The Invitation (2015) Reviews

• An Intoxicating Thriller. Incredible.

  afrodome2017-08-15

  Sometimes I cannot understand the dissonance between me and a great number of movie reviewers on this page. I had not seen any trailers of the sort because I didn't want to preview parts that may spoil he movie. With that said, I'm so glad I watched this film. This ranks with Green Room as a real edge-of-your-seat kind of movie but for entirely different reasons. While Green Room is just a unhinged speed chase offroad in complete darkness, leaving you dizzy with blurting holy sh't every 10 seconds, The Invitation takes it's time while not letting the story flatline. The use of ominous shots and reverberating violins really give you that sense of unease. The buildup, the paranoia, the character-structuring, the heavy atmosphere all build up to a short and worthy second half of the film. Honestly, it's frustrating to see so many people give this movie a criminally low rating because 'nothing happens'? Was I watching the same movie? Because what I saw building up to the climax was some of the most gorgeous shots with very grounded characters that immersed me into the story. People react to a movie that they were expecting and it wasn't, so they rate it a 1. Really? This is a quality thriller that I recommend everyone check out.

• Incredibly tense, oddly realistic

  funky-archibald2016-05-26

  I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the score for this film. It doesn't do it any justice, and some of the reviews I've read here don't make valid points in my opinion. So, I felt I owed this film my own review. First of all, the tension: man this thing has a killer build-up! You could call it slow (if you're a Transformers kind of guy), but it never gets "boring". You're on the edge of your seat from the moment the film starts, partly due to a very subtle but creepy soundtrack, which reminded me of sound effects in some of David Lynch's movies. Adding to that is the fantastic performance of Logan Marshall-Green as the tormented Will. He, and the events that follow, will keep you guessing about his mental health and whether his paranoia is justified or not, almost until the end. Michiel Huisman plays the very smooth and lulling host to great effect, and the rest of the group of friends is also very believable and natural. THE scene (no spoilers, you'll know which one I'm talking about when you see it!) was so well done I really had the feeling I was there. It all happens so slow, so eerily apropos, and so jaw-droppingly unexpected that you really get the feeling of "oh my, that could be me out there". The little twist in the last couple of minutes is the cherry on the cake, and makes you even more uncomfortable than you already were. This is a case of an "ignore the scores, just watch it already!" film, and I hope you enjoy it every bit as much as I did!

• A thriller for people who don't watch horror films

  crazycokedupdream2017-03-14

  I'm not going to give a review of this film. I'll leave that to others who can argue whether it was worth watch or not. For me, I feel it was one of the best thrillers with a horror bent that I have seen in a long while. But here's the thing, I don't really like horror films, avoid them most of the time, unless I heard a good word of mouth from someone. That's how I found The Invitation. After reading the reviews here, I would say the criticism falls in to two opposing camps. Those that thought it was thrilling, terrifying and well done movie and those who thought it was a waste of their time, slow and they saw all the punches coming. I think the difference is this, the latter camp watches a lot of horror films, nothing surprises them, they are looking for all the little nuances of all the other horror movies they have watched and are comparing them to the film they are currently watching. They are two - three steps ahead of a conventional audience and thus, nothing surprises them. To these folks, I can understand why the film fell flat, it's clear if you put the movie under a microscope you can tell what's going to happen and naturally with the purposefully drawn out pace of this film, they get bored waiting for the payoff. I, as well as the people who I have give / shown this film to, fall in to the other camp. We rarely watch films like this and therefore are willing to let it all play out without trying the guess what's going to happen next. It's certainly a creepy film and while we might imagine where it's going, we are willing to suspend our expectations and go along for the ride. My advice, watch this if you enjoy the ride up on the climbing roller coaster without thinking about the plunge when you reach the top.

• Go in Blind - Don't Watch the Trailer or Read the Reviews

  gsuplee2016-10-02

  This film was a pleasant surprise. The only thing I knew about this movie was the buzz about it. There has been some talk of it being slow, but I disagree. I think the pacing is what builds up to....well, you'll see. And just when you think you know how it ends, you get a punch in the stomach with the final scene. Anyone who is crapping on this movie just didn't "get it". Logan Marshall-Green was tremendous in portraying both his grief and his paranoia. The coyote sequence at the beginning of the film is a harbinger of things to come, and oh-so-symbolic. A truly wonderful film. I tip my hat to everyone involved in making this gem of a movie.

• Journeys and Destinations

  A_Llama_Drama2017-10-12

  I was intrigued by The Invitation due to the (seriously) glass of red wine on the poster. It looked at once mature and alluring but also incredibly dark. I convinced my brother to watch it with me one night and this is our story. The Invitation sets itself up as a dark tale from the opening scene. A car ride ends in disaster and our hero, while going to his ex- wife's home for a dinner party, has to put an animal out of its misery. Will is unreadable, clearly suffering some form of PTSD. His girlfriend is supportive but it's obvious she's kept outside of his thought processes. When they arrive at the dinner party, it's hard to believe they know any of the guests. Actually, they've all been friends for years but, as anyone who's ever gone to a dinner part would know, it can be hard to be comfortable when there is a giant, dead elephant in the room. Everyone is at once eerily cheery but also naturally superficial. Is it Will's attitude that's causing conversation to stop dead every time people are reminded of his presence? Eden enters and you realise she's struggling just as much as Will. Eden is Will's ex, newly remarried and eager to show off the lifestyle that has brought her peace. It's revealed that their son died in an accident and that the grief and blame tore the couple apart. The difference between Eden and Will is, she's trying (not very well, mind you) to get over it. And so there you have it. A middle-class dinner party that is about grief and madness and red wine. The guests are trying hard to forget the ugliness of the tragedy that rendered all their lives and Will is doing his damndest to drag the corpse into the light for everyone to gape at. Who's really crazy here? Is it the middle-class manners that mean avoiding harsh topics and not allowing your friends the chance to really grieve? Is it the grieving father who wants to find horror in everything just to cope? Or is it the grieving mother who has turned to a specific religion to help her understand life and death? As the tension mounts and conversation topics become darker and harder to avoid, Will's becomes increasingly paranoid. Both he and Eden are looking for answers to their son's death and perhaps they could be found if they weren't too busy with one trying to blame the other and one doing all they can to forget. The director does a stellar job in maintaining a mundane and banal tone to the first half of the film. These people are dull but their situation has forced them to be. As the evening continues, though, the sense of screws turning, pennies dropping and clothes shedding becomes palpable. People are not who they seem and it's difficult to tell who is being honest with their intentions and who isn't just plain crazy. The movie builds to a dazzling final act that is satisfyingly violent. Not only that but it offers a devastating look at grief and how easily those grieving can be manipulated. So when we started watching, my brother was complaining about the banality of the conversations. The lack of anything compelling. As the story continued, he began to quieten down. When it finished, he told me, two days later, that he couldn't stop thinking about it. Such was the impact that a story steeped in humanity gone awry had had on him. And myself, for that matter. I'd recommend it. EVeryone is talking about Get Out right now but The Invitation was there first. Go on, accept the invitation.