Genres

Visitors Review

Denis Schröder 2012-05-17 10:57:46

I was talked into it...

and expected it to be really bad! Even more: I expected it to berevisionist and Christian propaganda....First of all I should probably mention that I am an Atheist and thushad the point of view of the protagonist on the events... and wasskeptic throughout the whole movie. I found it very probable, that thegirl could be killed in the end... for that was the way Christianitydid it for ages and ages... and i think even today...Nonetheless the story evolved and showed many different perspectives.The visuals were stunning, that has to be said. And AnnaSophia Robb asLoren did a great job! Unfortunately the camera-work was absolute crap!Sometimes it was very hard to follow the action because of the badphotography. The ending was okay, but not new... but I had already expected asequel! But still everyone remember: It is a FANTASY-movie! Nothing ofit is real! I enjoyed it.... better than expected!7/10

hyprsleepy 2012-05-16 20:39:04

Interesting scientific theories presented

I thought the scientific explanations for all 10 plagues made by themain character were interesting and things I had never heard of before.They all sound very plausible and I would suggest everyone watch thisjust to hear those.The Reaping was scary, in a way. What I mean by that is that it seemedlike the main character was in danger at all times and all alone.Movies like that are good at creating tension. The acting was good. Thepeople in the town really gave off that small town vibe in acreepy-nobody-will-know-what-we-did-to-you sort of way.While The Reaping is not going to be the best movie you've ever seen,it will also not be the worst. It's alright.

felixoteiza 2012-05-05 13:57:36

What a travesty!

What unmitigated piece of trash this movie is, what a travesty! Whenviewing a movie, any movie, the least you expect is that themovie-maker got his cities right; that he have done at least a littlebit of research. If they cannot do even that properly, what is left forthe writing, the plot, character development...? Concepcion, Chile, isnothing like what we see in this...movie. Contrary to that, it is avibrant, modern, beautiful city in Southern Chile which at some timesmay give you the feeling of being in Canada or Switserland--as anybodymay see after doing a simple Internet, Youtube, research. But thetravesty reaches its peak, or rather its bottom, when it comes todescribing its population. Far from being backward and superstitious,these are one of the most sophisticated people in the whole country.From here, from its university, is that came, during the 60s, theleftist organizations that played such a big role during the Allendegovernment. Many of his close personal personal friends andcollaborators came also from there. Even more, the movement for theIndependence of Chile, in the 1800s, saw its origins there. If Chile isCalifornia, Concepcion is Berkeley. That gives the true measure of thetravesty that has been perpetrated by a bunch of so called moviemakers, incapable of even get their basic facts right. As I imaginethey didn't show any more skill when dealing with other cities,peoples, mentioned in their film, there must be some others there whomay have similar horror stories to share. In one word, stay away fromit.

calvinwright508 2012-05-05 11:29:47

Watch this movie

Bottom line, a good movie. This movie, unlike many others, was well puttogether. The actors were good in their roles. If you enjoy religionbased movies, watch this one. I think every priest, pastor, churchofficial should show this movie to their entire church. I would saythis is on par with "The Exorcism of Emily Rose". If you liked thatone, I say watch this one as well. The story is one that you have topay attention to. The plot is one where if it gathers your interest, itwill suck you in. It will make you want to know what happens next. Isuppose one would call it the "edge of the seat" felling. I wouldsuggest watching this alone or with one other individual. This isdefinitely not a social movie. The best time to watch to me is duringthe rain. The overcast light of a rainy day sets the scene really well.Try not to pause it or get up during this one. It will might mess upthe tone. And for parents out there, this movie is best enjoyed bythose 14 and up. Perhaps 13 if your child is on the mature side.

odin777_2000 2012-05-04 22:25:06

did NOT expect it to be as good as it turned out to be!!!!

it was not to expect any twists and turns but they were there and youdo have to welcome them because they are good. the best way to enjoythis movie is not to expect anything out of it...lay back and enjoy theride! it is way more scarier than the 80's "the seventh sign" whichshares the biblical apocalyptic "follow-the-chain-of-events" kind ofsetting. other than last years "the wicker-man", which turned out to bea non-spiritistic movie, "the reaping" turns out to be over-the-topspiritistic and religious. the way i like it!!! especially cool is thelast second "john carpenters" ending!for me a definite must-own-DVD to wait for!

