A soldier introduces himself to the Peterson family, claiming to be a friend of their son who died in action. After the young man is welcomed into their home, a series of accidental deaths seem to be connected to his presence.
The Guest borrows from other genre pictures with such intelligence and clarity of purpose, it manages to feel fresh, exciting.
– Tirdad Derakhshani,
Philadelphia Inquirer,
31 Oct 2014
fresh:
It's not a particularly brilliant conceit, but, not unlike Stevens's beautifully one-note performance, it's evocative nevertheless -- lending the whole movie an aura of pop inevitability, turning its blunt predictability into something of a virtue.
– Bilge Ebiri,
New York Magazine/Vulture,
5 Jan 2015
fresh:
Wickedly entertaining.
– Kate Erbland,
Film.com,
5 Jan 2015
rotten:
A slow-burn approach seems to pose a challenging change-up for the filmmakers, who struggle to build tension as the second acts stretches well past the point when the level of menace should be escalating.
– Justin Lowe,
Hollywood Reporter,
5 Jan 2015
fresh:
One of the many pleasures of director Adam Wingard's tough, fun thriller "The Guest" is seeing Matthew Crawley -- er, British actor Dan Stevens -- serve up a mesmerizing star turn of psycho charm.