THE INVITATION (2022) REVIEW


DON’T ACCEPT THIS INVITATION!

Tales of vampires have always been a main staple in the horror genre….and I’m not just talking about movies. Mythical undead creatures of the night that derive from European folklore that subsists by feeding on the vital essence of life (aka blood) and have being classical depicted in traditional forms (i.e. pale skin, fanged teeth, dark hair, sleeps in coffin, hates the daylight, etc.). Perhaps the most famous comes in the shape of Dracula (aka Vlad the Impaler), with such description of being has transcended average folklore tales and has manifested in mainstream pop culture. With such fascination of vampires (and or Dracula himself), Hollywood has taken interest in these vampiric creatures in a wide variety of motion pictures, including 1992’s Dracula, 1994’s Interview with a Vampire, 2003’s Underworld, 2004’s Van Helsing, 2008’s Twilight, 2012’s Hotel Transylvania, 2014’s Dracula Untold, and many others. Now, Sony Pictures (along with Screen Gems and TSG Entertainment) and director Jessica M. Thompson present the latest film on the vampire variety with the release of The Invitation, a somewhat called back to the narrative of the Brides of Dracula. Does this sink its teeth into the fresh take on a old classic or is it a frivolous and bloodless endeavor that doesn’t really provide enough vampiric nuances?

THE STORY

Losing her father when she was younger, and mother a few months prior, Evelyn “Evie” Jackson (Nathalie Emanuel) feels lost and alone, struggling to make it as an artist, while dealing with dimensive jobs to make ends meet. Swiping a gift bag home from a posh catering gig, Evie uses a DNA test included in the package to find out her ancestry as well if any distant family member still exists. Soon enough, Evie is contacted by Oliver Alexander (Hugh Skinner), who identifies himself as a distant cousin to the young woman, excited to connect with a new member of the family. Oliver offers a chance to meet the rest of his clan at an upcoming wedding celebration in England, including first-class travel and luxury accommodations. Accepting Oliver’s invitation, Evie is brought into the world of opulence of stately English manor, with the master of the household, Walter De Ville (Thomas Doherty), a handsome young man, welcoming the young American woman with kindness and friendly demeanor. While expecting the usual fanfare of traditional English wedding, Evie is confronted by seduction from her host and confusion / crypt meanings with the strange atmosphere of the estate as well as the people who’ve gathered there. In time, mysterious events begin to take place, with Evie soon begin to wonder what she’s agreed to by joining a party where she is talk of everyone’s lips.

Naturally, this brings me back to talking about The Invitation, a 2022 romance / horror that’s looking to speak to both genres. To be quite honest, I really don’t remember hearing much about this movie when it first announce. Nothing about the cast, or the director, or even the movie itself. It kind of went “under the radar” for most of the movie sites / film blogs that I do follow online and really didn’t see much about this upcoming movie. I think my first look at this particular film was the feature’s movie poster as well as the movie trailer for it. I think I only saw the movie trailer for The Invitation a few times during the ”coming attractions” preview when I went to the movies, but it really didn’t look quite that interesting. Of course, I immediately recognized actress Natalie Emmanuel as the film’s leading character, so that definitely got me interested, but everything else I wasn’t too keen on. Still, trying to keep an open mind on everything (as well as hoping for a surprise from this movie), I went to see The Invitation a few weeks after its initial release. Sadly, my schedule got busy (and then Hurricane Ian happened in my area), so I got a little bit backed up on getting my current reviews done, including The Invitation. Thankfully, I’ve been pushing myself to get these reviews completed and now…. I finally have time to give my personal thoughts on this particular film. And what did I think of it? Well, sadly…. It definitely wasn’t that good. Despite having a few nuances and a great presentation, The Invitation ends up being a wonky mesh-mash of romance and horror that really doesn’t due to its poor script, bland elements, and underwhelming characters. There’s an attempt to make this movie interesting, but it fades quickly and becomes a drudge to watch.


The cast in The Invitation is bit of a hodgepodge “mixed bag” of results, with some of the acting being a tad “over-the-top” and / or poorly written in their character introductions / development. Perhaps the only character that actually that I really did like and has some potential in the feature was in the main protagonist of Evie Jackson, who is played by actress Natalie Emmanuel. Known for her roles in Game of Thrones, Furious 7, and Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Emmanuel has certainly become an upcoming actress, especially after playing her character of Missandei on GoT. Thus, it comes as no surprise that Emmanuel who play such character (in the lead role) as Evie Jackson. For her part, she actually does a pretty good job. She’s likeable and easy to root in the movie. Of course, her character is a straightforward and conventional for this particular genre (as mentioned above), so actually “watching” Evie’s journey is a bit formulaic. That being said, Emmanuel is perhaps the most memorable character in all of The Invitation. It’s not her strongest (or favorable) character she’s played, but it makes watching the film tolerable for just her involvement / screen presence.


The Invitation  is 104 minutes long and is rated PG-13 for terror, violent content, some strong language, sexual content, and partial nudity