View this video on YouTube
The Visit is the latest film from sometimes spectacular, sometimes abysmal M. Night Shyamalan. The Visit follows two kids who go to stay with their grandparents in the country. What should be a peaceful family reunion turns into a living nightmare as the kids begin to suspect that their grandparents are hiding dark secrets and intentions.
Pros: The best part of The Visit is that it's really, flipping weird. First of all the grandparents like to walk around naked You get to see Granny's bare ass at least twice. Next, there's Grandpa's obsession with Depends. He hoards Depends in the woodshed, and later one character gets a diaper full of feces shoved into his face. As a person with OCD, this part had me on the verge of gagging. These are just a couple examples of the downright bizarre stuff that I wasn't expecting. As viewers, we get a lot of weird in independent films, but mainstream horror films tend to be rather generic. The house is haunted, ghosts/demons attack, people die, credits roll. It's nice to see a filmmaker take a risk and stray into foreign territory.
In addition to the weird situations, we're also treated to likeable characters. The kids' individual personalities are showcased quite nicely. They're smart and fun to watch. They have excellent chemistry and play off of each other well. The Grandma and Grandpa are also fully fleshed out characters. Despite the fact that they seem off their rockers, audiences still feel for them.
Finally we come to the twist. Shyamalan is known for his twists. Occasionally, they're brilliant, more often they ruin the whole movie. I'm looking at you Signs. In the case of The Visit, the twist makes sense, but it's not genius. Is it lazy? Maybe. A lot of people probably won't care for the twist. I liked it, because it feels like a throwback to old urban legends. I saw it coming, but that didn't take the fun out of it.
Cons: I've got to address the question everyone is asking, first. Why the hell is this a found footage film? The film is done in the found footage style under the premise that one of the kids is making a documentary. The found footage technique adds nothing to the movie, in fact it kind of takes away from it. Too much time is spent showing the kids goofing around. It's cute, but it doesn't advance the plot and it gets old fast. Also the girl states that the camera is some sort of second hand piece of crap her mom bought years ago. How the hell is she getting such great low light images? Where can I buy that camera?
My other major problem with The Visit is the characters make odd decisions. Despite their crackpot, borderline dangerous behavior, the girl continues to insist the kids stick out the whole week. Part of this can be attributed to Shyamalan's desperate need to stuff a "family drama" story into all of his films. Think about it. Signs, The Happening, and The Sixth Sense all have their characters experiencing a personal family crisis. It happens in The Visit too. Let's just say it only worked in The Sixth Sense and maybe The Village. Yes, I loved The Village.
The most bizarre character choice comes from the kids' mother. After realizing her children are in peril, she calls the local police. No one answers. She says ok, I'll come get you. Makes sense, right? Well it would if she didn't live seven hours away! Hasn't this woman ever heard of 911? Eventually she shows up with a whole squad of police cars, but come on. They should've been there within a few minutes.
Overall Thoughts: The Visit is a bumpy ride. It's full of flaws, but it still manages to be entertaining.
Grade: C+
Share This Article
