The Visitation DVD with Martin Donovan, Edward Furlong, Kelly Lynch (PG-13) +Movie Reviews

Always given a bad rap...

S. Stevenson | 03/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The term "Christian movie" makes most people cringe. They hear the term applied, assume that the movie is going to be perfectly horrible, and watch it thinking as such. When THE VISITATION came out on DVD, I picked it up. I had enjoyed Frank Peretti's book by the same title a lot, and was very shocked by the ending of the story. And as I settled in to watch the movie, I started getting really excited.

Pretty much, a fallen minister, Travis Jordan, is at the end of his rope, not caring too much about what else happens in the little town around him. But then miracles start happening, people are being healed, and a mysterious stranger has come to town proclaiming love and peace to the people. Travis Jordan, a local veterinarian, and Kyle Sherman, a preacher, are all feeling very uneasy about the goings on, and when they start looking deeper into the situation, they start to find something they never wished they had stumbled onto...

The story does deviate slightly from the book, but the major plot points are intact, and the ending gives the viewer a somewhat disturbing feeling after film's end. The cinematography is amazing, finding perfectly wonderful angles to film, and the cutting is just right to give an intense creepy feel to the film. The acting actually was pretty good, featuring Martin Donovan (Saved!) Randy Travis, Edward Furlong (Terminator 2), and Hilary Tuck (Honey I Shrunk The Kids the Television Series).

As far as CONTENT goes: There is a little bit of cleavage during one scene in the film, there are some very disturbing situations, but nothing incredibly graphic is shown. Blood is about the worst of the gore. There is no language in the film, which is a nice change for movies today.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed THE VISITATION, and I would encourage viewers to remember that movies and books are different entities. (Even parts of LORD OF THE RINGS were altered (or left out completely) from the books...)"

Not like the book, but still a good movie

Brian Reaves | Anniston, AL USA | 03/05/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"It's every author's nightmare: sell your novel to a movie company, have them make the movie adaptation, and end up with it bearing little or no resemblance to the book you wrote. Frank Peretti must have faced this when he sat down to watch "The Visitation", a movie very loosely based on his novel of the same name. Fans clamored for months waiting to see this movie come out after hearing rumors of it on the internet for so long. So how did it stack up?

Well, if you've read the novel, you probably aren't going to like this movie. It bears little resemblance to that story, though many of the characters have the right names from the book. Edward Furlong was an odd choice for Brandon, since the character was so vital to the story and supposed to be a caring leader with charisma and love. Furlong shows a lot of road wear from his days of drug and alcohol abuse, making him a hard man to want to follow, but this hardness ends up coming in helpful as Brandon slides into the evil side.

The ending (and most of the picture) is a major deviation from the book. And things go a little too "Green Mile" at a couple of points, but if you're just wanting to watch a good movie, this is a better choice than many. The story is good on its own merit, and spooky in a lot of places it should be. Familiar faces like Kelly Lynch, Randy Travis, and even Priscilla Barnes (from Three's Company) are sprinkled throughout the cast, keeping it from being completely anonymous.

Not the worst picture ever made, but a horrible adaptation of Peretti's excellent story. I understand budget contraints, but there had to be a way to make it a little closer to the novel. As for "Special Features", the only thing is a movie trailer for "The End of the Spear"."

Good story would have benefited from a larger budget

Robert Lewis | Cincinnati, OH | 01/23/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you watch "The Rainmaker" you'll think it's a great movie. If you watch it after you read the novel by John Grisham that it's based on, it will leave you wanting a little more. "The Visitation" is very similar. Frank Peretti's books, including "The Visitation", have the tendency to draw the reader in until they are immersed in the fear that oozes from the pages. The movie doesn't quite accomplish that. Of course, if any movie were to contain all of the elements of a Perreti or Grisham novel, it would be 12 hours long.

Having said that, the story is well told, though there are moments where it leaps ahead unexpectedly. The movie's opening scene introduces three mysterious men who proclaim "He is coming." Through the rest of the movie they lurk in the background, creating an uneasy sense of expectancy.

Martin Donovan and Kelly Lynch are very likable as the main characters and Donovan is convincing in the role of reluctant hero. Randy Travis shows he is actually a good actor and provides most of the comic relief, which is a bit surprising.

Edward Furlong as "The Visitor" is a bit melodramatic, but does a good job of keeping you guessing to the end. The rest of the characters could use a little more development in the movie.

One thing I did find irritating about the movie is a device the screenplay writer (not Peretti) uses during the frightening scenes. It is pretty much a rip-off of "The Ring".

Overall, the movie is somewhat frightening. It's not scary in a horror movie fashion, but more in a Hitchcock kind of way. It's more of a disturbing feeling than a desire to scream. Kind of like "The Secret Window".

While Perreti is recognized as a Christian author the movie is not preachy. There are some religious themes, but they flow with the story. It doesn't force messages into the film that don't fit as is so unfortunate in many otherwise good stories.

The budget for the movie is about $2 million. It looks like it. It doesn't look cheap, but it doesn't compare to the films with five times the money in the coffers. Perreti is currently working on a screen play for "The Oath". I hope this movie has enough success to convince someone to front a little bigger budget for his next project."

Only Mildy Disappointing

Eric Wilson | Nashville, TN United States | 05/28/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Years ago, I read Peretti's "The Visitation" and loved the character development and wary look at American church-ianity. It depicted a town's struggle between a cynical ex-pastor and a charismatic newcomer, a grassroots preacher with a bag of signs and wonders meant to deceive God's people. The story was so-so, but my personal connection with many of Peretti's autobiographical tidbits made it a wonderful read.

When I rented this movie, I expected to be disappointed, to lose most of what I loved about the book. Books into movies generally disappoint me, and when it comes to Christian movies--meaning, low-budget and preachy--the disappointment factor intensifies. (Don't even mention "The Omega Code" or "Left Behind" to me, please.) "The Visitation" actually rises above many of the typical problems, telling an engaging story, using nice camera work and decent visual effects, and enlisting good actors--although Randy Travis' character seems somewhat stiff due to the script. The movie falters in its nonstop use of eerie music in an attempt to heighten fear, rather than trusting the other well-handled elements. While it throws in some wry dialogue between a group of local ministers, it also resorts to a few moments of cliched exorcism and a final plea for redemption that seemed forced, in light of everything else.

Yes, this movie deviates from the book in a number of ways, but the story's elements remain intact. Peretti's thematic point in the book was not to diminish God's miracle power, but to remind believers that a relationship with Jesus is the necessary foundation for discerning between good and evil spirits. While this point is mostly lost in the film, "The Visitation" proves to be an entertaining, sometimes thought-provoking experience."

An ok movie...

LARRY | Capitol Heights, MD | 11/20/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I knew when I watched *The Visitation* that I had read a book of a similar plot. I was right when I read the reviews here...from Frank E. Peretti's "The Visitation". It had been YEARS since I've read the book. He became quite popular with the release of "This Present Darkness" and "Piercing the Darkness", which involved battles between angels and demons.

I trust the other reviewers when they say that *The Visitation* deviated BIG TIME from the book. Remember that "The Visitation" was a Christian novel. (I have the book somewhere in the basement.) Even though the movie was "Christian" in a sense, there were some elements that were removed to make it less "preachy". Recalling the story, I was disappointed that there were no battles between angels and demons. I guess that was too "preachy". One will not actually see a demon here, other than flies coming out of people's mouths when rebuked or eyes being of an unnatural color.

Nonetheless, it was an interesting movie to watch. There were a couple of scenes that will give you a little jump. There isn't anything too gory like you would see on CSI.

Simple movie with a simple plot..."

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