M Night Shyamalan is one of the most contentious filmmakers working today. Once hailed as the next great auteur after The Sixth Sense, he became one of the most hated filmmakers with films like The Happening. After years of trying other genres (very poorly), Shyamalan is back to his psychological thriller/horror roots with The Visit.
The film finds siblings Rebecca (Olivia DeJonge) and Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) visiting grandparents they have never met. They soon discover things are ominously not what they seem.
Little should be divulged about the film as it works best watching oblivious. Shyamalan has stated a desire for a 'cinematic' experience, to be discovered/entertained in the dark of a cinema. The film works in that respect, being safe and entertaining with positive attributes. It exudes Shyamalan's strengths: atmosphere/mood, building tension/scares, character and (surprisingly) authentic comedy. In classic Shyamalan fashion, however, the script is so-so and lacks subtly and, by the end, tumbles, especially thanks to a jarring credits sequence that destroys much of the film's goodwill.
The main assets are cast, namely the two young Australian actors DeJonge and Oxenbould. Both create genuine performances, carrying the film with confidence and amazingly authentic American accents. The grandparents are also very solid.
The Visit is good cinema, the best Shyamalan film in many years, despite being nothing special and quickly forgettable.
