(2013-06-18 11:45:49)

READ ME FIRST

DON'T READ ANY OTHER REVIEWS as it may ruin the movie for you. This is a 5 star suspense/drama/horror/mystery. Just go watch it. Knowing about the movie will simply ruin the ending. Trust me. Just watch it, don't even read the box.

(2013-06-18 00:18:55)

AWESOME!!!...just so AMAZING!

This review is from: The Uninvited (DVD) this movie has such a creepy, cool twist to it....even though i got confused if you dont pay close attention, it was still good! :)

DonFishies

(2013-06-17 19:44:15)

Better than expected, but far too content at being above average

After being cleared for release from a mental hospital, Anna (EmilyBrowning) returns home to her writer father Steven (David Strathairn)and sister Alex (Arielle Kebbel). In her absence, Emily's father hasgrown closer to her late mother's former caretaker Rachel (ElizabethBanks). Anna is continually hallucinating and seeing her dead mother,insisting that her death was not an accident and that Rachel hadsomething to do with it. With this in mind, she sets out with Alex toprove Rachel is not everything she seems.I did not expect much from The Uninvited, but surprisingly, I receiveda lot more than I expected.Despite being an American remake of the Korean film A Tale of TwoSisters, The Uninvited does enough to make it stand out on its own. Inever saw the original film, but I imagine it looked different thanthis film does. It is dark and atmospheric from the very beginning, andcontinues on the same wavelength to the very end of the film. Itfrequently blends horror with psychological terror, developing a moviethat could have easily been a throwaway scare-flick for pre-teens toscream through, but ends up being a fairly accomplished film. This isnot a film anywhere near the quality of the greatness found in thelikes of The Silence of the Lambs, but it is a film that was not justscraped out for a profit.The story itself, as twisty and loopy as it gets, is fairly well done.Although I was not too interested at the beginning, the film draws youin rather tightly, revealing itself quite nicely over its short87-minute running time. Yes, there are plenty of predictable momentslaced throughout the film, but there are a few moments of genuinesurprise as well. The film never makes the claim that it is trying tobe original, but it does a unique enough job that you can only seeshades of what has come before (as opposed to a standard Americanhorror film basically spelling out exactly what it is ripping off, orhomaging sort to speak). Even with the cheap scares around everycorner, it still managed to make me jump back more than once.What does not make sense however, is how some things are explicitlystated while others are briefly alluded to. A lot of what happens isfairly obvious for even the least astute of audiences, yet the filmdumbs itself down more than once to fit the conventions of 2000-eraPG-13 horror. When something ambiguous comes up, it is either explainedin-depth, or done away with entirely. A rather crucial characterelement of Anna's is revealed very close to the beginning of the film,but is never explored in any capacity. We understand her motivationsand what drives her quest for the truth, but there are a few backgrounddetails that even after the film concludes, still left me a bitbaffled. Why explain some things that are obvious, but not bothertouching on ones that are not? Despite not having starred in a lot of things, Browning is quite goodin her role as Anna. Struggling throughout the film with mental anguishand hallucinations, Browning makes this young teenage characterconvincing in a way only someone so young could do. She is not perfectin the role, but you can see the desperation and heartbreak in her faceand her actions. This is an actress who becomes her role, and neverfalters out of it. She carries the film from beginning to end, andnever looks the worst for it. She is a young actress I hope to continueto see more of, especially in higher fare.Kebbel, while not as powerful as Browning, commands when she ison-screen. She works beautifully off of Browning, and makes theirrelationship clear and pure from their first moment together. Theirchemistry makes the film as surprising as it is. It easily could havebeen something that was clouded over, or underplayed. But thefilmmakers use every opportunity to stress the strength of therelationship of the two sisters, and their willingness to go thedistance for each other. Some moments are just heartbreaking, seeingthe lengths they are willing to go, but Kebbel keeps herself in checkat all times, and gives a great performance.Strathairn, despite the Oscar-nomination for Good Night, and GoodLuck., seems to have fallen on being the wise older character in everymovie since, and gives the same old performance here. He is good asalways, but seems more mellowed down than he should be. Banks on theother hand, is completely out of her comfort zone, and her performanceis an obvious reflection. In some scenes, she is downright terrifyingas the evil potential stepmother, and in others, she is laughably bad.There is no middle ground, and no one seems to have been able tosuggest any consistency tips for her. While she gives a decentperformance anyway, it could have been stronger with a more confidentactress.But what the film is guilty of is its lack of reinvention. It is aunique piece of horror for 2009, but the film never strives to beanything bigger or better. It lacks the motivations to really makesomething of itself, and never even tries to be something better thanit could be. The Uninvited really surprised me for how good it actuallywas, but surprised me more in how easily it could have been evenbetter. A lean running time, a great pair of young actresses, and somedecent supporting acting could have made this small picture quite thenotorious horror flick. But instead, it seems content just being anabove average run-of-the-mill psychological thriller.7/10.(Portions of this review originally appeared onhttp://www.dvdfanatic.com).

