User reviews

Based on the excellent drama-horror book by Frank Peretti, this movie was more like a twisted, rewritten version done for film.

The story was reworked and exposition was changed, characters changed, until the master screenwriter came up with something more fitting for today's Hollywood- in other words the end results was cliché, badly cut, and dramatic in all the wrong places. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a B movie, it was better than most B movies I've seen. More like a B+ or an A-.

The editing and film style resemble a two hour long episode of CSI without the forensics- and CSI fans will notice that the cast is pretty much an entire ensemble of CSI extras.

In the end, its like they say, the book is always better. In this case the movie could have been just as good, but they decided to make it overly dramatic and hackneyed with little real character development and evolution.

Frank Peretti, I give you 2 thumbs up. Movie, you only get a tiny little knubby knuckle up.

Looks like the guy that wrote the review before me has some issues. I suspect the film affected him or her in a way that would be say, uncomfortable. My wife and I watched it tonight and were pleasantly entertained. We're both relatively fundamental Christians, and myself am very familiar with Frank Peretti since he wrote "This Present Darkness" in the late 80's. I will be recommending this movie to other believers I work with. It holds the viewer's attention, and alludes to a few New age religious areas that are not so healthy. Yoga being one of them. Sort of risky to do that and the truth may be painful to some. Predictable ending but hey, we know the end of the big story anyway. See it.

When I read the book "The Visitation" by Frank Peretti, I couldn't put it down. I loved every minute of it, and recommended it to all my friends and family as a "must-read". Mr. Peretti is a talented author, and has a way of pulling the reader into a story that twists and turns and keeps the reader on their toes. The movie did the the exact opposite. I realize that it is rare that a movie comes close to being as good as the book, but I was hopeful that the spirit of the book, the feeling of the book, or at least the BASIC story of the book be represented well in the movie. It wasn't. Sadly, it fell into the stereotype of a "christian-made" movie. Medeocre. (Which I find frustrating). This was an excellent book, with an excellent story to tell, and it did not deserve to be butchered the way it did. Not only was the story hacked to bits, but the acting was lacking and the cinematography at times was confusing and distracting. As much as I loved and recommended the book, I have to say that this is a movie to avoid.

the book is awesome, potentially life changing. the movie captures probably 1/8th of the content of the book. the book is about "doing church" and contrasting that with having a relationship with Christ. Its sharp and wise observations of people and their organizations alternately enlighten and bring tears. I've wanted my wife to read the book for a long time and watching the movie together sent the completely wrong message. so many characters and stories are missing only to focus on the weakest part: the actual supernatural activities of the false "Christ". The background stories are what make the book so powerful. I can understand that they would make the move too long and actually push the film into another genre, but I was disappointed at what was actually there.

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.

I rented this movie recently. I never read the original novel, but I knew of Frank Peretti's works. Honestly, I wasn't expecting anything great, but I must say I was surprised to find the film pretty good. Not earth shattering good, but quite a decent flick. For a low-budget, direct to DVD supernatural thriller, I think it's a step above the usual. Quality wise the acting, direction, and special effects is better than most faith based films like "Left Behind". The mystery element to the plot is what kept me watching. Trying to figure out what's happening is what I think helps drive the story. There is suspense, but it's not really too scary. However, I would recommend parents to watch this film with children under 13. I think the PG-13 rating is quite appropriate for the film's content. In the end, "The Visitation" is overall a good picture. Nothing I would buy, but something worthwhile to rent. Recommended.

I really had no desire to go and see this movie. I was more or less dragged along because we had an extra ticket. Sitting through the opening scenes my thoughts on the movie were pretty much the same except that the camera work was kind of weird. However as the movie went on I actually started to enjoy it. I thought the plot was pretty good and a lot of what was going on throughout the movie was explained by the end. I would say what they were but I would probably give parts away for those who haven't seen it yet. I would also have to agree with one of the other reviewers that this is a horror movie but in the style of Alfred Hitchcock, not anything like Saw or most modern horror flicks but more of just something to creep you out. When comparing to other Christian-based movies, I thought this one came out very well despite the lack of money they had to make it. The message comes across well stated and the movie was well done. I would recommend this title for anyone who is curious about whether or not they want to see it.

Other than the budget, I went into this film knowing very little about it. I must admit that, for the first half-hour or so, I was distracted by the unusual shooting style which didn't seem to fit the flow of the story. However, as the film moved along, the jagged, misframed shots made more and more sense.