claud2k3 2012-05-04 08:39:15

An all-around weak, offensive movie

"The Reaping" fails on many levels. First of all, horror films shouldnot lower themselves to ONLY sudden apparitions and loud noises to grabthe public's attention: there are no genuinely disturbing or evenhaunting images and concepts in The Reaping... only cheap thrills thatdo not stay with you after you leave the theater. Secondly, thescreenplay starts out as a paranormal investigation into a beliefsystem, with the fascinating (however clichéd) juxtaposition of"science and religion"; but then it quickly degrades into a simple goodvs. evil kind of battle that one would expect from an altogetherdifferent type of film. It oversimplifies a complicated concept andmakes a big mess of everything. Thirdly, it portrays the Christianconservative South as a mass of crazed, Bible-thumping murderers. I amnot from the South and I am thankfully not Christian---but I knowenough Christians to realize many are not like that. Naive, ignorantperhaps, but not criminals. It's too easy to criticize a group byappealing to its worst examples. Finally, the movie is seriouslyconfused about what message to convey. Is this a parable about faith?about evil? about... what? Not to mention that any movie where God andthe Antichrist are basically deus-ex-machina deserves to be discardedon the spot. Overall, a very poor movie from so many points of view.Too bad that Hilary Swank's and AnnaSophia Robb's good performances arecompletely wasted (and that Stephen Rea should have never accepted sucha lame role)... but after all, what would you expect from Stephen "Lostin Space" Hopkins? If this was an attempt to bring religion back to thetheaters in this secular age, it failed miserably. It really shows whatreligion can be: a complete mess of violent, confused ideals.

gunneos 2012-05-03 20:39:49

More suspenseful than scary

Imagine dismissing this film as B-grade trash. After all, everythingabout the cover art screams "Cheap horror thrills"; the font, the swampof locusts, even the tagline. Suddenly, you find yourself doing adouble take because, hey, isn't that Hilary Swank on the cover? Anddidn't Hilary Swank, like, win two Oscars? You pick the DVD up, inspectit, and think, "What the hell, it's Hilary Swank and that girl fromCharlie and the Chocolate Factory. No harm watching something thatlooks promising." After all, it's a gamble between Swank bending low toget her paycheck, and a really good movie with a budget big enough toaccommodate recognizable stars. The movie is a suspense thriller based on the 10 Biblical Plagues ofEgypt set in the present world. Relying mostly on the strangephenomenal events occurring in the film to engage its viewers, TheReaping can't exactly be classified as a cheesy and predictable B-gradehorror film. Depending on your knowledge of the Bible, the ten plagueswill amaze you by keeping you on the edge of your seat anticipating thenext plague. It's not a whole yard different from the thrills ofJumanji, where the audience is captivated entirely by whatever is goingto appear from the enchanted board game. As part of the ten plagues,there are instances of locusts attacks, dead frogs, bloodied rivers,unidentified diseases, flies et cetera et cetera. It's weirdlyhorrifying, to say the least.As an investigative scholar, Katherine Winter (Hilary Swank), togetherwith assistant Ben (Idris Elba), then goes to the apparent "cursed"town to set things right with scientific facts and figures. At firsteverything seems explainable when Katherine discovers an illegal stashof toxic waste in an underground oil well, but as coincidence heap uponcoincidence, Katherine is forced to question her faith in science andlogic. The film is quite subtle in its "screw logic, miracles are real"message, though ironically it takes a scripted movie to bring across"proof" of God's existence. The Reaping doesn't quite impress as a horror flick, though thesuspense in the film is quite something. Up and coming child actressAnnaSophia does a splendid job as the mysterious, aura-shroudedMcConnell kid on suspicion for the murder of her brother, and evensomehow overshadows Swank for her age.

deacon_blues-3 2012-05-03 01:07:38

God finally gets to be God in a Hollywood film!

I like it! Plagues afflict a small town. The source of the plagues is a12-year-old girl, the daughter of a family known to be members of anevil cult. A famous debunker of miracles is invited to prove that it's all a hoax.And it is! Just not the kind of hoax she's looking for. Real forces are at work in Haven, and the debunker has been Punk'd intodoing the devil's dirty work. Or has she?The special effects are pretty good, but not always seamless. Thelocust effects are very good, but the cattle effects are prettytransparent. All-in-all, an adequately crafted FX display.Swank and her ensemble are not exactly Oscar hunting in this film, butthere is atmosphere, and everybody does a decent job putting this thingacross effectively.The plot is full of wormholes and misdirection, but it all wraps upnicely by the end, and makes perfect sense in its own way. I found itquite satisfying.Without giving away too much, it is so refreshing to finally see a filmin which God is allowed to be God, instead of some modernizedcorruption interpreted by liberals and new agers. If you are a Christian who believes in the Bible, you'll be glad youwatched this film if you stick with it to the end.'Nuf said. Amen!