J_Trex

(2013-06-17 01:24:16)

Clever Psycho-Drama

This was a pretty good fright flick. It kept the viewer engaged rightup to the ending and while it seemed somewhat formulaic in terms ofplot development and things that go bump in the night, it had plenty ofscary moments and more than served its purpose, which was a few hoursof entertainment.Most of the movie deals with the relationship of sisters Anna and Alexwith Rachel, the girlfriend of their father. Anna thinks Rachelmurdered their late mother and possibly was behind some earlierunsolved murders. However, Anna was recently released from a mentalinstitution and has some emotional issues that raises more suspicionsabout her than about Rachel. On the other hand, Rachel has somequestionable aspects about her past that don't seem quite right. Thisguessing game continues until the dramatic ending.The screenplay was very good, the cinematography captured the rockycoastline of Maine nicely, and the film was helped by good performancesfrom Elizabeth Banks as Rachel, David Strathairn as the father, andEmily Browning as Anna.This was a good horror movie well worth checking out.

gigan-92

(2013-06-13 18:02:55)

What A Waste of $4.50!!!!

Ugh. What has happened to the horror genre? "The Uninvited" looked likeit might deliver and there for I saw it. Crap, what a waste of $4.50! Iwish I could have that money back right about now. I was expecting athriller that would me keep me guessing, maybe surprise me and ofcourse scare me just a little at least. I was let down. We get a not sosuspenseful 'thriller/horror' that to be honest didn't scare me onelittle bit. Seriously. The performances are pathetic in my opinion andby half way through this flick I have already lost interest sad to say.There is some comic relief, one scene, including a vibrator (why wouldshe hold another woman's probably used several times vibrator?), whichdoesn't fit in. The vibrator was probably employed to wake up theaudience members who, like me, we're falling asleep half –way through.Sorry, didn't work. The ending is what some people find so enjoyableabout this flick, but I find it confusing as hell. So the girl ismental and she was imagining the entire story ( but killed her dad'snew wife in the process)...but the serial killer is right across fromher in her asylum room? WTF?! So..what the hell? I am still confusedbut find no interest in looking this film up more than I have to. Ijust wanted to warn you all before you waste your money likeunfortunate me :(

(2013-06-13 08:32:16)

This was a fun movie!!!

This review is from: The Uninvited (Amazon Instant Video) I would say: watch this! It is worth the money. It is entertaining. The acting is decent. It is suspenseful. And the ending is really way out there!

(2013-06-08 19:19:26)

Another remake goes nowhere

As soon as I saw this title and the ads, something told me that this HAD to be a korean remake. Let's face it. That's all we see these days at the multi-plex. If not a Korean remake, then a sequel to a long-ago classic--like Terminator, Halloween, Star Trek, Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Today's Hollywood has no idea on how to make an original thriller--so they give us junk like this. Sure enough, I did discover that this movie was a korean remake and I wonder if there are any more horror films made by Koreans to feed the zestful appetite of HOllywood? In this movie, there's nothing remotely horrible. You have vapid performers who are not very attractive and they always end up doing stupid things. I wish we could get a mature, talented actress--like Naomi Watts who made a remake of "The Ring"--in the main role. this movie appears geared for the teeney-bopper crowd because most of the main characters are all teenagers.Let's hope that one day, we'll get an original, brilliant horror original again--like in those olden days when we were treated to gems like The thing, Psycho, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Alien, etc. Let's not hold our breath.

