Synopsis:
Scott and Annie Russell (Michael Ealy and Meagan Good) couldn’t be happier after buying their dream home from a mysterious and lonely widower named Charlie Peck (Dennis Quaid) in Napa Valley, Calif. Their newfound paradise soon turns into a living nightmare when Charlie — still strangely attached to the house — begins to show up and interfere in their daily lives. When his erratic behavior turns to obsession, the young couple soon find themselves caught up in a violent confrontation that threatens to destroy everything they hold dear.
The Intruder was marketed as a thriller movie designed to give us the creeps about a mysterious ex-homeowner who just won’t leave you alone and yet, it felt more funny than frightening. The scenes that were meant to create tension and suspense just felt so awkward and problematic instead. Allow me to explain…
*MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD*
One of the biggest offenders is the script that felt undeveloped. I kept finding myself really frustrated with the plot of the movie because it would never explore the characters’ motives beyond the surface level. For example, it never made sense why this couple appeared to be so in love and yet struggled with trust issues. Or how Charlie kept getting inside the house despite Scott changing the locks of his home. Also, don’t even get me started on how Annie just left her husband Scott alone in a hospital who had to stay overnight for being injured with a concussion and we the audience were supposed to deem that as totally acceptable behavior. It was honestly quite laughable how horrible some of these plot holes were and why it did not serve to help this seemingly-thrilling movie.
I also had other issues with the movie. The cinematography was very bland and did not take advantage of the multiple opportunities it had to make the setting appear more frightening. I was also really disappointed by the sound design in the movie. The score felt cheap and cheesy, the sounds of doors opening and floors creaking were uninspired, and it did not it exploit all the other options it had to sound more like a scary movie.
Lastly, the acting was mediocrity at best. Michael Ealy was *okay* being the only grounded character throughout the entire movie but I have also seen him do way better in previous films.
What I really want to talk about is Meagan Good’s portrayal of Annie which did not work for me in the slightest bit. A total shame too because I absolutely loved her in Shazam. I am not exaggerating when I say that Annie is literally one of the dumbest characters I have ever seen in a movie. It was like as if the writers used her to be some sort of plot device to foolishly trust a clearly troublesome antagonist. The writers know how clever the audience is and because of that, I believe they wanted to manipulate our brains throughout the movie since we undoubtedly know no one can be THAT stupid in real life. To give you context, she tried to be a friend to Charlie but was absolutely clueless about what was going on right in front of her whenever he showed up at the house completely unannounced. I got really annoyed by how oblivious she was to what Charlie was trying to do to her and her relationship with her husband. By the end of the movie, I had enough of her airheadedness and was pretty much done with the character.
I have to give credit to Dennis Quaid, though, for playing the part of a creepy villain because I actually kinda bought it. He wasn’t *great* but I blame the lousy screenplay for not giving him much to work with. The other problem I had was that I felt Quaid was trying so hard to be just like Jack Nicholson from The Shining to the point where The Intruder even had an easter egg nearly identical to the iconic scene in the classic horror film. Like everything else I have mentioned, his performance just falls short.
I have to admit, though; if there was one thing that could save this movie for me, it was the energy from the audience. They were probably just as frustrated as I was about Annie’s inability to process logic sense and I almost always heard several groans every single time she made a stupid decision. It made me feel a little better knowing I was not the only one who had felt the same way. On the other hand, a lot of the jump-scare/thrilling moments from the movie were effective for the screening group I was with. I am the kind of person that thrives off of positive reactions from other moviegoers, so this actually made the viewing experience more amusing for me when I was getting impatient with the movie. People either screamed because they were genuinely scared whenever creepy Charlie appeared out of nowhere or laughed because, like me, they could not take any more of the nonsense that was unveiling before our eyes.
This would be the only reason why I would willingly watch this movie again – just to see how my friends engage and react to this cheesy thriller.
My score – ★★½
The Intruder will be playing in major theaters this Friday, May 3rd, 2019.
probably at the movies.
