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Uninvited (The)
R1 - America - Dreamworks Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (26th May 2009). |
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The Film
 These days almost every new horror film falls into one of two main categories: remake or sequel; and within the ‘remake’ category it’s always one of two options: a remake of a well-known American horror property, or a remake of an Asian horror film. In both examples the resulting film is almost always guaranteed to be a watered-down clone, but I’ve found that the Asian remakes fare far worse. Their horror films tend to be more psychological, a subtlety lost on the filmmakers remaking whichever title is up next on the chopping block. This nauseating trend began back in 2002 with Gore Verbinski’s “The Ring” (2002) and, with plenty of missing beats along the way, is still managing to keep churning out clunkers. “The Uninvited” (2009), itself a remake of South Korea’s highest-grossing horror film, “A Tale of Two Sisters” (2003), is just the latest in this subgenre’s string of disappointments. Anna (Emily Browning) has just been released from a mental hospital after a 10 month stay. After her mother (Maya Massar) died 10 months ago due to an accident she had a difficult time coping with the loss. She returns home to find her father, Steven (David Strathairn), has become romantically involved with her mother’s caretaker, Rachel (Elizabeth Banks). This greatly upsets Anna, as well as her older sister, Alex (Arielle Kebbel), and soon the two begin to suspect that Rachel may have played a role in their mother’s death. Anna has some scary visions of things to come, so she and Alex need to figure out what really happened before Rachel manages to kill them both. The plot for this film is hardly anything new; it’s a story we’ve seen a hundred times before in films. Truth be told, we have. Just as this film is s remake, so too was the original. “A Tale of Two Sisters” was inspired by a Joseon Dynasty folktale entitled, “Janghwa Hongreyon-jon”, a story which has apparently been adapted to film many times. However, it’s not the unoriginal plot that is much of a problem; simply put this movie is just not scary. At all. This should have been marketed as a mild thriller rather than a suspenseful horror film, as there is virtually nothing creepy here. I was at least hoping for some crazy scares, as the film does have a rich, dark atmosphere, but, alas, nothing much happens. There was one sort of creepy scene involving her dead mother’s corpse, but it hardly means much that it stood out at all. I’m a total sucker for haunting films, psychological or otherwise, but without the requisite frights there’s hardly any reason to even watch. The film’s lead, Emily Browning, gave a decent performance but it ultimately failed to do much to elevate the film. I think I was more annoyed by her character than anything. You see, one of my most hated plot devices in films, especially horror, is the use of daydreams. Anna spends so much time in and out of a dreamlike state that the device eventually started to overstay its welcome. I understand perfectly why these scenes are necessary, as the end of the film clearly illustrates, but they became so overused that I was getting frustrated. Elizabeth Banks, one of the most ubiquitous stars of the past year, plays Anna and Alex’s future stepmother, Rachel. Banks has been in so many films lately I’m having a hard time keeping up. She’s easy enough on the eyes, but I’ve never felt like she had much range. Her roles have been extremely varied, from horror: “The Uninvited” and “Slither” (2006), and comedy: “Zack & Miri Make a Porno” (2008) to drama: “W.” (2008), yet each performance seems so similar that I fear she’s ended up in that category of “actors who play themselves”. It’s not that I feel like she’s bad, I just don’t get much out of her acting. David Strathairn does the best he can with the material, but his role of father seems a little too distant and detached. I’m surprised he hasn’t been getting some more credible work after his phenomenal turn as Edward R. Murrow in “Good Night, and Good Luck” (2005), though it seems he’s more into keeping busy than cherrypicking his projects. Despite the weak role, he add a touch of gravitas to this film and that does somewhat assist in making the film tolerable. “The Uninvited” is the first feature-length film by the Guard Brothers (Charles and Thomas) from the UK. I’d like to say it’s a great start to their careers, but this film is so pedestrian in its direction that it borders on being a total bore. Apparently it must be very difficult to wring any level of tension out of a scary script because the two manage to dismally fail in that department. Gore Verbinski may have started this trend with “The Ring”, but at least he added a visual flair to his film that helped to make it unique; this film may as well have been directed by that of any other Asian remake. It’s too bad because this could have been an effective, chilling little spook story; but instead it ends up looking like it came off an assembly line. There is one area I will give the film credit in, however. The ending. I have to admit that, being a seasoned horror fan, I knew the fact they were pushing a red herring so hard in the film had to mean something else was amiss. The ending is what kept this film from being a total wash, as it does provide a twist I did not see coming. That isn’t to say it doesn’t leave some noticeable plot holes peppered throughout the film, but it does help to enhance the overall experience.
Video
Presented in widescreen 1.78:1 anamorphic, just as you might expect from a recent picture, "The Uninvited" looks about as good as it can in standard definition. Colors are bright, blacks are (mostly) solid and the image is slick and clean, just like every new teenage horror flick being pumped out today. The image is flat overall, with little depth, though this is likely a limitation of standard definition than the film itself. There is very little to no grain, even during nighttime scenes.
Audio
Audio is in English, French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 surround. The film’s English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound track is pretty lightweight. For a film that’s supposed to be creepy, you’d think there would be some ambient spooky sounds intended to chill the audience. Well, you’d be wrong. Though the track may be clean as a whistle, it is mostly lifeless when it comes to scares from your surrounds. Even the LFE track barely comes to life at any point. Considering sound design plays a major role in effective horror films, this one definitely missed the mark. Subtitles are available in English, French and Spanish.
Extras
Though it may not be feature-heavy, "The Uninvited" does get a few worthwhile bonus features. Included are a making-of featurette, deleted scenes, an alternate ending and, of course, bonus trailers. “Unlocking the Uninvited” is a featurette which runs for 19 minutes and 1 second. The principal cast and crew discuss what drew them to the original film, “A Tale of Two Sisters” (2003), how they approached remaking it for the U.S. audience and various other aspects of the film’s production including casting. Up next are 4 deleted scenes. They are all presented in anamorphic widescreen: - “Anna Arriving Home” runs for 1 minute and 19 seconds. Anna reacquaints herself with the house after being gone for so long. - “Girls at Dock” runs for 2 minutes and 22 seconds. The girls talk about their childhood down at the dock. - “Rachel Changes Anna’s Sheets” runs for 1 minute and 9 seconds. Rachel tries to help Anna, but they end up just arguing. - “Anna Packs Her Bags” runs for 48 seconds.. Anna wants to run away from home, but Alex stops her. An alternate ending, which runs for 52 seconds, is worse than the real ending. This was wisely cut. Finally, there are bonus trailers for the following: - “Star Trek” runs for 2 minutes and 13 seconds. - “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” runs for 2 minutes and 17 seconds. - “Van Wilder: Freshman Year” runs for 54 seconds.
Overall
I can’t recommend seeing this movie to anyone that isn’t a fan of most horror films made today. It brings nothing new to the table and it lacks any real suspense or even a tinge of terror...
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