Movie: The Guest

"The Guest" is a somewhat violent 80's style a psychological-action thriller.

A mysterious former soldier who appears at the house of the grieving Peterson family as a consoling combat-mate of their dead son.

Director:  Adam Wingard  Writer:  Simon Barrett (The two also teamed up for the horror-thriller “You're Next” in 2011.)

Stars:  Dan Stevens (best known for playing  Matthew Crawley in the TV Series Downton Abby), Sheila Kelley (known for playing Carol Rhodes in the TV Series “Gossip Girl”), Maika Monroe and Brendan Meyer.

The Good

1. British actor Dan Stevens with his rock-hard abs and old-fashioned congeniality is especially good in his role. Sometimes when a movie has a really-really good character, people will say the movie is worth watching just to see that character. This is one of those movies.

2. The movie is paced nicely - a combination of expected and unexpected twist and turns right up until the end is complemented by a good music score.

3. In a small amount of time there is a lot of good character development- (this primarily because of good acting). Other than Stevens, the two siblings performances stand out- Luke (Brendan Meyer) and Anna (Maika Monroe).

4. A subtle political message to think about-

A.A. Dowd reviewing at the web site the “AV Club” writes: " For a few fleeting moments, the film appears to be taking aim at a worthy target—the way the American people silently condone savage military aggression when it suits their best interests."

(The Guest expertly blends everything from The Terminator to Halloween to Drive, By A.A. Dowd  Sep 16, 2014

http://www.avclub.com/review/guest-expertly-blends-everything-terminator-hallow-209230

6.  Film has noticeable similarities to films by James Cameron and John Carpenter. So if you're fans of those directors, you should like this film.

The Bad

1. The characters in the main plot are well developed but the second major subplot is

underdeveloped, as are the characters involved in that plot strand. This underdevelopment causes the secondary plot to be a bit confusing.

2. Category confusion. This could be a positive or a negative. The movie incorporates thriller and horror (though not extreme horror). Some reviewers felt that this `cross-over' - doesn't work.

Mick LaSalle at the the San Francisco Gate writes: "Yet as the crimes escalate, “The Guest” becomes less effective. It loses its tentative toehold in reality and becomes the equivalent of a monster movie."  

Movie review: The one guest you shouldn’t let in

By Mick LaSalle Updated 10:00 am, Thursday, October 9, 2014 http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Movie-review-The-one-guest-you-shouldn-t-let-in-5810748.php.

3. At the end you may not know what’s what.

Verdict-

Worthwhile watch if you like twisted somewhat violent thrillers.



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