The Invitation

One of the biggest faults of this movie, funny enough, isn't anything to do with the movie itself but the promotions for it. If you have seen the trailer for this movie then you've pretty much seen the entire movie, including the big twist reveal, which sucks as the story has so much potential. In the right capable hands, a story of someone trying to find their long-lost family and then ending up in a horror situation can be pretty good but here, it falls flat. The story takes forever to get going and once it does start to pick up the pace the movie was almost over. I know that horror movies need time to set up the setting and dynamics but this movie just did WAY too much of that. I've heard a lot of people say this and honestly, I agree with them that this story would be better as a RomCom. The two leads, more on them later, have chemistry between the two of them that just gets wasted because of the story of this movie. If it had been a RomCom movie it might've been one I actually enjoyed as it would've been a unique movie. I quickly touched on this earlier but my biggest issue with this movie wasn't the story for this movie, I already figured the trailer spoiled the whole movie, but the pacing of the movie. This movie is a horror thriller movie and the pacing for this movie didn't match that one bit. It had slower pacing to it which can be effective in the right kind of horror movie but definitely not here. I guess the slow pacing of this movie was supposed to help keep the suspense of wondering what's really happening in the manor but like I said the trailer already ruined that mystery so it wasn't effective. Also due to the slow pacing of the movie the ending for this movie gets severely rushed.

The ending for this movie just isn't satisfactory and just leaves the audience scratching their heads wondering what just happened. The ending also leaves on kind of a cliffhanger that doesn't need to be a cliffhanger and I wish it had ended earlier. While watching this movie I was preparing myself to say other than the acting in this movie the cinematography for this movie was great and then the more I thought about it the less I enjoyed it. The part I enjoyed of the cinematography was the set design for the manor. The manor itself was gorgeous and had this unease about it right from the get-go. I feel like I would rewatch this movie just to try and pick up the subtle details in the design work for this manor as I feel like I missed a bunch. Another element that works but only to a certain extent is the lighting for this movie. The lighting for this movie creates a great atmosphere and adds to the gothic nature of the manor but it also has a downside as I said that's because this is a horror movie and horror movies are supposed to have scares in them and due to the darkened lighting it's hard to see them. You can kind of tell based on the shadows if something scary is going to happen but for the most part, you can't see them and it just seems like something in the background. Now, these kinds of scares can work but they need to be directed properly and unfortunately for this movie that didn't happen. Now, I know that Jessica M. Thompson did her best with this movie especially with this being her first feature film but unfortunately there were some questionable directing choices. As I said most of them just surround the scares in this movie but also with death scenes in this movie. I won't fully go into detail about the death scenes for this movie but all I'll say is they don't match the 14A rating at all. I already mentioned this but really the only fully good element of this movie is the acting in it. The acting for this movie both worked for whichever story you decide to watch this movie as. If you decide to watch this story like it's a Vampire romance or a horror movie it is the acting works for both versions.

This fully steams to the main two actors Nathalie Emmanuel and Thomas Doherty, who plays Walter. The two of them surprisingly had decent chemistry together and made this movie slightly enjoyable. I really enjoyed Nathalie Emmanuel's performance as Evie that even without the romance element she would've stood out the most. She plays Evie in such a modern final girl way and even though she might not be the best final girl out there she still proved how smart she is even with the story does have her making some dumb decisions. But for me personally, the standout performance of the movie is Thomas Doherty. He plays Walter in such a manipulative and conniving way that if you were in this situation you would trust him. When you first meet Walter you can easily tell there's something off about him and if you didn't watch the trailer you're wondering what's fully up with him. Even the side actors were really good in this movie even if you don't get to see them as much. In the end, The Invitation had the potential to be a really good movie but because of the trailer it just falls short. If you go see this movie just play the fun game of switching the genre depending on what's happening in the scene.

"The Invitation" is a movie with a simple script and nothing avant-garde but it manages to entertain, it also presents some well-written characters, it is worth noting the gothic romance story. The best thing is its cinematography that is outstanding and that together with the filming locations achieve a great gothic atmosphere, the cinematographer Autumn Eakin takes a fantasy nightmare to a spectacular level. The performances are well done and the director knows how to translate her ideas on the screen. Without being a masterpiece, "The Invitation" is a decent movie that deserves some attention!

