THE GUEST
RELEASE DATE: AVAILABLE NOW (DVD, BLU RAY, ON-DEMAND)
RATED: R
RATING: ****/*****
PREMISE: (VIA IMDB) A soldier introduces himself to the Peterson family, claiming to be a
friend of their son who died in action. After the young man is welcomed
into their home, a series of accidental deaths seem to be connected to
his presence.
THE PRO'S: Fun, fast-paced, action packed, full of suspense, darkly humerous, great character development.
THE CON'S: Somewhat dull set of parents, slightly ridiculous plot points.
THE REVIEW:
So after hearing some really good things about this film, I decided to finally check it out. Especially given the director is attached to one of the American adaptations of one of my favorite stories: Death Note. And I am so, so glad I gave this interesting little thriller a chance.
The Guest tells the story of the Peterson family, who receives an unexpected "Guest" at their door. The man, David, claims to be a friend of their son who was killed in action. And while David appears charming and charismatic, underneath it all lies a dark, dangerous secret that sends the life of the family's eldest daughter into a tailspin of chaotic proportions.
Now while The Guest might seem like a run-of-the-mill horror movie, I can assure you it's not. Actually, from the get-go the film is an intense, slow-burn thriller that pulls you in deeper and deeper as it goes on. This is thanks to some masterful storytelling from both the director and writer, who bring a mystique and excellent level of suspense to it. Both aspects here are absolutely seamless and give this movie serious bonus points.
But even moreso, the driving force of the movie is the performances by lead actors Dan Stevens and Maika Monroe. Having seen both only a few times before, the more I saw them in this movie, the more convinced I became that they are destined to be future stars. Dan Stevens portrayal of David is fantastic, finding an excellent balance between cunning psychopath and likable stud. While Maika's performance as the eldest daughter is believable and intense.
On the downside, one flaw the movie DOES have is that the parents are not well cast at all. And I would say even bring down some of the better performances in the movie when two of its main stars are not doing a good job. But that's okay, they are simply two bad apples in a fantastic bunch, after all.
The way the story moves along is another huge plus for me. Not only did the movie keep me on my toes, but it's unique blend of action sequences and horror movie suspense simply rocked. The movie, even when there's nothing outright "bad" happening it, manages to create an excellent amount of tension and ultimately works better than most action-thrillers in theaters these days, at least for me.
That said, there are some fairly silly plot points that ultimately could have been much better handled. A few things had me shaking my head, and just felt like they were pushing things a little too far. It was this reason I ultimately could not give this movie a perfect score. Simply put it needed to shed these bits for me to feel it's worthy of that.
This said, overall...
IN CONCLUSION:
The Guest is a smart, fun action-thriller that is well worth the look. With excellent writing and direction, as well as performances from the two main stars. I cannot recommend it enough.
Now while The Guest might seem like a run-of-the-mill horror movie, I can assure you it's not. Actually, from the get-go the film is an intense, slow-burn thriller that pulls you in deeper and deeper as it goes on. This is thanks to some masterful storytelling from both the director and writer, who bring a mystique and excellent level of suspense to it. Both aspects here are absolutely seamless and give this movie serious bonus points.
But even moreso, the driving force of the movie is the performances by lead actors Dan Stevens and Maika Monroe. Having seen both only a few times before, the more I saw them in this movie, the more convinced I became that they are destined to be future stars. Dan Stevens portrayal of David is fantastic, finding an excellent balance between cunning psychopath and likable stud. While Maika's performance as the eldest daughter is believable and intense.
On the downside, one flaw the movie DOES have is that the parents are not well cast at all. And I would say even bring down some of the better performances in the movie when two of its main stars are not doing a good job. But that's okay, they are simply two bad apples in a fantastic bunch, after all.
The way the story moves along is another huge plus for me. Not only did the movie keep me on my toes, but it's unique blend of action sequences and horror movie suspense simply rocked. The movie, even when there's nothing outright "bad" happening it, manages to create an excellent amount of tension and ultimately works better than most action-thrillers in theaters these days, at least for me.
That said, there are some fairly silly plot points that ultimately could have been much better handled. A few things had me shaking my head, and just felt like they were pushing things a little too far. It was this reason I ultimately could not give this movie a perfect score. Simply put it needed to shed these bits for me to feel it's worthy of that.
This said, overall...
IN CONCLUSION:
The Guest is a smart, fun action-thriller that is well worth the look. With excellent writing and direction, as well as performances from the two main stars. I cannot recommend it enough.
4 OUT OF 5 STARS
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
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