As the story unfolded, I found myself increasingly intrigued, and even uneasy. Peretti has a talent for hooking his audience, and then taking them for an unusual ride, and "The Visitation" was no exception.

For the minimal budget, this ended up being a very strong effort. I would definitely recommend it for teens and older audiences, but it may be a little too creepy for younger kids.

...don't expect much. BARELY even the same plot.

As a stand alone movie, this may have been decent. I am a Christian, and after having read the book, I was expecting a movie with at least a small amount of spiritual content. The book is a tale of a spiritual journey, and a very moving story at that. This movie was so far stripped of anything meaningful, I cannot possibly recommend it.

I have seen many movies adapted from books, and this was by far the worst adaptation I have ever seen. I would imagine and fully expect that Frank Peretti is very unpleased with what has been done to his story. The creators of the movie have taken an extremely meaningful book and changed it into a two-bit horror flick. Very disappointed.

If you want to know the real story, read the book. Do not waste time or money on this movie. I HIGHLY recommend the book though!

Sometimes I'm presented with the challenge of making sense of Christian entertainment. Working in Christian radio a number of weird videos pass across my desk. Today the promotions manager at work handed me a wild looking DVD and asked me If I would watch it and tell her if I thought it was safe for a family audience. What I was treated to was probably the silliest "supernatural" thriller I have ever seen.

THE VISITATION, based on the best selling novel by FRANK PERETTI, tells the tale of a Pastor named Travis, who lost his faith when he lost his wife, and of a town in the middle of a spiritual crisis. The town of Antioch has experienced a series of weird religious miracles. A boy survives a deadly car crash without a scratch, a man is healed of knee pain when he touches the tears that come from a wooden crucifix, a picture of Jesus has shown up in a mildew stain on a shower wall, and the local shopkeeper has gotten out of his wheelchair and walked. Then, a stranger named Brandon Nichols (Edward Furlong) comes to town ans is seen as the man who made all these miracles happen, so obviously the town embraces him as the second coming of Christ. But alas things may not be what they seem, and it's up to Travis and Antioch's new Veterinarian (Kelly Lynch) to figure out just what is going on.

I guess in every group there is a special language that outsiders can't quite understand. In evangelical Christianity we call it "Christianese." THE VISITATION is steeped in it. Even I felt like I needed a refresher course. If your not familiar with the lingo most of this film will make little sense. Every moment of the film seemed to be predicated on some basic Christian Theology without any entry way for those who are not familiar to catch up. It also renders a lot of the dialogue corny and contrived.

But if you can get past that you probably won't even be able to figure out just what the movie is trying to say. There is no logic to the world that created in this film. Good and Evil may be defined but why can someone cast out a demon in one scene and not be able to do it in another scene? Are the demons really demons? If they are really Demons how exactly do they manifest themselves as humans? Why go through all the trouble anyway? These questions are surprising because normally Frank Peretti as an author defines Evil in terms that make sense and because he is listed as one of producers on the film the rough script by Brian Godawa (TO END ALL WARS) had to have passed his desk at some point during the production. Is his novel as convoluted as the screenplay? I would hope not.

I especially loved the nod to "CSI" as the plucky Vet (Kelly Lynch) uses an a CAT scan to read a piece of newspaper. It seems to be the only reason that her character is a vet, is so that someone can use this machine to gleam absolutely nothing that is important. But I laughed as that black piece of paper was run through the machine. It was silly.

More importantly who the heck came up with the ending of this film? I've seen some really bad closing moments in movies but THE VISITATION'S hokey ending actually mad me laugh. It is easily the dumbest closing moment I've ever seen. It involves a chisel and a Bible and it really does have to be seen to be believed.

As for the cast you really can't blame them for their performances they're as good as they can be. Randy Travis plays the dull pastor whose faith never waivers with as much passion as he can. Martin Donovan gives Travis enough passion to keep his performance watch able, and Kelly Lynch does what she can with the damsel in distress role. As for Edward Furlong he gets the Christian Slater award of excellence for his over the top tirade in the closing minutes of the film.

Don't rent this movie unless your prepared to toss popcorn at the TV and laugh heartily at its complete and utter insanity. This is a bad movie and if you like that kind of thing this will be your cup of tea. If not flee far away from THE VISITATION, oh and by to answer my promotions director this film is not safe for a family audience.

