Film Review: THE INVITATION (2022): Nathalie Emmanuel Sinks Her Teeth into a Leading Role in a Horror Film that Feels a bit Familiar

The Invitation Review

The Invitation (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Jessica M. Thompson, written by Blair Butler and starring Nathalie Emmanuel, Thomas Doherty, Stephanie Corneliussen, Alana Boden, Sean Pertwee, Hugh Skinner, Virag Barany, Courtney Taylor, Kata Sarbo, Jeremy Wheeler, Carol Ann Crawford, Scott Alexander Young and Stephen Saracco.

Nathalie Emmanuel of the later The Fast and the Furious franchise films gets an opportunity to play the lead in a new horror film titled The Invitation. I saw this movie already (didn’t I?) with a different actress (Samara Weaving) and it was a lot better the last time around. It was back in 2019 and the film was called Ready or Not. Of course, the characters have been changed around a bit and the premise is a little different but it almost feels like the same exact movie for whatever reason. Still, there is plenty to sink your teeth into while watching director Jessica M. Thompson’s new picture.

In this new film, Emmanuel portrays Evie, a New York working class waitress/artist who serves alongside a friend named Grace (Courtney Taylor who is definitely a hoot here) at an upscale party as the movie opens. Evie is struggling financially after the loss of her mother but is doing what she can to keep things together. When she takes a DNA test, her life takes a strange turn as she gets the results and ends up meeting her long lost second cousin, Oliver (Hugh Skinner), at a restaurant. Evie wants to get to know her distant family and Oliver invites her to the English countryside which sets the movie’s plot into motion.

This film is a bit interesting in the opening scenes because Emmanuel’s character defies your typical movie heroine in terms of her personality and physical appearance. That’s a good thing which the film does right because it’s rare to see a flawed, financially troubled, tattooed everyday girl such as Evie portrayed in a major box-office attraction. Emmanuel relishes the opportunity to make Evie relatable and the performance is a pretty good one overall.

When we get to the English countryside and Evie arrives at the large mansion where most of the movie takes place, it’s like she’s set foot into a different world. She meets the lord of the manor, Walter (played by Thomas Doherty) and Evie and Walter start to forge a relationship together as the movie’s plot develops. Everyone in the movie seems to have a hidden agenda except for perhaps the kind young woman Lucy (Alana Boden). Particularly wicked is the butler Mr Fields (Sean Pertwee) but everyone seems to be troubled in one way or another, especially a woman named Viktoria (well played by Stephanie Corneliussen).

This story line doesn’t sound exactly like Ready or Not but it is just like that picture. Eventually, a wedding is planned for Evie and, soon, all hell breaks loose as Evie has to fight for her survival against a family of crazies who just so happen to be vampires. So, Evie and Walter’s relationship isn’t the least bit believable but so what? The concluding scenes of this movie are quite fun to watch as Evie goes through some physical changes in order to save herself from a dire fate. She also gets to kick ass and it’s a classic horror film scenario.

As the movie concludes back in New York, it turns out the film has a comic twist before the end credits roll to a hip song. The picture’s problems come in the middle of the movie where the film reveals plot developments such as the fact that Evie was being stalked on the internet before she actually met Oliver. But, why does that sound so bad when it would have obviously taken a bit of research to learn if this family truly thought Evie was worth meeting? Just let plot points like that go, though, and take the movie on a less serious level and you could certainly enjoy it. There is some nice offbeat chemistry between Emmanuel and Doherty as well as a mismatched couple who could just end up tying the knot though if you saw Ready or Not, you may know where this story is truly headed.

Emmanuel takes this role and runs with it. She doesn’t quite score a touchdown but creates an earnest character who we want to see triumph. It’s a nice showcase for the up-and-coming actress who some may say already up and arrived when considering her fantastic supporting work in the The Fast and the Furious series. Doherty has his moments as well and considering that the movie could have made him a more sinister opponent for Evie, the picture does keep us guessing just where their relationship is heading but again if you saw Ready or Not…you know what will happen as the movie appears to have stolen the basic formula in its script whether it did actually or not.

I would have recommended this film more but it felt all too familiar coming just three short years after the far superior Ready or Not. I don’t want to underestimate the appeal of Nathalie Emmanuel who is one actress that I find tremendously appealing to watch. She’s far from your typical Hollywood actress but commands the viewer’s attention just like a movie star should. Still, The Invitation could have focused more on some of its character development to enrich some of the key components of the characters. The story line (familiar or not) is OK. It would have been nice to see some higher, pardon the pun, stakes for Evie but in all, you could still actually enjoy this picture.

Rating: 6.5/10

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