The Invitation is a slowly paced, carefully constructed psychological thriller. Will and his girlfriend are attending a dinner party at his old house, hosted by his ex-wife and her new husband. It's an understandably awkward situation for Will, whose eyes we, the audience, are watching the events through. As the film moves forward, the past is revealed and we come to understand why these characters are where they are. As this happens, questions about the present intentions of the characters become more predominant. As Will becomes more suspicious and paranoid, we do too. The subtle way in which this is done is absolutely brilliant.
There comes a point where The Invitation begins to elevate itself into a devastatingly effective and tragic character study. Instead, the filmmakers decided to give the film a more audience-friendly twist, lowering the final act to the level of a cliché horror show. It almost works, as in the moment it is very satisfying. However, what follows is so terribly executed, it undermines what had been such an intelligent, tense, thought-provoking, mysteriously eerie, paranoid-inducing thriller.
As disappointing as the final act is, the majority of The Invitation makes it worth watching. But, with a warning. The Invitation is to psychological thrillers what Danny Boyle's Sunshine is to science-fiction.
There comes a point where The Invitation begins to elevate itself into a devastatingly effective and tragic character study. Instead, the filmmakers decided to give the film a more audience-friendly twist, lowering the final act to the level of a cliché horror show. It almost works, as in the moment it is very satisfying. However, what follows is so terribly executed, it undermines what had been such an intelligent, tense, thought-provoking, mysteriously eerie, paranoid-inducing thriller.
As disappointing as the final act is, the majority of The Invitation makes it worth watching. But, with a warning. The Invitation is to psychological thrillers what Danny Boyle's Sunshine is to science-fiction.
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