The Visit is the latest offering by famed writer/director M. Night Shyamalan, and it’s a good one. The plot, with the exception of the grandiloquent teen planning on making a documentary, is suprisingly fresh…Although my expectations from the trailer gave me the preconcieved idea that this was to be some sort of Hansel & Grettel re-imagining. The film follows our sibling protagonists as they attempt to meet and connect with their estranged grandparents.
The film starts off more than promisingly and the kids are surprisingly likable, which is pretty uncommon with movies of this kind. Halfway through most horror movies I find myself cheering on the creature or madman or whatever. One thing that was terribly unrealistic though was Becca’s (Olivia DeJonge) vocabulary. Fifteen-year-olds simply to not use phrases like: “Just let it organically swing…” “His stage nom de plume is…” “An eligable and rather raffish looking man” and even “We’re visiting our grandparents, whom we have never seen. We don’t know their temperament, nor their proclivities.” The phases and the way that she talked often had me chuckling during the first half of the movie. I realize that it was purely to make her seem intelligent and to help define her character, and I think the actress did a wonderful job in her role, but come on.
Tyler’s (Ed Oxenbould) dispostiion towards rapping was bearable though often uncomfortable for me. Again though, he did a good job pulling off the character and wasn’t nearly as obnoxious as I thought he’d be. Nana and Pop Pop (Deanna Dunagan and Peter McRobbie respectively) also gave solid performances and were very convincing, with Nana providing the majority of the movies scares.
The movie itself keeps you guessing for the first three quarters or so. There is a constant tension and a good buildup of suspense that climaxes in typical Shyamalan style. The outcome was a little disappointing for me but not because it was poorly executed, but rather because it was not what I was looking forward to. The movie is shot in a found-footage style but it is done so in such a way that you become accustomed to it rather quickly.
Overall, I was thoroughly entertained and sufficiently creeped out. Was it a fantastic movie? No. But it was memorable and enjoyable. Stay away if you are looking for bloody slasher film or gory monster movie. Watch it if you prefer a suspenseful thriller with twists, chills and thrills.
Watch the trailer here.