In Antioch, the former Father Travis Jordan (Martin Donovan) lost his faith on God three years ago when his beloved wife was murdered and the criminals never found. Suddenly, miracles happen in the little town: the son of the newcomer and veterinary Morgan Elliot (Kelly Lynch) survives a car accident without a single scratch; Travis's dog Max revives after being buried; a paraplegic walks; a wounded woman and her father with brain tumor heal. In all the events, three men wearing black were seen, and then the unknown Brandon Nichols (Edward Furlong) claims to be Jesus Christ. The local population worships Brandon, while Travis and Morgan feel that something is wrong and conduct an investigation, disclosing that evil has possessed the dwellers.

"The Visitation" is a great film that begins like an episode of "X-Files" and has a very scary conclusion. The intriguing story is disclosed only in the end, when it seems that there is no more hope for the good against evil, and I am impressed with the imbecile associations with Christians that I glanced in IMDb. "The Visitation" is a great horror movie, no matter if you are atheist or religious, with a good story of the fight between good and evil. My advice is, if you like horror films, watch this movie and you will not regret. The flaw in the story is the accident with Michael Elliot, who stays safe and sound in the end. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Visitante" ("The Visitor")

The movie it's self was made well the problem I had with it was the plot. My husband and I were very disappointed and even a little angry to find that the movie barely resembles the book it is based on. I honestly wonder if the folks making the movie even read the book, it is almost as if someone came to work one day and said "I just read a really good book here is generally what it's about" and that is what the movie is based on. I do not mean to insult anyone but I just felt so strongly about this. We bought the movie right away because we wanted to support Christian movies and we were sorely disappointed. The characters were all messed up and wrong and the location of certain events were wrong. I just have to wonder what Frank Peretti thought of the movie. I know that you can't make a movie just like the book and due to budget and time constraints some dramatic license must be taken, but this was way off the scale of acceptable adaptations. If I hadn't read the book I would have liked the movie it was a good story, and it was pretty wall made. We will continue to support Christian movie endeavors, thank you for doing it. Just in the future, read the book.

I read the book several years ago, so I can't say whether it follows the story very faithfully. Regardless, it's quite a good movie. Peretti is a fantastic author, and can hold a reader's (or viewer's) attention. I like this better than Hangman's Curse, and this is more adult-oriented. We watched this with our 13 year old son and 11 year old daughter. They had to look away quite often when things got frightening. It was surprising to check out some of the main (and even minor) characters and see how many movies they have done. The acting was professional; some of the filming techniques were inconsistent and shaky. Even if you're not interested in "Christian" stories, if you like suspense/horror movies, you will enjoy this movie. For a relatively low-budget film, it's well worth the time. I'll watch it again!

The Visitation was a good suspenseful film. Good acting from a solid experienced cast helped the storyline keep you interested and it was nice to see a movie that refrained from drowning in special effects. I wasn't impressed with Edward Furlong in Terminator 2, but he was young and has come a long way in my opinion toward good believable acting. Furlong is moving up on my list of actors that trigger me to watch a film. I have not read the book, and probably won't because of this film. If you are a true believer, this film will most likely leave a bad taste in your mouth, but then most films would probably do that. If you like conspiracy and supernatural mind control type thrillers, then this is for you. Good camera work, little gore, and passable dialog.

If you want to ruin any chance of a good film then cast Edward Furlong in a leading role. Apparently the makers of "The Visitation" weren't worried about the quality of their film, because they did exactly that.

Dark angels set the stage for a false messiah who gains a small town's discipleship through healing of various ills. A once-pastor, now unbeliever suspects something amiss. With the aid of the town's veterinarian, they set out to expose the devil and make his true purpose known.

The plot is interesting enough, and I thought fairly above average in the clever department. It was when I saw Edward Furlong cast as a Jesus-wanna-be, that I lost hope.

O.K, so not a bad movie in terms of acting etc,.. BUT the whole story was SO watered down to make it supposedly palatable for the secular audience. The question is WHY? If Christians can't get across the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then we are wasting our time and everybody else's, and that is exactly what this movie does. Seriously, if Christians truly believe that without Christ, the world is going to Hell, then are we supposed to give them an "in flight movie" to watch during the trip??!! or are we going to try to change their destination?

Particularly annoying to me was the way the preacher conducted the "exorsisms",.. "And Jesus said come out!"....I'm sure demons are more aware of what Jesus "SAID" than we are, but that little historical quote won't make one leave, the scriptures are clear that we must ask in Jesus' NAME. That small typo would make the world of difference in a real life situation, the pastor would've ended up getting his butt beat by a raving demoniac!!

If anyone is thinking of screening this movie as an outreach, forget it. There's no real Gospel content, run a Bookclub and review the book instead, it's the real deal.