(2013-06-08 12:33:58)

This was a fun movie!!!

This review is from: THE UNINVITED (Amazon Instant Video) I would say: watch this! It is worth the money. It is entertaining. The acting is decent. It is suspenseful. And the ending is really way out there!

(2013-06-08 02:43:17)

loved it

way better than your standard horror fair. the cinematography is amazing and the cast is effective. a creepy psychological horror film.

(2013-06-07 18:10:35)

Better than I expected

As someone who absolutely loves the original Korean film "A Tale of Two Sisters," I was initially really disappointed when I saw the trailer for this film; it looked as if the best stuff from the original had been stuck into a completely different and subpar story (the movie's changed name and the cliched ghost children didn't help either).Well, good news: the film itself is much more like the original than the trailer suggests. A few things have been changed; mainly some of the more confusing aspects of the story have been streamlined to make the film easier to follow (not a bad thing). I didn't think the major twist was as surprising as it was in "Sisters," but that could have just been because I already knew it was coming. The film is well-directed, has a beautiful look to it, and the cast/acting is much stronger than in most horror films.While not quite on the level of "A Tale of Two Sisters," "The Uninvited" is a smart, well-made and very creepy horror film that is absolutely worth seeing.

Seda Aydin

(2013-06-07 08:32:03)

Emily Browning Makes Us Believe

First I have to say that I'm a horror movie addict. I mean I'm one ofthose people who says 'you call that a scary movie, blah!' most of thetime. It has been a really long time since a movie made me jump from myseat. Seriously. When you are watching the movie, some people may havedifferent choices or some people like me directly will believe in Annaand put the blame on the 'new girlfriend' right away. It's really hardto guess what is really going on. I have to say I was really satisfiedwith Emily Browning's acting. Although she is British she has a greatAmerican accent and you really can't understand the difference. Thismovie is really worth your time. And you will wanna watch it againafter you see the ending.

(2013-06-06 15:40:29)

Great product!

This review is from: The Uninvited (DVD) Delivery was very fast. The item was in great condition.. plays well such a great movie! Im glad i was able to find it at such a good deal thru Amazon!

(2013-06-03 23:47:54)

Unexpected surprises

This review is from: The Uninvited (DVD) If you haven't seen the former version of this movie, you'll have nothing to compare it to as I didn't. Which is why I thought it was so good. It starts out scary....gets a little boring with the thought of 'it's an obvious ending'. Then completely wakes you up, to the point where you want to rewind it to see if you saw it correctly. After seeing it once, it has to be seen again. I can't wait to buy it.

Keith Ryan

(2013-06-03 19:36:30)

thought-provoking and enjoyable for horror fans

this would be one of the best produced horror films, in my opinion,with very well timed twists and turns that help to increase theaudience tension and intrigue. thought the story is not an uncommonone, it is however put together with clues and twists that are similarto the ring as well as good sound choices to help accentuate the flowof the story.the one thing that was unfortunate leading up to the movie release wasthe way the trailer was produced to help draw people to see it. theposters for it were a more effective method for advertising it sincethe trailer was too much of what is in it (less is more rule was neededbadly to help draw more to see it).

oneguyrambling

(2013-05-25 09:38:24)

This ain't your 40 Year Old Virgin's Elizabeth Banks!