I was excited to see this because I knew the lead actors for playing support roles only like Nathalie Emmanuel in GOT and fast and furious or Thomas Doherty in high fidelity and legacies. I love how it starts off dark, it's not uncommon for recent horrors to ease you in by starting out like any regular movie before throwing you into the dark. It maintains it's gloomy nature despite the characters having a more cheery aura, but you feel something's off. It's like a blend of midsommer, Ready or Not and Get Out, with a fantasy element to it. Midsommer and Ready Or Not were more bloody thrillers than actual horrors in my opinion while this was actively trying to scare you. It has a more old fashioned horror feel compared to recent 'blockbuster horrors' (I don't know if that's a thing); everything happens in the dark, there's a lot of build up and I loved how 3AM was made the hour the devil comes out to play. It also leaned on it's gloomy atmosphere and jump scares for the horror element.

There's a lot of build up to most scenes so it was slow paced, I felt some silences were literally just 2s too long. Second twist in the third act of the movie wasn't pretty underwhelming, and this was meant to be the big closer. I also try to avoid trailers but i saw a teaser that ruined the suspense and thrill of one of the scenes, so I suggest doing a better job at avoiding them than I did. For that same reason, when everything unveiled I was pleasantly surprised it's not the genre of horror I thought this was going to be, won't say 'cause I don't wanna spoil it for you but I haven't seen a horror in this fantasy genre in a while so I loved it.

All in all, I think it's a good movie that was supposed to be better than it is because the climax scenes don't hit as high as they're meant to, with a rushed finale to top that. Otherwise the movie doesn't do much wrong and is worth a watch for me. Somebody said it's a feminist movie, I see where they're coming from but that's such a reach man.

At first I thought it was a movie about a random woman who, by chance, is invited to a party full of vampires, and she resourcefully kills them all using her wits. So I was not really that interested when it first came out because I was tired of seeing all powerful vampires being easily killed just because our characters know they were vampires. However, the interesting thing about this movie, is that it plays like a romance movie mixed with vampire horror. There are a few kills sprinkled to remind you this is a horror movie, but a majority of the time is Nathalie Emmanuel romancing with Thomas Doherty in an aristocratic setting until the vampire horror stuff starts. This is where Emmanuel believably plays victim to circumstances, and she is not become an all powerful heroine who easily kills the villain in the end. She struggles in every thing. Another interesting is how the movie drops hints throughout the story, and you would see how it all fits. But I think the ending was too rushed and not impactful enough. The build up was slow and when it reached the part where the conspiracy unfolds, and everything is revealed, some characters change so inorganically to look menacing but it does not work. Fortunately, Nathalie Emmanuel's character seemed consistent, and many others too. So you even after the reveal, you could understand why they are acting that way. I also like the after credit scene. I don't know if it hints a sequel, or just an epilogue but it is interesting.

LIKES:

The Pace: It's fast, it doesn't get stuck too much in trivial world building, and it gets to the antics very quickly to start getting into the thrills. The Invitation has a lot of things to decipher in the short run time, but it's always moving and seldom slowing down to get bogged in higher order thinking. For those looking for just a way to turn off the mind, this can be a giant plus alongside the appeal of one component of the story.

The Setting: It's a beautiful world they have shot/created, in this movie. A European centered mansion and castle that is sort of the dark version of Downton Abbey. The rooms they play in are immaculate, both high society, but several holding darker undertones that tell a story almost better than the actual words and story itself. I highly enjoyed the realistic manor and sort of felt like a board game or mystery room feel that could have been used so well.

The Potential Story: The story is not the worst I've seen, and holds some elements of an engaging character. This film is a neo-gothic style drama with elements of horror and romance sprinkled in to try and live up to the stories of the classic horror films. Paying homage to the tales it references were nice, and there was a lot of quality points they could have used to help guide this to be one of the better tales. Throw in some darker comedy like Ready or Not, and the overall feel of the movie showed there was potential.

The Lighting Effects: A small and subtle nod to the elements, the lighting really tells much of the story and brings much of the emotion in this film. From the opening scene, every moment has an area of lighting that sets the tone of the moment and suggest the element of the scene. Foreboding dark rooms make the moment obvious, but other elements that blend dark and light each offer a level of safety to dive into.

The Costumes: Now my second favorite component, the costumes and makeup of the movie are fantastic for me given what I guess was "lower" budget production. The Invitation may not be dressing up the groups in superhero underwear, or the most amazing warrior costumes, but the costumes chosen really do blend the modern and traditional well. Fantastic dresses are my favorite, the material holding a lot of design qualities that tell their own story while also really accomplishing the attitudes of the characters who wear them. Male characters often have the shirts found in many English tales, part class and debonair mixed with something more as the story progresses. Throw in the more "romantic" moments and the modern blend comes in to help reestablish the timelines. And when makeup is needed for the various events that occurred, once more the effects of mimicking blood, paleness, and injuries continuing to be realistic and incredible.

