Post by BIGFANBOY on Feb 2, 2009 6:47:55 GMT -5
THE UNINVITED
Review by Gary Dean Murray
Pulling off a great thriller is a monumental task. Where Hitchcock did it with ease all those years ago, today's directors seem to have a much harder time in building the suspense and mystery. Maybe it's because the genre is so hard, or maybe it's because everyone expects a twist, and they try to put in some dramatic left turn, even where their may not be one. The best example is director M. Night Shyamalan and The Sixth Sense. This was a perfect little thrill ride with an unexpected ending that was kept secret by everyone who had seen it. Unfortunately M. Night has never been able to repeat that success, and his films have just gotten worse over the years. The latest directing team to tackle this difficult genre are the Guards, Thomas and Charles, with their little bit of suspense called The Uninvited.
The film opens with an asylum and young Anna Rydell (Emily Browning). It seems that the young waif has lost her sickly mother in a tragic accident. The scars on her arm are the reminder that her life could have been tragically shorter. Her psychiatrist believes that she is ready to go back to her family. The girl who lives in the ward room next door thinks otherwise. Returning home, she finds that her sister Alex (Arielle Kebbel) has been keeping up the home front. Dad (David Strathairn) is a writer dealing with loneliness by carrying on with his wife's former care-nurse Rachael (Elizabeth Banks). Anna and Alex are sure that Rachael was the person behind the burning down of the boathouse where their mother died. They believe there is something just not right with the woman and set out on a mission to prove that things are not what everyone supposes.
The other problem is with Anna. She keeps seeing ghosts, specifically those of three children. She becomes convinced that the ghosts and Rachael have some kind of connection. A local boy that Anna has had a relationship with seems to know something about what happened, but doesn't want to discuss it with any other persons around. The rest of The Uninvited is the search for the true identity of Rachael and the proof that Anna so desperately wants.
There are some elements to admire here, starting with the cast. Elizabeth Banks shows some range as the future step-mother. She is a beautiful actress who has played up to now either comedic parts or 'the girlfriend' character. Here she gets to take on a much meatier role, showing some different emotions. There is this newfound respect for the acting abilities of this woman. She has a smile that is as pleasing as it is sinister. It becomes creepy every time she interacts with Anna.
But the true finds are the young actresses who play the sisters. Young Arielle Kebbel and even younger Emily Browning both come across as convincing performers and convincing sisters. They are cast perfectly as siblings, believable to a stunning fault. Emily Browning especially comes across as perfect blend of put upon and creepy. There is this 'outsider in her own world' look in her eyes. We feel her pathos of being the younger sister, the fragile shattered teen, and the the orphaned child all in a bundle of psychosis and anguish. She plays a wounded bird scared of both real and imagined dangers. But David Strathairn gives nothing special as the distraught father. He is playing a writer (a writer in Maine, who could that be?) who has little emotions on his tragic existence. We know that his character is supposed to be distant and lost with the tragic turns that his life has taken, but the reading comes across as a bit too cold.
The Maine scenery is breathtaking to behold. It is a natural paradise, filled with crystal waters and stunning vistas. The directing team keeps the pace going at a fast clip but still gives us moments for character development. The tag line for The Uninvited is “Fear moves in” but it could have been “Haven't we seen this before?” There are so many elements that feel lifted from better Japanese horror flicks that the end product runs a bit redundant. It is a solid effort but sadly nothing new or special.
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