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The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

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The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

Old 09-11-15, 06:16 PM
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The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

Please continue pre-release discussion here.

Movie:
"The Visit" (Starring: Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan, Peter McRobbie, Kathryn Hahn)

Release Date:
9/11/15

Rating:
PG-13 (for disturbing thematic material including terror, violence and some nudity, and for brief language throughout.)

Running Time:
94m. (1h. 34m.)

Budget:
$5 million (estimated)

IMDb Synopsis:
Spoiler:
A single mother finds that things in her family's life go very wrong after her two young children visit their grandparents.


IMDb Info and Rating:
7.0 (1,634 votes as of 9/11/15

Rotten Tomatoes:
Fresh:74 Rotten:43 (63% as of 9/11/15)

Metacritic:
56 metascore ('Mixed or average reviews' as of 9/11/15)

Trailer:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//v.traileraddict.com/101339" allowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no"></iframe>

Poster Art:

Last edited by OldBoy; 09-11-15 at 06:29 PM.
Old 09-12-15, 09:09 AM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

seeing this in a bit. looking forward to it now...
Old 09-12-15, 09:59 AM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

We saw it last night. It was enjoyable... very positive reactions from everybody in the audience. Some of the scenes with the grandma were incredibly creepy.

With that said:
Spoiler:
I'm reluctant to even call the plot twist a "twist," because it was so incredibly telegraphed that these two weren't the grandparents that by the "reveal" I was convinced that was actually a red herring.

Edit: And now reading the other thread, people are saying that they didn't see the twist coming, so take my statements with a grain of salt. As soon as the grandparents gave the "don't go in the basement warning," and then somebody from the mental hospital showed up... I think saying the grandparents had missed their appointment... and the grandparents were conveniently absent so we never got a face to face, I suspected they weren't the real grandparents. Then when the grandma "accidentally" damaged the web cam, I knew for sure. Then they hammered it home over... and over... and over again (second visitor from the hospital, grandpa saying he worked in a factory instead of the coal industry, the grandpa's statements about the mental hospital, the woman talking about the "drama" at the hospital, the parents refusing to answer any details about the daughter, the total lack of pictures in the house, etc.)... I thought for sure the "grandparents are imposters" had to be a red herring, and that we were going to get a twist. I just didn't know if it would be that they actually were the grandparents, or maybe that M. Knight would go off the rails again and have the alien story be real.

Last edited by CaptainMarvel; 09-12-15 at 10:08 AM.
Old 09-12-15, 01:00 PM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

wow! was this bad. not even so bad its good. it was just plain bad. completely missed opportunity. the "twist" wasn't even that. it was all copulation and no payoff and the copulation didn't even feel good. i was bored silly from beginning to end. the kids were terrible, the old people were terrible. this was a bad movie with no resolve...

Old 09-12-15, 01:27 PM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

I gave it 3/5 because it was a lot better than his output of late. I thought some of the scenes were creepy but others were telegraphed. I will give him an E for effort. It was just uneven. I think it would've been a much better film if they didn't do it entirely as "found footage."

On a bigger plus side, they showed the trailer for H8ful Eight in all it's wideness. I think the bars at the top/bottom & sides of the screen threw some people off in the crowd.
Old 09-12-15, 05:20 PM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

I guess I'm one of the few here who loved this film. I already gave it a review in the normal thread but I enjoyed the hell out of it. Shyamalan came back in a big way with this film that harkens back to the films that made him popular in the first place.

The overall tone was very creepy and atmospheric and worked well. The acting was strong all around especially by the lead girl and I felt like the brother gave the film some good comic relief. Also the actress playing the grandmother was fantastic. Great job of seeming a bit off to tremendously creepy. Hell even the found footage aspect which is a gimmick I normally can't stand I thought was good here. It didn't feel forced with a lot of jump scares or loud noises music to make the girl's film seem like a real Hollywood movie instead of a documentary put together by a teenage girl.

Spoiler:
The twist works well too and I didn't expect it. When the mother reveals to the kids that the people they're staying with aren't their grandparents and they've been staying with complete strangers it was a total holy shit moment for me. At first I thought that the film was just going to go with something like they're possessed or satanists or something in the water was making them crazy but the idea that escaped mental patients killed the real grandparents was very effective for me.
.

Overall a very solid film and one of the best horror/thrillers I've seen in a long time. Personally I gave the film 4 out of 5. There is room for improvement, but I think Shyamalan deserves credit for making a solid film. I really hope he does more like this.
Old 09-12-15, 07:32 PM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

Saw it. Not the typical piece of shit we've come to expect from Shymalan these days, but nothing exceptional. While I didn't figure out the "twist" until it happened, once it did I wasn't surprised, it made sense.
Spoiler:
In fact, it wasn't very believable. There's no way they didn't have some concept of what they're grandparents would look like before they visited in this day and age.


