Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Invitation Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 2, 2022

The Invitation begins with most everyone's dream come true: a young, struggling artist discovers that she comes from wealth. Lots of wealth. And her newly found family is all too happy to bring her into the fold. However, this quickly turns into most everyone's worst nightmare: these rich relatives are actually bloodsucking vampires, and the head vampire has his eyes on this young girl to make her his newest bride. From Director Jessica M. Thompson comes The Invitation, a fairly grim but also fairly gripping little Horror film that angles to look at the classic Vampire film from a new perspective: the victim, and specifically a victim being groomed to become a vampiric bride. The film walks a fine line between dark and depraved and modern and accessible fairly well. The picture certainly favors its grim overtones, and rightly so, but there's just enough human connectivity with the main character to bring balance to the darkness and the various scares and bursts of violence that define the film at its most superficial level.

Evie (Nathalie Emmanuel) is an artist trying to make it in the world. She has lost both of her parents, and she is still grieving. One evening, she decides to send her DNA to a company called “Find Yourself” in hopes of learning about who she really is. What she learns will change her life. She discovers that she has a cousin in England who wants to meet up with her. He discloses her family history and provides her an all-expense paid trip to an impossibly beautiful English manor where she meets its lord, Walter De Ville (Thomas Doherty). “My home is your home,” he tells Evie. That will prove to be prophetic, to say the least, if everything goes according to plan. She is invited to stay for a wedding, which she does not know will be her own, and neither does she know the terrible secret about the family she is suddenly to marry into.

The Invitation doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it does spin the wheel in a different way. It’s a dark and brooding look and vampirism from a somewhat new perspective, with a heroine in the middle of a plot to unwittingly become a vampire’s wife. The film plods through the usual menagerie of contrivances until it reaches a predictable zenith. There are a few twists and turns at the end, but the audience will see them coming from early in the film; the camera lingers just long enough on a character to suggest that one or two may not be completely sold on the world in which they live, and it comes as no surprise that they are involved in the final act in a big way. Still, the film is good enough to hold interest, largely because of the incredible atmosphere and sound design at work.

Where this film really works is in its atmosphere. No, it's not some radical departure from the norm, but it is a very good example of the blend of sophisticated and grisly. Thompson cites her love for the Horror genre when she discusses her film, and it shows. She knows how to shoot a Horror atmosphere, a scary scene, and a violent finale with equal skill and understanding of how to make an effective movie. What The Invitation lacks in sheer novelty it makes up for with a striking command of the exterior construct. The location is just right, the color timing in post is spot-on, the costumes and art design are first-rate, and the actors really sink their teeth into it all, literally as the case may sometimes be.

The Invitation Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sony's 1080p Blu-ray release of The Invitation arrives on Blu-ray with a high yield, high quality presentation. The digitally sourced image is very clean with only light noise to contend with from time to time. The picture sparkles, even in darkness, and delivers impeccably sharp textures which capture the elegance, but underlying terrors, on all of the mansion furnishings. Even in low light, even in the most visually challenging shots, scenes, and sequences, the Blu-ray never wants for additional resolution power. Clarity extends to fine skin details and resplendent clothing textures as well. Color output is terrific. There is a nice blend of light and dark, vividness and blacks, at play, and the image offers sparkling primaries with the same attention to abundant life as it does the inkiest, truest blacks. This is a gorgeous image from Sony.

The Invitation Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The track dominates right out of the gate. Voices float through the stage, thunder cracks with impressive depth and lingering space, heavy footfalls set a chilling atmosphere, dark and foreboding sound effects punish the listening area, winds gust through, musical clarity is wide and immersive and precise, and dialogue is clear. The opening moments truly set the stage for the full audio experience. Indeed, Sony's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless track proves that there is still plenty of viable life in the classic 5.1 configuration. This is one of the most dynamic, intense, detailed, and engaging tracks on the market. The audio engineering is spectacular, revealing remarkable stage presence and precision detail to every element. There's not much more that needs to be said. This is one of the most fundamentally awesome tracks ever mixed and presented on Blu-ray. Home theater and film audio just don't get any better.

The Invitation Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of The Invitation includes bloopers, deleted and extended scenes, and three featurettes. Also included are two cuts of the film: the Theatrical (1:45:05) and Unrated (1:45:52) versions. No DVD copy is included. However, Sony has bundled in a Movies Anywhere digital copy code. A non-embossed slipcover is also included.

• Outtakes & Bloopers (1080p, 1:58): Humorous moments from the shoot.
• Deleted & Extended Scenes (1080p, 5:15 total runtime): Included are Have Some Tea, Library Discovery, and Alternate Ending: Undead.
• The Wedding Party - Meet the Cast (1080p, 6:19): As the title suggest, this piece looks more closely at the actors who populate the film. It also looks at the story and the characters' roles in it.
• Til Death Do Us Part - Production & Design (1080p, 6:25): The importance of a female-driven team, shooting locales in Hungary, small production details, costumes, the banquet scene, and more.
• Lifting the Veil - Designing the Story (1080p, 5:08): Building on Dracula lore from a perspective of a prospective Dracula bride. It also looks at staying true to the original Bram Stoker novel and more.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

The Invitation Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is a movie best enjoyed as a fine-tuned example of escapist Horror; it's not going to redefine the rulebook, but it does know its way around the genre. It strikes a great balance between its look, feel, story, and characters, emphasizing the former two but never forgetting about the latter two, either. Sony's Blu-ray delivers unquestionably reference audio and 1080p video that is right there with the soundtrack. The extras are not substantial but they satisfy; a director's commentary would have been most welcome. Recommended.