The Uninvited (2009)

As Good As It Gets

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

I went into this film expecting nothing special but it was far better than anticipated with a good twist at the end. For me the lead actress did a good job in portraying the story along with a great performance from veteran actor David Strathairn who is good in all he does. Some good surprises along the way enhanced this cool mystery horror which most certainly keeps your attention throughout.

I was so angry that I wasted this time in my life, hoping this film would get better and make sense. You would think with Spielberg's DreamWorks attached that would have been a real possibility. However, I was left with an empty feeling of HOW DOES A FILM LIKE THIS GET MADE??? I figured this film out in the first 9 minutes and it never scared me, shocked me, surprised me or above all impressed me. It was plain predictable drek with so many devices being used one wonders what the "real screenplay" read like?So disappointed. Spend your time more wisely and don't waste it on this piece of flotsam.

I found The Uninvited on IMDb and saw it got an okay rating (6.4) as a horror/suspense film.(Usually I think that horror movie above 6 could give it a try) So I watched it and thought... meh.First of all, I can probably get what the director is trying to leave the audience to. I was expecting a better and more surprising plot twists than the ending gave me. It was implausible and unconvincing and made me feel that the first 90% of the movie suddenly became trash. I was confused with I finished it, then thought for a while while it gradually makes sense but still filled with tons of flaws. I really expected the director to clarify more on the ending.Secondly, I felt that the movie wasn't scary. There are some jump scares but it's just not scary. It's more suspense than it is scary. There are many scenes that could make it even scarier, but it didn't. However, I do like the cinematography, you can actually tell the difference comparing to other remakes, and The Uninvited stands out from the others.The acting was above-average. We got Emily Browning as the teenage girl who just got out from the mental hospital, Elizabeth Banks as the evil stepmother, Arielle Kebbel as the sister, and David Strathairn as the father. I especially like, Emily Browning who absolute suits the daughter and Elizabeth Banks. I really like how the two actresses interact with each other.The Uninvited is like those movies which stuck between the kick-ass movies and the suck-ass movies. It is definitely not as good as Insidious or Sinister, but is way better than the Grudge and One Missed Call. Since this is a remake, the Uninvited has lots of potential, but failed which turns it into a confusing movie. I am not saying that it is bad, I still find it quite enjoyable, but reviewing from the whole, the ending could have been way better.

I have not seen the original – A Tale of Two Sisters – I was unaware that this was a remake when I watched it so I am unable to create comparisons between the two. If I had known, I probably would have been put off the American Remake and not bothered watching it – as they do have a reputation for being poor.The main problem with this movie is that it lacks any sort of atmosphere, it fails to build suspense and when it does come to the boil it leaves you cringing rather than being spooked. A big problem is that everything is revealed too early on; this kills all chances of suspense being built. With everything being revealed, everything there is a bump or Anna walks into the shadows you know what is in there and what is going to jump out. Once you have seen it, it is no longer anything to fear. There are some obvious scenes where it is really trying to build up the atmosphere and scare you but it really doesn't work, it all feels a little too predictable and leaves you thinking 'I've seen this done a thousand times'. It feels more like a thriller than a horror, and a badly done thriller at that.The acting is a mixed bag: Emily Browning (who plays Anna) gives a great performance; she is believable and makes you feel connected to the character. Elizabeth Banks (Rachel) also puts in a credible performance. However Arielle Kebbel (Alex) is quite awful, she really brings down some of the scenes with her acting.Usually 84 minutes would be a little short for a feature film but in this case it probably did it some favours. I'm sure the my rating would have dropped if this had been dragged out with a 120 minute run-time.I won't ruin it for you but the end of the movie actually saved it from an even worse rating by myself. IMDb is full of people saying how predictable it was and how they saw it coming a mile off but I didn't expect it. I am curious to see the original now and I am sure I will get round to watching it at some time.5/10