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The Visit (2015), PG-13, ★★★

Watch out for you grandparents! 
No wonder many people are finding very little images of this film because it seems that M. Night Shyamalan, the director, is returning to his roots of minimized horror but with a modern take of storytelling. We all that experience of a certain occasion of visiting grandparents for a weekend or staying with them for a weekend. As little children, sometimes, they can be viewed as very loving caretakers. But, what happens if their personalities are deceiving? Something is in the air. Now, Shyamalan has made some turds, including the baffling and decrepit Last Airbender movie, the stupid movie called The Happening, and a boring movie with plot holes called After Earth. This is a movie that has an intriguing but hollow premise and even though there are scares and humorous and occasional moments, I liked for what it is: A humorous take during a week with the grandparents.

Becca and Tyler (Olivia DeJonge) and Ed Oxenbould) are siblings preparing for a week-long stay with their grandparents, John and Doris (Peter McRobbie and Deanna Dunagan) while her mother (Kathryn Hahn) and her boyfriend go off on a cruise. The two kids have never met their grandparents because of an argument and falling out that their mother and her parents had 15 years ago when her mother was initially married to her father. Both kids have an idea to film their visit documentary-style.

After Becca and Tyler get acquainted with their grandparents at the train station, they go to their isolated farmhouse. They are instructed to never go down the basement as it is infected with toxic mold. However, that night, they go to bed at 9:30 p.m. and as Becca goes downstairs, she discovers Doris vomiting. John tells her that she has the case of the stomach flu. John tells her that she and Tyler cannot leave their rooms after curfew. Over the next few days, they exhibit more aggressive and strange behavior from them and it gets a bit complicated as to how the kids will handle the situation.


Well, I cannot reveal much about the movie because it is M. Night Shyamalan. Nevertheless, it is not as belittling and ridiculous of a twist than I though, however, it's fine for a genre with thrills and laughs blended a bit ridiculously and satisfyingly. A few certain scenes is sort of a build-up to that predictable twist that awaits us and the movie does suffer a little bit as it lingers too much on the cheesy dialogue but makes us laugh or chuckle a bit. The actors do a good job portraying the "normal" life of a week between grandparents and grandchildren. Kathryn Hahn is sort of wasted in this film.

M. Night Shyamalan's latest movie is a redeeming film back to his roots of creating a smaller-scale horror film, but it's not all that intelligent. I'd say that this is a start to coming back to his form of making chilling thrillers. It does not get him off my "Worst Directors" list yet as I will expect another to fully appreciate his storytelling and direction, but, the screenplay does need some work. This is a well-staged thriller with a humorous tone and we accept it. I liked it for that reason alone. You did it, Mr. Shayamalan, you have improved.

***

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