DVD Review: The Uninvited
Written by: Dominick at 8:52 pm
Filed under: Horror,Movies,Thriller
Movie Info:
Writers: Craig Rosenberg, Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard
Directors: Charles Guard, Thomas Guard
Cast: Emily Browning, Arielle Kebbel, David Strathairn, Elizabeth Banks, Maya Massar, Kevin McNulty, Jesse Moss, Dean Paul Gibson
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Dreamworks
Release Info:
Theatrical Release: January 30, 2009
DVD Release Date: April 28, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $17.99
From the very first previews I saw for The Uninvited I knew that I wanted to see it. The movie looked like one of those thrillers you just had to see. I love thriller and horror movies. The movie is an American remake of a 2003 Korean film called A Tale of Two Sisters. Usually, I’m not interested in American remakes of Asian horror, but the previews sucked me in and I knew I had to at least give The Uninvited a chance.
The Uninvited has minor differences from the film on which it is based. That film is based on an Asian story, which is only similar in partial details to either movie. I had heard A Tale of Two Sisters, was good, and if it is better than The Uninvited like many people claim, then I’d love to see it. The Univited was actually pretty good. The acting is what makes the movie, but the plot and its twists are what kept me sitting through it until the end.
I have heard people say they knew the twist before the movie is over. Both Ash & I pride ourselves on being rather clever people. There was more than one twist in this movie, and we didn’t see any of them coming. What’s more is the fact that we don’t go looking for them. Sure, as a reviewer its my job to analyze the movie’s I watch, but it is also my job to try and sit back and enjoy each movie. That’s what we did and we did enjoy The Uninvited.
I’ve liked Emily Browning in the few things I’ve seen her in, in the past…Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events…Ghost Ship. I hadn’t really thought about her since I saw her in Lemony Snicket. What I’ve realized after watching The Uninvited is that she’s a really talented young actress. I’d never seen Arielle Kebbel in anything, but she’s a very beautiful girl and had nice chemistry with Emily. Her acting is good, as well. Those two carried most of the movie. They had to, due to the nature of the characters, and they succeeded in doing so.
David Strathairn is a standout actor. I love him in everything he’s been in, from Bourne to A League of Their Own. He made an interesting combination with Elizabeth Banks, who I’ve liked as an actress, but haven’t always been fond of her choice in movie roles (Amityville anyone?). Still, I think she has talent. This was a nice role for her and her part in this film made all the difference.
When I think of The Uninvited, though marketed in the horror genre, I think of the movie more as a thriller film. There are some pretty intense scenes and they weren’t as easy to figure out unless you went into this movie having some idea of what to expect, which I didn’t. I can’t see how people can say they expected the twists, because they do come out of nowhere and you really have to watch the movie again to pick up any subtle nuances (or hints) that were missed the first time around. Personally, I think some people just want a reason to complain about everything.
The Uninvited Plot
Anna Ivers (Emily Browning) is at a party with her boyfriend, Matt (Jesse Moss). The teenagers are making out on the beach when Matt implies that they can have sex because he has a condom. Anna runs away from the party and Matt, as her sister Alex (Arielle Kebbel) tries to stop her. Anna is running through the woods to her secluded home. Along the way, she finds three garbage bags, all of them white. when she opens one, a dead girl, a redhead, falls out.
Anna is frightened, as the dead girl speaks. Anna continues on her path home, running in fear. As she arrives, she hears the bell ringing. It’s the bell her mother rings when she needs help. Her mother is terminally ill and chose to go out in the boathouse to stay, probably so she could see the lake. Anna is upset because this means her mother has been left alone. When Anna leaves the boathouse, it explodes and Anna snaps out of it.
She is telling her psychiatrist about a persistent dream she keeps having. Anna has been in the hospital almost a year since her mother has died. After giving her some advice, her shrink lets her go home to the care of her father.
As Anna packs, a menacing young woman starts harassing her and as Anna leaves, she asks her who she’ll tell her stories to. Anna is taken home, not thrilled that her father has married Rachel (Elizabeth Banks), her mom’s former nurse. At home, Anna is reunited with her sister, Alex. Alex is mad Anna never responded to her letters, but Anna never got any. Alex blames it on their father, who she confronts on the issue.
The following day, Anna and Matt meet again when he is delivering groceries. Matt tells Anna he knows the truth about what happened the night of the fire. Rachel interrupts him before he can tell Anna and Rachel tells Matt she won’t be needing his services anymore. This gets Anna to thinking about the ‘accident.’ Was it really an accident after all?
Rachel is very cryptic about her past as a nurse. Anna also keeps having nightmares, seeing her dead mother and dead children, one of them the redhead from the bag. Only Alex is willing to comfort and sooth Anna. She is her only ally as their father blames everything on Anna and Rachel can do no wrong. The more their father resists the truth, the worse things get.
Something from Rachel’s past, which is terrible comes back to haunt Anna and their father becomes even more loyal as Rachel tries to turn the tables, insisting that Anna is a very sick girl, in order to get Anna’s father to sympathize with her. In the end, it will be up to Anna and Alex to take on Rachel or die trying.
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
The visual quality for The Uninvited is pretty good. Presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen the visuals are beautiful with few (if any) visual errors such as compression, dirt, grit or grain. The area where this movie was shot is gorgeous and Dreamworks takes advantage of that. A strong color palate with solid black levels and a clear, yet occasionally soft picture provide a decent film when it comes to the visuals.
The sound is also good with a default, English language track in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround. This movie is reliant on sound quite a bit. The sound effects are dynamic and fleshed out through the speakers. The music is also dynamic and the dialogue is always crisp and clear with no need for volume toggling. There are two additional Dolby 5.1 tracks in French and Spanish. The English track features Closed Captioning for the hearing impaired. Additionally, there are subtitles in English, Spanish and French.
Visual:
Audio:
Bonus Features:
The Uninvited has virtually no special features for a new movie. Most movies these days will treat fans to a commentary at least, but that isn’t the case here. What is available is a brief making of, an alternative ending, and some deleted scenes. The deleted scenes and alternative ending are nothing too amazing. Most deleted scenes are deleted for a reason. These don’t add too much to the table, but fans will want to watch them at least once. When it comes to the ending, they chose the right one to add to the movie. The second one was definitely my least favorite.
“Unlocking The Uninvited” is the making of featurette. It’s not as bad as it is mundane. As a fan of the movie, I didn’t learn anything particularly interesting about the making of the film. I prefer more intensive featurettes and this one was just very superficial. Though one or two moments held promise, they barely scratched the surface on what they could have done to make this a better offer.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
The Uninvited is an engaging thriller movie with an excellent cast, all of whom put in great performances. If you aren’t fond of the thriller-based horror genre then this is one movie you’ll probably want to skip. Otherwise, try renting this one first just to make sure its your cup of tea. If you already know you’re going to like it, you might as well pick the DVD up. The quality is good and while the DVD seems to have only okay bonus features the movie makes up for that tenfold.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: The Uninvited, DVD, Review, Horror, Thriller, Movie, Emily Browning, David Strathairn, Elizabeth Banks
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Written by Dominick - Visit Website
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Dominick Evans is in his late 20's. He spends his days working as a full time writer/editor and a part time musician/composer. His passions in life include music, directing films, watching movies, reading books, watching sports, wheelchair football, politics and spending time with his family (fiancée Ashtyn, son Robert, and shih-tzu Oliver). Other interests include being an advocate for the disability and GLBT communities.