The Uninvited would be an apt title for any number of US remakes offoreign language films, and even 20 odd recent American horror filmsfor that matter.Other proposals for you: - The Unnecessary - The Uninspired Ideas - TheUnderwhelming - The Uninteresting - The Unbelievably BadYet the hits keep coming, here we have a remake of the Korean movie "ATale Of Two Sisters", which was an effective little chiller that I sawa few years back. So I was admittedly sceptical - but by no meanssurprised - when Hollywood in its infinite wisdom said they wereremaking the film, but after months of bypassing it on the shelf theother night I thought "why not?".A few initial thoughts - How did the Dad read the Anna's lips from 40m through a window? Icouldn't read her lips and I was watching a close up of her face! - If"something bad" is in your room why would you turn your back to itdeliberately? - It's refreshing to see actors playing adolescents whoappear adolescent. - Is it still considered a spoiler if I say that the(re)makers didn't deviate much from the original? - What the hell didthe poster have to do with the film? - I'm not angry at myself forwatching it, but I'll hardly be recommending it on again to anyone. -This is not the worst remake I've seen, but that's as glowing anaccolade as I can come up with.Now the review.It's worth mentioning again for some perspective: The original was madein Korea by Korean film-makers, this is a US made remake.The plot: Anna returns to the family home from the loony bin (mentalhospital) after witnessing the death of her invalid mother in a massivefire that engulfed the "granny flat" that she lived in. Anna's motherrequired care from a live-in nanny, who since the incident has movedinto the primary residence with Anna's father. The Dad is played byDavid Strathairn, who is good but has little to do but look troubledand confused, the nanny is Elizabeth Banks who has been in almost everyMA rated comedy in the last couple of years and is usually quitelikable in her films. Aussie Emily Browning plays Anna and her sisteris played by the cool-ly named Arielle Kebbell.Shortly after returning home Anna is lead to believe that her Mother'sdeath was no accident. The rest of the movie is concerned with herinvestigations into this. That's it for plot. The remake is well acted,pretty well made and looks good, it's just uninspired and seems tosimply go through the motions. Most of the scares are derived fromflashbacks and visions and usually have a payoff which is generally acheap shock.There are so many visions in fact that I was reminded of "TheSimpsons", the show that has no peer when it comes to hallucinationsand dream sequences, ("Flintstones chewable morphine", "Homer lovesMindy", "I call the big one Bitey").One annoying throw in was the (supposedly clever) inclusion of ared-herring third party, and the closing sequences apparently wrap upthe loophole. The fact is that the red herring makes no sense when youthink about it, and unfortunately most of the visions that occurthrough the first hour of the film revolve around it, rendering themvoid. It is a bit of a middle finger to the audience when you go alongwith film-makers and then realise that none of it makes sense.As this is the US approximation of the original don't expect any slowbuild, or any long quiet sequences to build mood and set tone, this isloud bits and "jump out of nowhere" scares all the way. The climax isoverdone, loud and blustery, there are parallels to another famousmovie of the 90′s that I won't name for fear of giving plot points away(I'm not saying it's a rip but they don't bring anything new to thetable).Final Rating – 6.5 / 10. Turn your brain off and it's an OK slumberparty flick, but that doesn't give an endorsement to those of us thataren't teenage girls! (This ain't your 40 Year Old Virgin ElizabethBanks.)If you liked this (or even if you didn't) try oneguyrambling.com

(2013-05-24 15:36:59)

"Poor little Anna... you're not gonna ruin this for me."

This was a great movie! I wish they renamed the title of A Tale of Two Sisters. Because it did remind me of that movie while I was watching it. I love Emily Browning in this movie! She is my favorite actress. I would love to meet her one day. What I liked about this movie was that it did have some differences from A Tale of Two Sisters. The only difference was that there was no dinner scene. If you saw A Tale of Two Sisters, then you know what I'm talking about. This movie was great! I loved it!

chaos-rampant

(2013-05-24 11:24:28)

TV dinner

Some movies you just know are not going to complete your soul. Youwatch them because it's a social circumstance - because you are nevergoing to convince your group of friends to watch a Wojciech Has - orare just looking to get some images before your eyes that don't demandyou work with them but passively absorb. It was only after coming herethat I read this was supposed to be a remake of the Tale of TwoSisters; dumbed down is right, it's the marketable, prefab versionsmoothed out for our precarious amusement.I am not a fan of the Ji-Woon film, but whereas that was frightfullycomplex, this is comfortably simple; you can recommend it to your groupof friends, co-workers, family, and be sure it's going to be theblandest choice every time. Oh, there is the eventual twist, as is the vogue of the times, meant toopen up a chasm of depths beneath our feet. It does no such thing ofcourse. A writer must be shamefully unhinged to write something likethat down post-Sixth Sense. Elizabeth Banks is horrible as the menacingstep-mother, the two teenage girls prance around like it's a Twilightaudition.

