Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

From my favorite movies..

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Communion is directed by Phillipe Mora and adapted for the screen by Whitley Strieber from his own book of the same name. It stars Christopher Walken, Lindsay Crouse and Francis Sternhagen. Theme music is by Eric Clapton, with the musical score by Allan Zavod. Photography is by Louis Irving, with locations for filming at Big Bear Valley and Running Springs in California."Based on the true story of one American family" It continues to be a controversial movie to this very day, its subject matter, that of alien abduction/experiments, one that ensures the most divisive of audiences. Director Mora insists it's a film for those of an open mind, triumphantly proclaiming that he made a deliberately ambiguous and agnostic film against the big studios wishes. The trouble here is not in the subject matter, for it is a fascinating story, true or not, the problem is that the director isn't sure what to do with such material. In his attempt to flip the finger at the big wigs refusing to back his movie, he's made a mess of a picture. At times genuinely creepy, potent even, at others laughable and tacky. Were it not for a powerhouse eccentric performance from Walken, this would not be worthy of further inspection. It also feels like a collage of other sub-genre movies, eschewing the philosophy and scientific theories of Strieber's best selling book, in favour of Walken wielding a shotgun and freaking out under the inevitable hypnosis treatment. Strieber would later claim dissatisfaction with the movie, which while consistent with his own inconsistencies, is quite understandable. Because whether you believe or not, at the core is an intriguing and provocative story, sadly this film, in trying to be smug, loses the plot quite early on. 5/10

***SPOILERS*** Based on the "true story" best selling book of the same name "Communion" has to do with the Strieber family in general and Whitley Strieber, Christopher Walken,in particular. Strieber claims to have been both contacted and abducted by aliens from outer space who have been conducting experiments with his genetic code or makeup since he was a little boy back in Texas! This all came back to Streiber after his latest abduction at his cabin in upstate New York in October 1985 when he was straying there with his wife Anne, Lindsay Crouse, ten year old son Andrews, Joel Carlson, and two friends Alex & Sarah, Andreas Katsulas & Terri Hanauer.Coming back home to New York City Streiber starts getting nightmares about his encounter in upstate New York and slowly starts to lose it. Thinking that he's going insane Streiber with his wife Anne insistence goes to see shrink or psychiatrist Dr.Janet Duffy, Frances Sternhagen, who deals with the kinds of mental problems that Strieber is now going through. It's when he learns that what he went through is very common among people who claim to be victims of alien abductions that Strieber really starts to freak out! It's then that all of Strieber's suppressed memories of his being abducted over the years by aliens from outer space starts to resurfaces in his by now very troubled mind. And with that Strieber instead of running away from them starts to confront his kidnappers and with that slowly learns the real reasons for their actions which is, if true, nothing short of mind boggling to say the least!The movie based on Whitley Striebers book and screenplay has developed over the years a large cult following among the UFO and alien abduction community. Strieber himself is fully convinced that he as well as thousands of other "alien abductees" are having their DNA material manipulated by aliens who are incapable of reproduction on their own! The aliens are using Streiber and other selected abductee's DNA material to create a hybrid race by somehow interbreeding with human beings, through artificial insemination, in order to keep them from dying out. If this is true the human race has no control of its own destiny or future and in fact may have been artificially created by the aliens themselves just to save them from becoming extinct. True or not the movie as well as book makes interesting reading as well as watching.

Whitley suddenly finds himself in an alien world, where once he tells his abduction story, he becomes subject of, strangely enough, his own ridicule, but also public skepticism. When his mind tells him something even his own, never mind outsiders, own logic rejects, he truly finds himself inside an alien nightmare of a reality. But this is the moment he has his "communion", when he changes as a person. The symbolism is powerful in this movie, suggesting that it's not what is obvious, but that there is a hidden meaning behind a life-altering experience.From a creative point of view, a story like this might be quite appealing, and regarded as extravagant, but how would we cope with somebody claiming to have lived such things? Or more, with our own minds telling us? And how are these things going to affect us? Are they going to derail us from our current paths, change our perception, or are we going to regard them as oddities beyond our grasp and understanding? There is a moment where Whitley says that they are all masks of God, perfectly underlining the fact that the strangest thing can actually be just a bit outside our roam of understanding, but still within some common frame of cosmic alignment. It's up to us weather we accept or reject it. Much of the movie is Walken's merit, because his performance compensates the lack of elaborate special effects and there are some occasions where his facial expression is enough to make your skin crawl.

I have read the book and seen the movie and wasn't disappointed by either. I am a Strieber fan so appreciated what risks he took to write this autobiographical novel. It's true the book does have a different feel to the movie. This is mostly due, I believe to, the director Philippe Mora and Christopher Walken's quirky yet memorable acting presence.This film is very eerie, frightening, surreal and disturbing. It's not a feel-good movie but is definitely thought-provoking, just like the novel.This is definitely one of Walken's best movies. I was impressed! Also Joel Carlson does a great job as Strieber's son, Andrew. The scenes involving his son and the other dream sequences are perhaps the most disturbing.I felt empathy for Strieber in Walken's very convincing performance. I felt drawn to the character and his family.I find myself watching this film every few years and as I do it is more rewarding each time. There are some very memorable lines in this movie that will stay with you long afterwards.If you like thought-provoking, eerie, movies involving alien abduction then this may be well worth your while.