Fiendish_Dramaturgy 2012-05-02 04:22:50

Enjoyable...Until The End.

This was a major disappointment for this movie goer. The film qualitywas horrid, the editing was choppy, the dissolves didn'texactly...dissolve, and the acting left a LOT to be desired. Sorry, butthese performances were pretty standard cardboard cut outs. Thecharacters received no development, and what development they didreceived seemed out of place and awkward.The story was compelling, until you get to the ending, which prettymuch killed the movie, for me. It was contrived tripe, and I felt I'dbeen robbed of my time and the cost of tickets.Face it, there are much better things you can do with your life thanlet some movie beat you over the head with the Bible for a whole movie,only to burn said Bible at the end. This was garbage. Sorry Swank, butyou need a new agent.It rates a 4.4/10 from...the Fiend :.

Youngjae Choi 2012-05-01 13:50:57

Another viewpoint , so to speak religious standpoint

I am a Christian. I enjoy reading old testament and falling asleep inbed. I am not saying that old testament is boring, though.. And after Isaw this film, the Reaping, I wondered first, what hath THE DIRECTORwrought? Did he make another spectacular blockbuster for Sundayafternoon with a bag of popcorn, or did he confess his faith about Godvia this? My guessed answers for this rhetorical questions are ..If theformer, this movie is a so-so-one. If the latter, this movie made it .Iwas impressed a lot by Hilary's dark and unstable face, not because shewas a two time Oscar winner, but because she was showing a shadow of alost martyr very effectively. Distortion of plot at the last part madethis movie more impressive.However, despite all this, this movie is too stereotyped in terms ofplot. Old myth(heresy group's ritual) realization, conflict betweencharacters, and tedious plot about SECOND baby(Satan's son)..Bottom line of this film is, not BAD, but not best. 7 stars out of 10

vip_ebriega 2012-04-28 01:08:34

It's the end of the world as we know it... and I think I've seen this before.

My Take: Effects-laden yet mediocre apocalypse thriller with a wastedHilary Swank in a B-movie role. Due to many impressive film-making effects and techniques, today'sfilmmakers have the ability to create are own view of"the-end-of-the-world". This genre is yet again used in "The Reaping",an apocalyptic story that combines biblical symbols, belief and modernscience. Sounds interesting? It is, but the film is just to amateurishto live up to such promise.The film stars Hilary Swank as Professor Katherine Winter, a collegeprofessor who stopped believing in holy miracles and of God himself(and even the Devil) after her daughter have been sacrificed as gift toGod. She believes that every modern 'miracle' can be explainedscientifically. She is summoned by a man named Doug (David Morissey) totheir town of Haven, to investigate a river that has been turned intoblood, a references to the first plague that struck Egypt during thetime of Moses. Her associate Ben (Idris Elba) starts to believe in thebiblical side after three plagues follow. But Katherine is stillundaunted ("10 plagues, 10 scientific explanations!"). Pretty soon, shebegins to believe that Loren (Annasophia Robb), a little girl who liveswith her mother in a small house, is involved in the events. But whenthe plagues worsen, Katherine learns that the only thing to conquer theplaguing evil, is to believe.Of course, this film wouldn't end without bursting much visuals or so,but it's practically alright for the film. The story stays interestingbut resorts way too often to cheap shock effects. The film doesn't rushthe visuals and tends to explain to us about the plagues, both visuallyand explanatory. Sometimes it's interesting. Sometimes it just drags.And since we all have seen this before (or lets assume that we allhave), there's very little to no surprises that will arouse theaudiences' imagination. Is THE REAPING a good movie? No. But it is better then the likes ofHIDE AND SEEK. At least this one knows what it is. Rating: ** out of 5.

linkinem41 2012-04-27 05:20:16

Total Wreck!

Total Wreck!Well Hilary Swank is among those immensely talented Oscar winningactresses who disappears after while because they don't get Good roles.Well its obvious in the Hollywood too Good Looks and Charisma do mattera lot.Speaking of "The Reaping"… it's a TOTALLY HORRID film.I bet NO ONE will enjoy this film.The story is bad. Not horrifying. Boring and un-indulging.All in all HILARY SWANK a very wrong selection of movie……..Anyways your Freedom Writers was GOOD!!! So THUMBS up for that And wellTHUMBS down for The Reaing!A well deserved 1/10

2012-04-26 22:58:17

Not enough convincing copying of much better movies.

