The “found footage” genre has
been overdone even before the most recent ‘Paranormal Activity’ installment,
and I must admit when I first saw the trailer of M. Night Shyamalan’s latest
release ‘The Visit,’ I rolled my eyes and dismissed it as nothing more than another
desperate attempt to turn around a sinking career which suffered one setback
after another with such critical flops as ‘The Village,’ ‘Lady in the Water,’
‘The Happening’ and ‘The Last Airbender.’
Regardless, I went to see it anyway because: (a) it’s “horror” and (b)
it’s an M. Night Shyamalan movie. And
who knows? Maybe there’s a trademark
Shyamalan WTF???!!! twist at the end.
‘The Visit’ does have a twist,
but it’s more subtle and less jarring than one would expect from Shyamalan. That’s not a bad thing either, because ‘The
Visit’ is refreshingly different from any of his previous films. While the movie possesses some scary moments,
it is also rather funny. On the surface, ‘The
Visit’ seems to address the creeping infirmities and frailties of aging that we must all face
someday, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously or wrap itself in
sentimentality like Michael Haneke’s ‘Amour.’ Told from the POV of two young teens visiting their “nana” and “pop pop” for the first time because their mom ran
away from home when she was 19 and never reconciled with her parents, ‘The
Visit’ worked for me largely due to the fine performances delivered by its two
unknown young stars.
Ed Oxenbould and Olivia DeJonge are
simply a joy to follow as Tyler and Rebecca, the precocious siblings witty
beyond their years, even if their maturity lags somewhat behind. One is a snarky overachiever who's making a documentary of the visit in order to bring her mom some closure (or "elixir" as she calls it) after leaving on bad terms so long ago, while the other is a goofy improv rapper and former pee wee football safety who,
well, you just have to see for yourself. With ‘The Visit,’ Shyamalan demonstrated
that he still has a few tricks up his sleeves even if it falls short of a true
comeback. Stay tuned.
Grade: A
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