The Effects: I can't say much about this without giving away an obvious point. The Invitation has moments that really require certain computer animation effects, editing, and prosthetics to help accomplish the tasks at hand. I loved it, and the sneaking subtle moments give you a taste of the big moments at the end of the movie to come. That blend of using prosthetics and the computer met the balance so many movies fail to achieve and I only wish we had more time with it.

DISLIKES:

Predictable: I got it from the trailer even though the clips did not reveal what the twist was. The movie should not be too hard to decipher what will happen as the dialogue plays out. The clues are handed a little too easily, the hints too obvious and of course the subtle things sneaking out a bit to reveal the big twist. Had the other elements not taken a hit because of this, or there had been more story element, this would not have been an issue, but something was just askew that led to predictability being too much.

Not Scary/Suspenseful: They dock it up it as a horror film of the century, but it lacked scares for me in this film despite their best attempts. Much of this has to do with how desensitized I am to the trailer, but the elements don't quite mix well for me to execute the full effect of the horror to be really scary. It lacks a creepy atmosphere, the intensity of the horror is blunted by quick finishes, and the direction eventually takes it to neo-gothic style drama over anything else. Thus, with such changes in style and several other factors, the movie's horror element is dull.

Rushed Story: That pace might be good for getting in and out of the theater, and also trying to get to all the parts they want to talk about. However, the story that held a lot of potential also got sideswiped a bit in the process, resulting in of course missing pieces. The Invitation has so many components that a book form would do well to elaborate, build, and expand upon that a movie seemed to have suffered with time limits. The main character Evie, has a lot of potential for uncovering her past, facing her hardships, and fostering bonds, but it's all lost to the fleeting time. Then the mystery of the manor and trying to figure out the truth was robbed even more of the quality, each act feeling like a set up to something big and then just fizzling out. Again so much potential, but lost.

Forced Performances: I can't deny this, the acting does at times get too force and lose the presentation that they were doing. Primarily at the end, many actors have to transition into a different kind of acting, one that either did not get rehearsed as well as they could, or was just planned to be this extravagant in the forced gestures, acting, and screaming that comes. It lost the class I was seeing, and the whole conclusion seemed very dropped in a mad rush to get to the end. Some people suffered through the movie itself, Corneliussen playing her arrogance a might too strong, but it's that ending where the cheese factor oozes out.

An Attempt At Action: I said earlier that the movie tries to incorporate a lot of genre elements into the mix. Well, the ending makes a break for trying add a little excitement by converting it into an action film moment to bring about the full end. The fight is, well it's mediocre at best for me, fitting with the setting, but give the buildup did little to match what other movies of this genre could do. The choreography was extremely limited, the acting forced and awkward, and the time with it was again very limited, meaning it felt like the action in a Soap Opera with slaps and screams, than actual merit. And when the story elements drag in and the dialogue creeps in, this moment just fails outside of a some sweet finishes to heighten the drama component. It wasn't needed to this caliber, and I would have liked to see more strategy or rehearsal come in for it to be included.

The Lack Of Focused Direction: My buddy said it best, the heart of The Invitation's problems arises in the lack of focused direction for the film and trying to do too much in such a short time. All these elements do give nods to the tropes of the horror theme they were going for, but none of them fully deliver to tie them all well. This comes with time, focus, and in all honesty a mini-series or book to flesh it all out in the proper details and tie ins. Because of that, all the moments are okay and will fill the time with something, but the promise again was sullied by too much at once and becoming more a mess that is just okay.

The VERDICT: The Invitation shows how ideas have an immense promise and the modern edge of retelling and combination could work if planned out right. There are so many homages and snippets of scenes that work and had me intrigued, but then get ripped away to mediocre finishes and hasty tie ups. What results is an average movie that is more neo-gothic drama with some thriller twists, that should be good for a teenager based audience. Note, there are some moments that might be harder for people to see in the form of boundary violation, torture, confinement, and some rather occult appetites that sensitive people will the. Past that though, the chill and scare factor are minimal and in all honesty quite boring to watch given what the trailers promised. Predictable plots, messy editing, rushed story elements, and other hasty decisions just robbed the full splendor this movie could have been. I can't say this one is a theater visit outside the aesthetics, and would rather watch it at home instead. Thus, this films scores come at:

Horror/Thriller: 5.0 Movie Overall: 5.5.