Movie Review: THE VISIT

M. Night Shyamalan is back with his latest thriller, The Visit. It’s a very basic premise. Two grandchildren, Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) spend a week with their estranged grandparents (Deanna Dunagan and Peter McRobbie) Everything starts off great but as the week goes on, their grandparents’ behaviour gets stranger and stranger and the kids just want to go home. But will they ever make it back?

The film is told through the lens of the childrens’ cameras, as older sister, Becca, is making a documentary about her mum (Kathryn Hahn), and the reason she became estranged from her own parents. Don’t let that put you off though, as there’s not too much shaky camera moments in this film, so, instead of giving you a headache, Shyamalan has successfully created an intimate relationship between his protagonists and the audience.

In true Shyamalan style, this film has a twist. He is the master of the twist – most famously and best done in The Sixth Sense. If you don’t guess the twist and are shocked by it when it is revealed I think you will enjoy this film. The problem is, if you guess it early, as happened to me (well I didn’t really figure it out, the mate I was with didand told me what it was 15 minutes into the film) it will affect the enjoyment of this film.

Shyamalan claims that this is the scariest film he has ever made. I am the biggest woos I know, and don’t usually go to horrors because I can’t sleep for weeks afterwards. That said, I did not find this film scary at all. I jumped once and found it more creepy – in a bad way – than scary. I had more eye rolls at scenes than freak outs. Again, I think this was all down to the fact that the twist had been revealed to me so early on in the film. So, instead of being in constant suspense and on the edge of my seat, I found this film to be boring and silly and couldn’t wait for it to be over.

I don’t think this will be the film that puts Shyamalan back in everyone’s good books. With any luck, it will be the next thriller he is about to start filming with Joaquin Phoenix.

About The Bellissimo Files

Hi, I’m Sarina Bellissimo and this is the place I come to indulge in my love of all things entertainment. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated by all things Hollywood/showbiz. I blame my parents! As a child my mum used to force me to watch old Elvis Presley films with her, and both my mum & dad would take my brothers and I to the Drive-In to watch the latest films (this is where my love for ROCKY began!). When not watching movies, I was trying to figure out ways to pull the back off the TV so I could somehow get into it and be a part of all the action on the screen! This blog isn’t a place that revels in gossip and negativity. It’s a place where entertainment is celebrated. That said, this is a place you can turn to for honesty. Honesty and criticism don’t always mean attacks. I choose to criticise the piece of work but not the person and I acknowledge that just because I don’t like something, it doesn’t mean someone else won’t. Here you’ll find interviews with some of the biggest names in the world of Entertainment, reviews, breaking news and my very own musings. Away from The Bellissimo Files, you can find me on Spin 1038 on Saturdays, between 1pm and 3pm,presenting Plan B. There’s celebrity interviews, entertainment news, the low down on the must see movies and music releases of the week, the ultimate guide to what’s on where in the city, as well as masterclasses with experts on standby to answer listeners’ questions. I also appear on TV3’s “Elaine” panel, talk movies on “Ireland AM” and you can sometimes hear me filling in on Moncrieff’s “Movies and Booze “(Newstalk) The Bellissimo Files is constantly evolving. Files (topics) will be added or deleted as time goes on. Feel free to read, watch, comment, share, and make suggestions for what you would like to see on the site. Sarina

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Posted on September 11, 2015 by The Bellissimo Files

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