Robert W.

(2013-05-24 00:11:27)

Surprising!! An intelligent mainstream thriller that actually will leave you pleased

Ultimately my expectations for The Uninvited were mediocre. It lookedinteresting, part ghost story, part thriller but I assumed it would berather run of the mill, typical in most ways which would make itentertaining but not spectacular. In many ways I couldn't have beenmore wrong because the film actually is a step above the typical teenthriller types like Disturbia or something of the like. The Uninvitedis actually very smart, well written, well acted and will keep youglued to the story from beginning to end. Yes in some ways it ispredictable but the clever blend of the supernatural with a mysterythriller makes it different enough to stand out amongst similar titles.The film has a dark foreboding look to it and the main charactersformer mental issues give the concept a bit of a plot twist as well asshe struggles to make her loved ones believe. One of the things thatperhaps made it a step or two above the rest of films like this in thegenre is that the cast all really seem to give it their all. No oneacts like this is a bad movie and everyone gives performance you canactually follow and enjoy. And unlike many films out there the twist atthe end truly does leave you hanging and will shock you.Quirky and strong young actress Emily Browning headlines the cast asemotionally disturbed Anna. Browning gives a terrific and solidperformance. Having best been known probably for her role in LemonySnicket (at least to me) this is a great role for her that could bringher more into the adult world of acting. She carries the filmflawlessly and shows real strength. Arielle Kebbel plays Browning'sstubborn sister. Kebbel is a nice balance to Browning's character andthe two of them truly have a sister like chemistry. Watching themunravel the mystery is fun and easy and intense at the same time. Boththese girls have promising careers ahead of them I am sure of it andwhile this film doesn't prove that, it doesn't hurt it either. One ofmy all time favorite character actors, Oscar nominated David Strathairnplays their father. He is terrific as always. He has a certainintensity and believability to every role he plays. His chemistry withthe cast is perfect and he just has a class to himself as a characteractor. Elizabeth Banks is the new girlfriend and former Nurse to theirmother. As it turns out Banks has the perfect face to play a psycho.That proves some versatility but certainly she quickly becomes thevillain and has incredibly chemistry with Browning that makes the paceof the film just perfect.The Guard brothers are relatively new to the big screen. Clearly theywere able to put together a terrific cast and direct them to a solidstory. Perhaps its just that The Uninvited exceeded meager expectationsbut regardless the story and the characters are interesting and itseasily worth seeing for anyone who enjoys mystery, thriller, horror,with a tough of drama. If you just want something very entertaining andfun to watch and most importantly it leaves you satisfied. So many ofthis type of film can leave gaping plot holes, and have an ending thatleaves you confused or really disappointed but even the twist at theend, while its not a mind blowing shock, it still works really well. Ithink anyone watching The Uninvited will be truly pleasantly surprised.Well worth checking out! 8.5/10

(2013-05-23 11:39:42)

CLEVER SHOCKER THAT WILL SURPRISE YOU!

'The Uninvited' starts out like so many other stories of this nature and makes you feel very comfortable. I think that is part of its cleverness to let your guard down and think you know what to expect. There are many scenes where you know what's coming, but still made me jump! The acting is very good for this type of film and I have to admit I was surprised at the ending. The film has a few good shocks, creepy images, brisk pacing and the last quarter of the film completely validates the clichГѓВ©'s that plague the rest of the film. 'The Uninvited' is a very good shocker with a few great surprises!

(2013-05-23 06:50:33)

Uninvited

I thought this movie was really good. Not scary but all around suspenseful. It has some twist and turns and a very surprising ending. It maybe predictable toy you if you have seen the original Tale of Two sisters as this is a remke of it. I never saw the original so it was very surprising to me and kept me on the edge of my seat.