Guest, The (2014) [Blu-ray]
Action | Mystery | Thriller
From the creators of You're Next comes The Guest, a pulse-pounding thriller starring Dan Stevens (Downtown Abbey) and Maika Monroe (Labor Day). Recently discharged from the Army, David Collins (Stevens) unexpectedly shows up on the Petersons' doorstep,
claiming to be their late son's best friend. Welcomed into their home, the well-mannered stranger becomes part of the family until a shocking wave of violence raises daughter Anna's (Monroe) suspicions that the mysterious ex-soldier is not quite what he
seems. Smart and suspenseful, The Guest is an action-packed blast that critics are calling "impossibly cool." (Samuel Zimmerman, Fangoria).
Storyline: A soldier introduces himself to the Peterson family, claiming to be a friend of their son who died in action. After the young man is welcomed into their home, a series of accidental deaths seem to be connected to his
presence.
Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Kenneth Brown, January 7, 2015 -- If you're not laughing within a few minutes of starting The Guest, pause, rewind and try, try again. Still not laughing? Either you don't get the joke or this
one isn't for you. Director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett's latest genre stew is a horror satire of the subtlest order, with Downton Abbey alum Dan Stevens deftly -- and maniacally -- answering the question Halloween and
Terminator junkies should have been asking for decades: what if Michael Myers or Arnie's T-800 looked like the wholesome, All-American marine next door? What if this unstoppable killing machine took up residence with an unsuspecting small-town
family and proceeded to wreak havoc? Granted, The Guest doesn't declare its intentions from the outset. It took me a good twenty minutes to realize the film wasn't a haphazardly constructed thriller but rather a slick, all too clever love letter to
the slasher and stalker films of the 1980s. Once that little realization was made, though, and a hop back to the beginning taken, Wingard and Barrett's You're Next follow-up suddenly became a whole new treat. Funny, subversive, deceptively refined
and legitimately creepy in all the right places, The Guest warrants serious genre honors.
Recently discharged from the Army, kindly, soft-spoken David Collins (Dan Stevens) unexpectedly shows up on the Petersons' doorstep with a message from their deceased son, a fellow soldier who asked Collins to deliver a parting message to each of his
family members. Invited to stay for several days in the Petersons' home, the well-mannered stranger becomes part of the family -- welcomed in by grieving mother Laura (Sheila Kelley), soon befriended by alcoholic father Spencer (Leland Orser), idolized by
young son Luke (Brendan Meyer) and slowly accepted by skeptical sister Anna (Maika Monroe) -- until a shocking wave of violence raises Anna's suspicions. Is the mysterious ex-soldier who he claims to be? Or is he something else entirely?
Stevens is a dead ringer for Captain America's Chris Evans, and the uncanny resemblance, paired with Stevens' aw-shucks apple-pie demeanor, works wonders. There are moments that you'll love David. Root for him. Cheer as he takes down bullies
harassing Luke. Grin when he helps Spencer score a promotion (however twisted his methods). Feel a little tug on the ol' heartstrings as he eases Laura's pain. Overlook his flaws when he dispatches low-lifes and criminals around town. If he was toting a
shield and wearing stars-n-stripes, you couldn't be blamed for wondering if Marvel had recast Nick Fury with The Wire's Lance Reddick. But any affection for David will never amount to a perfect love. In the recesses of your brain, you'll know
something isn't quite right with David. You won't want to believe it at first, but you'll be haunted by the feeling that beneath all those good intentions and noble acts, there's a monster masquerading as everyone's favorite boy scout. And when that mask
finally falls -- when The Shape, The Terminator, Jason Bourne Gone Mad, The Real David Collins comes out to play -- you won't really be all that surprised by the hell that breaks loose.
