Review of The Visitation

I disagree with the posters who advise to read the book before watching the movie. You should read the book *after* watching this movie, because otherwise you will not be able to watch this entire film without rolling your eyes or muttering under your breath. Books are always hard to adapt to the screen, but this film goes below the level of exception. Most of the characters are one-dimensional; even the character of Travis Jordan is given just enough depth (an ex-pastor, who lost with his faith with the death of his wife) to make the viewer have to like him, because he is the "good guy". I especially have to take note of the character of Brandon Nichols. In the book, Brandon is portrayed as a charming and handsome man with a charismatic personality and enigmatic air that makes him so appealing to the simple folks of Antioch. However, in this film Brandon looks like an unwashed, frail-looking hobo with a scraggy beard, who while down and out on the streets of the city, decided to start his own cult for the money, fame, and women. Edward Furlong does the best he can with the material, but it still isn't enough to convince the viewer that he could be the messiah.

The special effects are cheesy at best, but that can be forgiven with the low budget. The filmmakers tried too hard to find middle ground by targeting both Christian and non-Christian audiences, and it shows in the script. On the one hand, the film wants to be a horror movie, but lacks the subtle creepiness to make it truly frightening or disturbing. On the other hand, the film wants to retain its Christian roots and produces Christian lingo and ideas that are too religious for secular audiences.