Customer Reviews

The Invitation

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I thought that this was going to be some low-budget horror or thriller. It was FAR from it!
The soft intensity of Lance's character Roland and his final message, mesmerized me. In my opinion, it was a humbling and enlightening gift that Roland was trying to share with his friends.

The method of making all the characters realize it, may seem a bit questionable, but STICK WITH IT, Be patient and LISTEN closely to Roland. What he has to say about forgiveness, love and death is worthy information.

One of the weaknesses of the movie: The writers/directors made it too unclear what the situation surrounding the death of apparently a family member, was. The connections were not explained well-enough. I'm still confused about all that.

The only negative associated with the film may be that it is put out as horror while it is more of an uplifting film(though at it's times very twisted).
Yes, Lance poisons his friends and things get very odd and at times very twisted but he is trying to help them let go of something terrible they have done or feel they have done wrong - to leave them with a sense of peace and relief - as he felt after ingesting the poison.
Whomever said the acting is not well done is very badly mistaken. Lance's performance and several other actors were wonderful.
I have watched it several times and I recommend the film.

Addendum: It does have a bit of a religious tone to it but coming from a non-religious person, it really makes little difference as to whether the film is enjoyable.

First of all the movie is not horror...second..the cover picture and font for the title sucks and third you need intelligence to watch this movie... I loved this movie...the acting is very good...The movie is uplifting and i got more from it than time wasted by viewing it. People don't believe everything a film company says about its own movies..It is not Horror..(I am a horror fan and i should know)..Yes, i think people should watch it....It might make a few think about the beauty of our lives and our world ... when the movie is over.

I watched it tonight..the night before Christmas 2011.

This movie started out with an intriguing concept: "Fantasy Island"-type host Roland invites 6 friends to dinner, and then reveals he has poisoned them all, "for their own good" - because they will have to unburden themselves from the big lie upon which their lives are based, before he will give them the antidote. He is giving them the chance to be "born again," just as he was, when he had a similar experience in Peru. He claims each person's secret is intertwined with everyone else's, as well as with his own life. And here's where the premise falters. For most of the guests, it's never entirely clear what their "secret" is, and even less clear how it ties in to everyone else's. Yes, there are hints of interconnections, but it could have been crafted much more expertly. I can't help but wonder if a great deal of this movie remained on the editing room floor - or was it really written this badly? It could have been great; as it was, it was merely okay, and somewhat disappointing, although it did have a satisfactory conclusion. Ironically the biggest "secret" of all ended up being Roland's, which was a nice twist. I'll give the movie 3 stars for great performances and a good premise, but can't rate it any higher than that.

An author, after coming back from a sabbatical, invites six of his friends (three men, three women) to his island paradise. The only way on and off the island is by boat. During dinner he tells them of his intimate travels to Africa and Peru.

He went on sabbatical because he had recently lost the love of his life and had become thoroughly depressed. He wore his depression on his face but would not share it. In an effort to release his pain a shaman he meets on a mountain top poisons him to help him release his pain. In his mind he died up on that mountain and was reborn.

When his guests start to become shaky and nauseous they realize their host has poisoned them as well. This does not have the desired effect he expected, especially after one of them drops to the ground a few minutes later with no pulse. Hysterical anger ensues.

I really enjoyed the movie and came upon it immediately from a comedic perspective rather than a psychological horror one. I also knew it would be a B-movie. Lance Henrikson played the lead character (although you don't see him for the first 10-15 minutes) and had me in stitches with his quirky looks of disbelief and knowing smiles.

Some of the supportive actors were a bit stereotypical and over the top. In the beginning Lance had said their secrets affected everyone else at the table but I didn't see a complete weave with everyone. Some scenes were definitely better than other ones and it was predictable. If you can catch it on tv, rent it or find it in the discount bin go for it. It is comical.

Apparently there are two different movies by the same title. I ordered the one pictured with Van Johnson, thinking it would be a murder mystery and was disappointed, because it was a romantic story. The acting is very good as was the picture quality, but the story is predictable (a little like Dark Victory, but not as good). The reviews on amazon review each movie, but show the same picture for both, making it just as confusing.

Let me start off by saying I like Lance Henriksen as an Actor, I like his work I don't care for this movie. It's pretty Obvious from the start, and I hate the ending. It is neither Much of a Mystery nor much Scary nor entertaining.

You gotta be kidding. I just WASTED 2 hours watching this dreck. This movie is a bore, and the main character is supposed to be some kind of guru who has found all the answers? It is a muddled mess, and never fleshes any of the characters out (you never really find out what their secrets are except in bits and pieces). I immediately rated the movie "HATED IT" on Netflix. This movie tries to be everything it is not. And what it is is Terrible.

this is a movie you see say huh then never go back to its not really glaringly bad but like i said its not one i watch all the time in fact iv only seen it one time and i knew the "twist" when i read the back cover and at the end i was like OK then i popped the next movie on my to watch list and never gave it a second thought from what i can remember six people go to a old friends island (by the way if your friend whom you haven't seen in a long time do to personal problems all of the sudden has a island and invites you over ummm red flag?) and gives them some kind of poison and tells them they have to reveal something or some crap and by the way if you don't see the "twist" now 1 your kinda stupid and 2 im not going to ruin it for you (by the way sorry for the people that didn't get it maybe you just don't watch a lot of movies.....or tv.......or read books) but yeah the more i talk about this movie the more i dislike it so im going to end it now if you got some money to blow and some time to kill go ahead but if you want a really good movie or some kind of hidden gem this is not for you

Peace

i enjoy lance henriksen's acting. he's been in tons of movies and television programs and displays his diverse acting in all kinds of roles. unfortunately, this is a stinker of a movie. bad acting all around. lance plays this type of guru who invites some friends to his island for a dinner party. the party falls apart as he poisons them so they can share in his visions. that almost sounds interesting, but this is more of a lame fantasy island than anything else. the best thing i can say is rent it if you must, or are curious about it.