The Invitation

Rating:
Summary: Death might be a better option.
Review: I guess that I realized it in the very beginning of the movie. When Lance Henriksen is the star and there are no other recognizable names or faces, maybe that is a cue that you might want to see something else. As a mystery, it does not work because what is going on becomes painfully clear pretty early in the movie. I do not feel that it is fair to blame the actors, who incidentally do not distinguish themselves. But, who could make something out of this simplistic yet muddled mess? It would have been somewhat interesting if we could make some sense of each character's epiphanies, but they are so garbled and unclear that there is never any payoff. And, on top of that, the ending (I shall not give it away) was contrived and trite. An almost complete disappointment.

Rating:
Summary: Be Patient and LISTEN CLOSELY
Review: I thought that this was going to be some low-budget horror or thriller. It was FAR from it!This movie is MIND-BLOWINGLY BEAUTIFUL! The message that this story brought me, along with the choice of music used,the beautiful settings, the soft intensity of Lance's character, Roland, brought me to my knees. In my opinion, it was INCREDIBLY moving, beautiful,humbling,enlightening. The method of making all the characters realize it, may seen sort of macabre or questionable, but STICK WITH IT, Be patient and LISTEN closely to Roland's 'gift' he's trying to impart to them. To US ALL.
I've just finished watching it. I'm off now to watch it again.

Rating:
Summary: Oh God, my eyes are bleeding
Review: Never have I been complelled to write a review, but I must warn my compatriots to stay away from this movie. What a monumental waste of time. Terrible acting with an even worse script, this movie ranks on my top 5 worst movies of all time.

Rating:
Summary: Predictable
Review: Spoiler Alert if you hate spoilers, don't bother to read any further.
This movie was OK. It wasn't all that good, but it wasn't terrible either. It was predictable. Throughout the film, I kept thinking "there is no way this guy would bring his friends to the island and then poison them. Just no way. I bet he's given them something that mimics death, and they'll wake up and realize they've had a mind-blowing trip with insights into their lives". Yep, sure enough, that's what happens. "Even then, I kept thinking, "he (Roland, Lance Henriksen's character) must be dying. How else would he not be worrying about MASSIVE lawsuits?". Sure enough, he dies in the last scene, or at least is dying. I watched it and don't hate it, it had some good scenes and I did sniffle a bit, but I don't particularly like it either. Watch it on cable like I did.

Rating:
Summary: Predictable
Review: Spoiler Alert if you hate spoilers, don't bother to read any further.
This movie was OK. It wasn't all that good, but it wasn't terrible either. It was predictable. Throughout the film, I kept thinking "there is no way this guy would bring his friends to the island and then poison them. Just no way. I bet he's given them something that mimics death, and they'll wake up and realize they've had a mind-blowing trip with insights into their lives". Yep, sure enough, that's what happens. "Even then, I kept thinking, "he (Roland, Lance Henriksen's character) must be dying. How else would he not be worrying about MASSIVE lawsuits?". Sure enough, he dies in the last scene, or at least is dying. I watched it and don't hate it, it had some good scenes and I did sniffle a bit, but I don't particularly like it either. Watch it on cable like I did.

Rating:
Summary: WITH FRIENDS LIKE THIS....
Review: THE INVITATION's premise is fairly simple: Lance Henriksen stars as a man who invites eight of his friends to his remote island getaway. In the spirit of TEN LITTLE INDIANS with somewhat of a twist, he informs them that he has been "born again" and also, by the way, he's poisoned each of them. He will give them the antidote if they all confess to some hideous secret they all share that involves each other. The script is so shoddily written, however, that it takes a long time to fully understand just what it is each of these people have done. Also asks the question, who died and made Lance Henriksen God? He says he's doing it for their own good, to allow them "freedom in their lives". His method of freeing them however is ultimately cruel and sadistic; also the ending is predictable and the little dog is the clue to the esoteric climax.
An unusual premise given shoddy treatment. Henriksen does fairly well, but the rest of the cast is only average at best. Don't expect a horror movie, just a philosophical psychobabble.

Rating:
Summary: WITH FRIENDS LIKE THIS....
Review: THE INVITATION's premise is fairly simple: Lance Henriksen stars as a man who invites eight of his friends to his remote island getaway. In the spirit of TEN LITTLE INDIANS with somewhat of a twist, he informs them that he has been "born again" and also, by the way, he's poisoned each of them. He will give them the antidote if they all confess to some hideous secret they all share that involves each other. The script is so shoddily written, however, that it takes a long time to fully understand just what it is each of these people have done. Also asks the question, who died and made Lance Henriksen God? He says he's doing it for their own good, to allow them "freedom in their lives". His method of freeing them however is ultimately cruel and sadistic; also the ending is predictable and the little dog is the clue to the esoteric climax.
An unusual premise given shoddy treatment. Henriksen does fairly well, but the rest of the cast is only average at best. Don't expect a horror movie, just a philosophical psychobabble.