The Reaping is a reaping of the clichés of The Omen, Wicker Man andRosemary's Baby without any bad conscience. It is reaping off theirideas, twists and main elements of the plot. When it has had enough, itstarts reaping the ten biblical plagues, which are sent on a smalltown. Bloody rivers, flies, toads, dead cattle, grasshoppers,lightnings and darkness are all waiting and about to come. All thatreaping only to scare the audience and to let us know about ourconstant sinning, warning us to stop turning our towns into Sodoma andGomora. And to make us identify ourselves with the heroine HilarySwank, ex minister, who stopped believing in God. The ex minister, whois now a professor of science, is trying to prove that these miraclesdon't exist and that every miracle has it's own scientific explanationand at the same time must explain the unusual phenomena in the town.She's trying to provide logical reasons why a local river turned red,why frogs fly from the sky, why the cattle died and why a million fliesand grasshoppers are flying around. As if that was not enough, thismovie takes its clichés even further, thus a very strange little girlis involved in the story, who supposedly is a devil's seed. The newantichrist, Beelzebub's perfect child with a mission to destroy theworld. Nothing new, nothing especially scary. Only a movie, which istrying to prove that frogs in Magnolia were the beginning of the end.

galaxydude14 2012-04-26 16:12:56

what hath hilary wrought?

as a Christian, i found the premise to be enticing. i wondered howHollywood would do a movie like this and in fact, stephan hunter, thedirector, did quite well. yes some dialogue is laughable but the bestpart about the movie was the fact that something like this couldhappen. not a little girl causing plagues, but what the movie ends upbeing. to me, the end result is terrifying. and that is what i believemakes up a successful horror movie. a lot of jumpy moments and plentyof creepy ones too. some of the plagues are awesome such as the deathof the first born. all in all its well worth your while. hilary swank,while not my favorite actress(she keeps beating out annette bening atOscar time!) shes really good here

JohnRouseMerriottChard 2012-04-25 13:49:14

Holy Crap!

Haven, Louisiana, and the death of a child in mysterious circumstancessparks of a series of events that appear to represent the biblicalplagues. Enter Katherine Winter, a former Christian missionary turnedatheist and a religious phenomena debunker. Who along with her faithbelieving student set about finding the scientific cause of thesestrange occurrences.What to do when you are a big Oscar winner? Tackle the horror genre itseems. Here Hillary Swank {who is actually fine here} fails to learnfrom Halle Berry's {Gothika} mistake by taking on material that issub-standard fare. The story is interesting enough, and the religiousbattle of wills makes for set ups with potential. It's just thatStephen Hopkins' film is awash with gimmickry and all to often resortsto basic genre formula. Some scenes show genuine potential, interestingideas have been formed, the dialogue holding us with purpose, then it'scheap cop out time. With the film borrowing heavily from prior, andmuch better, religious thrillers. It looks nice, in fact some of thesequences are gorgeous, yes a blood red river cloaked in greenery isbeautiful. But ultimately what remains is a self parody of a movie thatstarted with high hopes, but ended up running out of fresh ideas andimpetus. While the ending I'm sure brings howls of derision instead ofthe intended fright. 3/10

John 2012-04-25 00:48:00

This film is just fine.

Okay, its not Pshyco, but its a solid film anyway. I'd bet the "pro" critics were just pissed that they had to write an extra review because it opened on Thursday. The story is fine, it looks great (except some low ball FX at the end), and Hilary looks better in this film than in any other she's done and does a fine acting job.If the film hits you wrong or you're having a bad movie day, I understand, but really, for most people it will be worth the admission. I just don't understand why the hacks listed in the critics section enjoy attempting to destroy the hard work of so many people - is it because being a cynical writer makes them feel sophisticated and smart?This film was delayed at least a couple times for hurricanes (including Katrina)and that must have been a pain. Buy popcorn, enjoy a couple hours in the dark with a date and remember - we're talking movies here, not world peace.

