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The Guest (2014)
Visually beautiful but unoriginal mash of violence
The myriad references to other films like The Terminator and Jason Bourne show how unoriginal this flick truely is. Although well acted and masterfully filmed, the plot is simply a little too predictable.
The positives about this film are well known to those who read other reviews here: David (Dan Stevens) is portrayed by a strong, charismatic actor who keeps you watching till the end. The good-looking characters, locations and outfits are all neatly displayed by a professional team of film makers. (Though I would be utterly surprised to find a waitress wearing a stunning outfit like that in real life.)
The catch, however, is the predictable truth behind the mysterious smile of main character David. I guessed he could either be a cyborg, a mutant, or some other superhuman creature. He turns out to be a military experiment by the government, my oh my. Accompanied by the obligate wave of violence and nearly indestructible qualities of the anti-hero (himself, David) in the story.
Ideologically, this movie is not far away from a glorification of violence and war. It seems logical that the viewer will root for the irresistible David, who lures every character towards weapons or drugs/alcohol. This character type could have been interesting, if it hadn't been used a million times before. The mould of an attractive, rebellious but lethal protagonist has been explored many times in the past.
As the film's income didn't surpass its budget, it's safe to say that it is more suitable as an example for upcoming directors of photography (hence the professional visuals) than for an average audience capable of predicting David's unrealistic martial art skills from miles away.