Review of The Guest (2014) by Samuel W — 07 Jun 2015

"The Guest" is a 2014 Sundance Film Festival film. It's directed by Adam Wingard, and stars Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe, Sheila Kelly, and Leland Orser. David Collins (Stevens) is a military soldier that has recently been relieved of duty. Immediately after hitting American soil, David makes his way across the desert to the house of his fallen comrade. The family greets him-somewhat warmly-and invites him to stay for a few days. David starts making bonds with the family quite easily. He gains their trust almost instantly, especially the trust of their young son. Everyone except Anna (Monroe) is fooled. David seems nice enough, but Anna is suspicious of him.

Recently, I saw the film It Follows, which also starred Maika Monroe. She was very good in that film and she was also great in this one. She gives arguably the best performance in the film. Her character definitely isn't a prominent character, but as the film progresses she becomes more relevant. Dan Stevens's character is a military veteran. He is seemingly a nice guy, but he acts really suspicious. Stevens's gives a really odd performance, which kinda works since his character is really odd. He does a great job playing with different tones. Collins's character is really good at manipulating people, and Stevens's does a god job at this.

I absolutely love old school action films. The best comparison I can give is that this film is very much like an old school 80's movie. Plot wise, the film is a bit dumb. It's really cheesy at times, however it works so well because it knows that it's cheesy. What won me over was the soundtrack. Many classic films used music of the time as the soundtrack for the film. Likewise, The Guest does the same. Sure, the dialogue is a bit dull, and the characters are flat, but I had fun. Especially the ending.

"The Guest" can easily be labeled "stupid", but it sure is stupid fun. The plot is quite juvenile, and the characters are pretty flat. However, the great soundtrack, a mysterious central character, and the thrilling ending make this a fun ride.