Claudio Carvalho 2012-04-21 04:59:49

The Angel of God

The atheistic Katherine Winter (Hilary Swank) is a former Catholicmissionary that lost her faith on God after losing her daughter and herhusband in Sudan, sacrificed by the locals that blamed them for thelong drought. Presently she investigates religious phenomena with theintent of debunking them, finding a scientific cause for the event. Sheis invited to go to the small town of Haven, in Louisiana, where theriver turned into blood after the death of a boy. After her arrival,each of one of the ten biblical plagues happens in the location dazingKatherine, who discloses the evil secret of the dwellers."The Reaping" has an intriguing story of faith very well supported byHilary Swank. There is a surprising final twist, and I am not sure ifthe screenplay is flawed and confused or I lost something but I havenot clearly understood three points: why Father Costigan is attacked?Why the cult needs Katherine to kill the girl? And if Loren andKatherine are God's angel and her protector, why the baby would be theAntichrist in the very last scene? My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "A Colheita do Mal" ("The Harvest of Evil")

ThrownMuse 2012-04-20 13:20:09

More interesting than I was expecting

"The Reaping" is an interesting exploration of religious themes withina horror setting. I'm surprised Dark Castle, whose known for theirfluffy pop horrors, would tackle a script like this. It's definitelythe company's most ambitious horror film to date. It has it's goodaspects-- it's very twisty, creepy, and thought-provoking. However, beprepared to be doused with bad CGI and even worse acting by DavidMorrissey (go away already!). While the basic plot line is original,parts of the movie borrow a little too much from religious horrors fromthe 70s (everything from "The Exorcist" to "The Omen" to "The WickerMan.") Still, I'd say it's worthy of a viewing.

badidosh 2012-04-20 09:29:56

Scare-free cliché-plagued schlock

God and the devil are at it again.Religion in general is a minefield of horror film premises. Apparently,the production company Dark Castle realizes this and so we have "TheReaping" purporting itself to be a supernatural thriller treading aspiritual undertone in the league of, say, "Stigmata" (or at leastthat's what it seems). The problem is, it fails to even make the cut ofsimply being a decent horror movie, with its attempts at scares andtwists painfully obvious and its narrative eventually falling into apattern of genre clichés. Let alone its balderdash on the Christianmythology.The plot engraves its cardboard foundation with Katherine Winter(Hilary Swank - probably just here for the paycheck) trying to disproveevery miracle occurring in this world. An LSU professor with a tragicpast that took away her faith in spirituality, Katherine is convincedthat everything irrational that happens can be debunked by logic andscience. But one day, she is called to investigate a strange thinghappening in a small town called Haven in Louisiana. The river hasturned into blood after a boy has just mysteriously died, and thetownsfolk are placing the blame on a twelve-year old girl (AnnaSophiaRobb), who they believe is a harbinger of the devil, and with her arethe ten plagues from Exodus.Swank, a two-time Oscar winner, gives a performance that is nothing toeither praise or disparage - just a humdrum. The other cast membersdon't seem inspired either, like somnambulists in a maudlin project andaren't even interested in being interested. Robb doesn't seem asmenacing as she should be, and Stephen Rea is largely wasted with arole merely there to provide the obligatory religious backstory.Speaking of which, the ten plagues, which is supposedly the film'sselling point that requires a myriad of special effects, and whosenature itself should be ominous enough for building tension, are simplythere as red herrings that lead to an even more unsatisfying finale,which you could've figured out twenty minutes into the movie. DirectorStephen Hopkins fails to extract a sense of eeriness from them and itwas more fun and scary when the Stephen Sommers enumerated them in "TheMummy"."The Reaping" has virtually no scares (unless you count the score'screscendo accented with a screech as scary) and even lesser sense.Honestly, I have more fun watching National Geographic's "Is It Real?"series.

george.schmidt 2012-04-20 01:06:27

Woeful hodgepodge of THE OMEN/THE EXORCIST/THE WICKER MAN & ROSEMARY'S BABY

THE REAPING (2007) * Hilary Swank, David Morrissey, Idris Elba, AnnaSophia Robb, Stephen Rea, William Ragsdale. Woefully pedestrian occultthriller that touchstones on "THE OMEN", "THE EXORCIST", "THE WICKERMAN", and "ROSEMARY'S BABY" in this hodgepodge horrorfest about aformer Christian missionary (Swank) who lost her faith and is now aprofessional religious phenom debunker who has her hands full in asmall town named Haven (!) that is going through the 10 biblicalplagues with a spooky young girl (Robb). Despite an intriguing premiseand decent visual effects the outcome is a rather laborious process(yes we get all 10 plagues!) and a lame 'twist' ending that only offersanother horrendous plague-to-be: a sequel! (Dir: Stephen Hopkins)