like "Redrum," but it's still good for a jolt, or a laugh or two.

CHRISTY LEMIRE, ASSOCIATED PRESS

'GRAND CANYON ADVENTURE: RIVER AT RISK'

Opens today: This new film by the makers of "Everest" and "The Alps" takes viewers on a rafting trip down the Colorado River to take a closer look at the looming global water crisis. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and author and explorer Wade Davis take their teenage daughters on the trip, serving as a guide for viewers. (Various times, Science Museum Omnitheater, 120 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul. $6.50-$7.50. Reservations recommended; www.smm.org or 651-221-9444.)

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