REVIEW: The Visitors

The Visitors is one of those films that I constantly remember seeing on the shelf of my local Blockbuster many years ago. This specific poster was not only on the cover of the VHS, but on Netflix. The image of a stereotypical knight in hip shades and carrying a stop sign for some reason conjures images of a radical 90's comedy, probably starring Paulie Shore. There'd be jokes about time-traveling knights experiencing things like skateboards and Nintendo games, they'd probably befriend some kid and help him fight his jean-vest-wearing bullies; it writes itself. Just looking at it, one would have absolutely no idea that this is actually a French film starring Jean Reno. 

The film concerns Godefroy de Montmirail (Reno), a stalwart knight in the year 1123. After an accident involving a witch-induced hallucination and a crossbow, a disgraced Godefroy seeks the assistance of a local wizard. The wizard concocts a potion to send Godefroy back in time to prevent his accident from ever taking place, but ends up hurling the knight and his vassal, Jacquouille (Christian Clavier), forwards through the ages, stranding them in far-off 1993. Anachronistic antics ensue as the two attempt to adjust to modern life while conversely trying to concoct a new potion and return home.

It's standard stuff, and it's a real shame that the plot doesn't offer more surprises. There's a few interesting moments (such as when Godefroy's signet ring is both on his finger and in a display case at the same time) that are altogether unexplored. The only time the film really thinks outside the box is in regards to Jacquouille's descendant, Jacquard (also played by Clavier). When you're given a concept that involves time travel and magic, literally anything is possible. However, the film plays it safe to a fault; what's here is for the most part good, but it could have definitely been something more.

While it may have been due to the obvious language barrier, I found the script to be pretty repetitive and clunky at times. There's a lot of dialog that goes seemingly nowhere (when one would expect it to be used to set up a joke down the line) and the entire second act is a slog, using the same formula over and over again (the time travelers are confused about modern times, they break something, Godefroy's descendant's husband reacts angrily). There's also a few moments early on that imply some sort of romantic feelings between Godefroy and his descendant, Béatrice (Valérie Lemércier, who is under the impression that the knight is actually her long-lost cousin, suffering from amnesia). Whether or not the incestuous undertones are meant to be played off as a joke, I found it simply didn't jive with the tone of the rest of the film. That said, there are more than a few really excellent lines here and there (particularly the running gag of adding "-eth" onto the end of common words or Jacquoiulle's enthusiasm for repeating modern words and phrases) and the physical humor is all top-knotch. I never would have guessed Jean Reno could be so adept at slapstick, but he and Clavier work excellently together. There isn't much high-concept humor here, but the performances of the main characters are what sells it. It's not all gold, but when it works, it works well.

Despite its sometime repetitive nature and mediocre second act, I still found The Visitors to be a fun time. It's nothing revolutionary and the first act is easily the best part of the movie, but it could have certainly been far worse, given the premise. When you look at the type of comedy that was prevalent in the 90's and marry that with a concept like "a medieval knight is transported through time to 1993", it's something of a small miracle that this turned out to actually be a charming, funny, and for the most part clever flick.