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Sci-Fi-London 2015: The Visit Review

The VisitDirector: Michael Madsen.

Cast: Jacques Arnould, Paul Beaver, Dr. Sheryl Bishop, Lord Boyce, Dr. Ernst Fasan, Niklas Hedman.

Certificate: N/A

Running Time: 83 minutes

Synopsis: A documentary that looks at how the world might react to visits from extraterrestrial life.

The Visit (no, not the upcoming Shyamalan found footage film) is directed by Michael Madsen (no, not THAT one), a Danish documentarian with his eyes set on the skies for his latest effort. It’s a sort of non-documentary, in that it explores an event that hasn’t actually happened. If aliens ever grace us with their presence, you can bet it will be one of the most shocking and also the single most important event in the history of our existence. So it’s a shame that this hypothetical outlook is so dry.

Madsen has gathered together a team of experts from around Europe – perhaps US involvement would have added too much to the budget. Each talking head is asked a series of questions and given a set of scenarios, where they must take an educated guess as to what humanity’s reaction, and the reactions of governments, might be. A lot of those involved add some great insight into how things should go down, but with such little enthusiasm that you soon forget they are talking about aliens.

Granted, it’s nice to know those in charge will be able to keep their cool, but there are a lot of ‘former’s in the titles, meaning that Madsen was probably not able to get those who would be directly involved. Of course, we’re not expecting the likes of David Cameron to show up to give his two cents, but some current political big names could have added some credence to the work.

There are great moments of political agenda that is ignored by explosive Hollywood productions, one of the best being a collaborative effort in writing a greeting for the aliens. It’s a rare spot of dry humour that adds some character to the film. Unfortunately, the majority of theories and ideas just seem kind of obvious. Governments wouldn’t want to leak information to the press, a team of scientists would be the first to make contact etc. We get no reveal of shocking emergency protocol, and the most interesting aspect becomes the viewer themselves. We’re put in the role of the visitors, being referred to as ‘you’ throughout. This means that questions are directed right at us, and make us wonder how would feel from the aliens point of view.

The Visit is a very beautifully shot interesting concept, but is not much more. The intrigue and excitement soon wears off, and we’re left with important sounding people making guesses. Madsen does his best to conceal the budget, but at times the construction of certain ideas, such as the first man to enter an alien vessel, have to rely on artistic choices, such as a library becoming a substitute for a spacecraft. The gorgeous cinematography may give it an otherworldly feel, but it just becomes too much of a distraction. A nice idea, but those most interested in the premise will probably already be accustomed to such theories.

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Luke likes many things, films and penguins being among them. He's loved films since the age of 9, when STARGATE and BATMAN FOREVER changed the landscape of modern cinema as we know it. His love of film extends to all aspects of his life, with trips abroad being planned around film locations and only buying products featured in Will Smith movies. His favourite films include SEVEN SAMURAI, PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC, IN BRUGES, LONE STAR, GODZILLA, and a thousand others.

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