FWIW, I liked that the teenage leads weren't typical angst driven characters and were overall quite likeable. The brother really stole the show.
Old 09-12-15, 07:36 PM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

This movie is an oddity. The confusing and abstract content is akin to Kevin Smith's Tusk. I couldn't tell if it's an awful movie that I give credit because of its director. Or if it's a really good, unique piece of cinema.

I haven't figured out the filmmakers motives yet. Was it intentionally so silly? Sometimes I would think that it was being misdirected. And then there would be stuff like the incontinence stuff that seemed intentional. Even during the climax, I couldn't tell if we were supposed to be scared or giddy and chuckling.

The few emotional parts were very moving. Especially the final message about not holding grudges. It was a uniquely powerful message in a silly movie.
Old 09-12-15, 08:24 PM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

I definitely felt like it was intentionally being silly at certain parts and that Shyamalan wasn't trying to make an ultra serious film.

Originally Posted by Dr. DVD
While I didn't figure out the "twist" until it happened, once it did I wasn't surprised, it made sense.
Spoiler:
In fact, it wasn't very believable. There's no way they didn't have some concept of what they're grandparents would look like before they visited in this day and age.
Spoiler:
I guess I didn't find it that far fetched. They had never met the grandparents before and I doubt their mom had a lot of pictures of them around the house if they were on the outs with each other for so many years. Not really sure how they would have known what they would look like especially because even if the mom did have any pictures they may not have recognized them aged fifteen years or whatever it was. I didn't think it was a bad twist.
Old 09-12-15, 08:38 PM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

Originally Posted by OldBoy
it was all copulation and no payoff and the copulation didn't even feel good.
Old 09-12-15, 08:49 PM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

I also felt it hard to believe that these very precocious kids had pet nicknames for people they never met...
Old 09-12-15, 09:18 PM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

Originally Posted by OldBoy
I also felt it hard to believe that these very precocious kids had pet nicknames for people they never met...
Those nicknames are pretty common. I would imagine their mom told the kids to address them that way.
Old 09-12-15, 09:24 PM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

Yeah not sure what else they would have really called them other than grandma and grandpa. It's not like they were really personal nicknames.
Old 09-12-15, 09:52 PM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

I just figured the grandparents told them to call them that and the kids went along with it because...you know, documentary and all that.

I thought this was really good, which took me by surprise. It looked fun from the trailers and commercials but I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. It was hilarious. Like Lemon Drink: The Movie.
Old 09-13-15, 09:06 AM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

Originally Posted by Mike86
I definitely felt like it was intentionally being silly at certain parts and that Shyamalan wasn't trying to make an ultra serious film.


Spoiler:
I guess I didn't find it that far fetched. They had never met the grandparents before and I doubt their mom had a lot of pictures of them around the house if they were on the outs with each other for so many years. Not really sure how they would have known what they would look like especially because even if the mom did have any pictures they may not have recognized them aged fifteen years or whatever it was. I didn't think it was a bad twist.
True, but
Spoiler:

wasn't their counseling business on the internet or something? If they were known for helping people they would have probably had their photos on the site at least.
Old 09-13-15, 12:23 PM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

Originally Posted by Dr. DVD
True, but
Spoiler:

wasn't their counseling business on the internet or something? If they were known for helping people they would have probably had their photos on the site at least.
Spoiler:
I don't think they had an actual business. Maybe I'm remembering wrong but didn't they supposedly just work for a local hospital as counselors? In that case it's possible that the hospital could have had pictures of the staff up if they had a web site but not necessarily. Especially considering it sounded like the town was a small place so if they even had a web site it might not have been very upkept if they had one at all.
Old 09-13-15, 12:30 PM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

^ Reasonable, but

Spoiler:
If it was a small town, wouldn't a couple of inmates escaping from the institution have been pretty big news in the community? Wouldn't some of the fellow workers have taken immediate notice once two inmates disappeared and, coincidentally, two counselors quit showing up as well? If the institution was small, which given the size of the town it had to be, I don't see how the local police wouldn't have at least visited the house to alert people with photos. This couple seemed like they were pretty dangerous, so I imagine their escaping would be a big deal. Was there ever any timeline as to how long it was when they killed the real grandparents and when they picked up the kids?
Old 09-13-15, 12:51 PM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