Driving the film is Stevens, who swaps humanlike faces with Tri-Klopsian effortlessness, playing different roles as comfortably and eerily as the genre's most unforgettable icons. If Stevens is Michael Myers and the T-800, Monroe -- smart, savvy, and just
the right blend of snarky and vulnerable -- is The Guest's Laurie Strode and Sarah Connor, the not-so-helpless heroine who eventually sees through her personal monster's façade; piecing together what the authority figures around her refuse to
believe. And if Monroe is Laurie and Sarah, Reddick -- tough as nails, hilariously clad in black leather, and happy to chew on as much fatty exposition as will earn a laugh -- is the film's Dr. Sam Loomis and Kyle Reese, the gun-toting would-be hero who
equips a young woman with the necessary information to survive otherwise impossible odds.
The rest of the cast is up to the task as well, and it's abundantly clear everyone is not only in on the joke, but eager to see each punchline pay off, whether they're a part of it or not. Meyer adds depth to what could have been a paper-thin archetype
(the empowered weak geek). Kelley is the straightest of the bunch, bringing dramatic heft that only electrifies each successive climactic beat. Orser is the first to reveal The Guest is to be taken as a comedy, and follows his first scene with
drink after drink after drink, collecting a chuckle for every empty beer bottle. And the character actors, the teen bullies, the drug dealers, the military thugs, the high school teachers and principals, are spot on, reveling in the increasing absurdity
of Barrett's shrewdly conceived, tongue-in-cheek script.
Unfortunately, if The Guest never strikes you as a satire, or doesn't earn the laughs it's aiming for, there's not much else to the film to enjoy (other than Stevens' performance). Taken as a thriller, the school gymnasium endgame will seem
ludicrous, tonally disjointed, and horribly out of place. Taken as a straight slasher film, the characters' various eccentricities will come off as the product of overacting or, worse, mediocre writing. Taken as a more traditional genre parody, a la
Hot Fuzz or Shaun of the Dead, the gags will simultaneously be too narrow and too broad to succeed. Like You're Next, The Guest may be too clever for its own good. If you get what Wingard and Barrett are going for, you'll have
a blast. If it doesn't click with your sensibilities, you'll come away wondering what all the fuss was about.
The Guest isn't for everyone. Some will find it hilariously. Others won't get the joke. Still others will understand exactly what Wingard and Barrett are going for, and simply not buy into the concept, humor or execution. The same could be said of
You're Next, the filmmakers' previous genre-subverting shake-up. For those who warm to Wingard and Barrett's dark comedy, though... you're in for a real treat. Fortunately, Universal's Blu-ray release isn't nearly as divisive. With an excellent
video presentation, strong DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, and a small but decent supplemental package (built on a terrific audio commentary), The Guest comes recommended.
[CSW] -2.3- I agree with this reviewer:
This film was a disappointment. It began with good intentions. It was believable and intriguing. David, "the guest" arrives at the home of a family still grieving over the loss of their son. David claims to be an ex-soldier friend of their
son, and soon he has been taken in as a guest, worming his way into the hearts of this family, save the skeptical twenty year old daughter, who doubts his story. We watch a masterful acting performance from Dan Stevens, who is winsome and heroic, but
reveals a dark side at critical moments. Then he turns. He buys a cache of guns and the killing spree begins--he becomes a heartless vicious unstoppable killing machine. In fact, so awesome is his killing power that the military sends a special SWAT team
to take him out--but this effort fails. We now learn that David is, in fact, a military experiment gone wrong; he is programmed to kill. Sadly, what could have been a good story, like Drive, or No Country for Old Men, becomes in a twisted way almost
comical, as the believability index drops to near zero, the acting deteriorates, and the film soars to exaggerated heights of schtick and spiel. And, not surprisingly, the villain survives for another film--"The Guest 2," perhaps? Clearly this film is
being sold to 18-25 year old audiences, unconcerned about such cinematic failings. But for the seasoned, dare I say older, viewer, the direction of this film is likely to leave you feeling unsatisfied and perhaps even insulted.
[V4.5-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box.
º º