Originally Posted by Dr. DVD
^ Reasonable, but

Spoiler:
If it was a small town, wouldn't a couple of inmates escaping from the institution have been pretty big news in the community? Wouldn't some of the fellow workers have taken immediate notice once two inmates disappeared and, coincidentally, two counselors quit showing up as well? If the institution was small, which given the size of the town it had to be, I don't see how the local police wouldn't have at least visited the house to alert people with photos. This couple seemed like they were pretty dangerous, so I imagine their escaping would be a big deal. Was there ever any timeline as to how long it was when they killed the real grandparents and when they picked up the kids?
Spoiler:
We didn't see a lot of what was happening around the town so maybe the police were looking for the two escapees. Remember the co-worker from the hospital who showed up looking for the grandparents wanting to tell them some gossip about something that happened at the hospital? Neither of the fake grandparents are present during that scene and its reasonable to assume that he wanted to tell them about the escaped patients. The female patient also showed up wanting to thank them for their help but was only met by the kids. She came back and was arguing with the fake grandparents presumably because she figured out something was wrong and she winds up hung from the tree. So the co-worker and the patient were going by the home and probably reported back that they thought the actual grandparents were fine because of what the kids told them.
Old 09-13-15, 09:06 PM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

Saw this tonight with my son and his friend. We all really liked it. I found it to be genuinely creepy and it had the perfect pacing to keep ratcheting up the tension. The theater was packed, and it played really well to the crowd, complete with applause when the kids fought back.

4/5 for me.
Old 09-14-15, 03:38 AM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

Ugh, the kids were annoying. Didn't know he could find worse kids than what he used for that TV show that just aired. Horrible rapping (to me) and just a little punk kid trying to act hard but clearly had a lot of issues. Not a fan of a little kid degrading women especially since he has a single mother looking after him trying her best to raise him and his sister. I actually was glad when
Spoiler:
"grandpa" smeared his dirty Depends on his face and when he told the kid he didn't like him. Totally clapped at that moment.


Overall the movie had some tense moments and thought the grandmother stole the show and you will never forget granny's ass lol.
Old 09-14-15, 06:56 AM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

Originally Posted by Mike86
I guess I'm one of the few here who loved this film. I already gave it a review in the normal thread but I enjoyed the hell out of it. Shyamalan came back in a big way with this film that harkens back to the films that made him popular in the first place.

The overall tone was very creepy and atmospheric and worked well. The acting was strong all around especially by the lead girl and I felt like the brother gave the film some good comic relief. Also the actress playing the grandmother was fantastic. Great job of seeming a bit off to tremendously creepy. Hell even the found footage aspect which is a gimmick I normally can't stand I thought was good here. It didn't feel forced with a lot of jump scares or loud noises music to make the girl's film seem like a real Hollywood movie instead of a documentary put together by a teenage girl.

Spoiler:
The twist works well too and I didn't expect it. When the mother reveals to the kids that the people they're staying with aren't their grandparents and they've been staying with complete strangers it was a total holy shit moment for me. At first I thought that the film was just going to go with something like they're possessed or satanists or something in the water was making them crazy but the idea that escaped mental patients killed the real grandparents was very effective for me.
.

Overall a very solid film and one of the best horror/thrillers I've seen in a long time. Personally I gave the film 4 out of 5. There is room for improvement, but I think Shyamalan deserves credit for making a solid film. I really hope he does more like this.
I loved this movie too. I took my daughter and her friend and we had a blast. It was creepy, funny and a good ride. I didn't pick up the "twist" -- not that it was much of one, but it was an enjoyable "horror" flick for a PG-13 movie. Well done!
Old 09-14-15, 07:54 AM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

I enjoyed this a lot. The rapping kid was a bit annoying, but some kids are just annoying. My bigger complaint would be the grandparents behavior gets to the point where I have a hard time believing the kids would just roll with the 'old people get quirky' explanation. If they were younger, sure, but I think the 15 year old would've gotten them out of there earlier or at least been more freaked out. I caught the twist/reveal before it happened, but not by much. Anyway, lots of funny and creepy moments and altogether something of a return to form for Shyamalan.
Old 09-14-15, 08:52 AM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

I liked this a lot and didn't even mind the 'found footage' style. At least in this context it wasn't so bad because the character was attempting to make a formal film instead of it just being a nonstop shaky GoPro fest. I also think the humorous moments were natural and not too overbearing, and were a welcome relief from a guy who tends to take himself too seriously. This was easily my favorite of his since Signs.

Spoiler:
For once, my 'twist expectations' actually worked in my favor, because I was thinking too far outside the box and wasn't looking for something so simple and down to earth. It felt earned and logical. Sure, they had to stretch a bit in a few places to set it all up, but I think the combination of the estrangement and old people's lack of technology skills (to upload photos) made it plausible enough the kids wouldn't know what's up.
Old 09-14-15, 09:35 AM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

Originally Posted by OldBoy
I also felt it hard to believe that these very precocious kids had pet nicknames for people they never met...
Yet you find Miley Cyrus "charming"
Old 09-14-15, 09:54 AM
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Re: The Visit (Shyamalan, 2015) — The Reviews Thread

Originally Posted by Rob V
Yet you find Miley Cyrus "charming"
what's ur point?

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