Cassie Grant is a young American traveling on foot in England who gets hit by a car. The driver invites her to stay at her large estate with her husband, an art historian researching a recently-uncovered church nearby. Cassie's apparent amnesia gives way to disturbing visions related to the church, and a group of individuals in the village who seem to have sinister motives.This early-2000s supernatural horror romp has been on my radar for years, but it took over a decade before I actually sat down to watch it. It feels very much like a product of its time-the early 2000s, when supernatural thrillers of this sort were very much en vogue. What's unfortunate about "The Gathering" is that it is conceptually a very intriguing film with an engaging premise. As much as it is by-the-numbers, the narrative did draw me in.Where the film falters is its tonal inconsistencies and pacing. The cinematography is quite gorgeous, with the English locales vividly captured with atmosperhic flair, but there is a choppiness to the proceedings that give it the feel of a made-for-TV movie. I have read that it was truncated, so it is possible that there is a fuller cut of the film somewhere, but the released version feels like it has missing components that would have developed the character relationships a bit better.Christina Ricci is solid as always, though her performance does feel floppy at times, and there is some dialogue that comes off contrived. Ioan Gruffudd plays the tall, dark & handsome stranger/quasi-love interest and is serviceable. Stephen Dillane and Kerry Fox are quite good as the husband and wife who take in the American traveler.In the end, "The Gathering" is a mildly fun popcorn horror movie that could have been much more than it was. Whether the result of sloppy writing or sloppy editing, it feels underdeveloped, and that is its main problem. If you enjoy by-the-numbers supernatural thrillers, though, it is quite entertaining. 6/10.

Despite promise throughout, THE GATHERING is a rather weak slice of horror that proves perfectly watchable but comes across as an extended episode of MIDSOMER MURDERS more than anything else. It has that cosy TV movie feel to it, despite the odd burst of violence, and the play-it-safe script from popular author Anthony Horowitz doesn't break new ground at any point.The story begins with an American tourist involved in a car accident where she obtains a serious head injury. Suffering amnesia, she goes to live with a household in a village, and soon grows close to a young boy in the family. However, she's plagued with violent premonitions of his death. Meanwhile, the boy's father is uncovering the mystery of a mural depicting the last days of Christ.THE GATHERING is a sometimes-atmospheric production that occasionally brings to mind the air of spooky mystery in something like THE WICKER MAN. Unfortunately, more often than not it falls flat, thanks to weak plotting and a generally unfocused storyline. Christina Ricci feels out of place and it doesn't help that her character is one of those protagonists who doesn't actually have anything to do with the main storyline. Ioan Gruffudd is there for his looks alone, although Stephen Dillane (GAME OF THRONES) is more interesting as the father figure. The likes of Kerry Fox, Robert Hardy, and Simon Russell Beale barely get a look in during this oddly muted and non-suspenseful tale.

I found the storyline of this film interesting and different, but still I was disappointed after seeing the film. There were several things that weren't working. Foremost for me was the acting. Christina Ricci and Ioan Gruffud were both a huge disappointment. There was no depth to their characters and acting, so I as a viewer couldn't care less what happened to them in the end. Also the pacing of the film was not really working. There is too much running around and the relationship between Cassie and Michael is emphasized too much, at the cost of for example the relationship between Cassie and Dan. I had a strong feeling that the film was cut too short. Another fifteen minutes could have made a huge difference in ways of adding to the plot and the depth of the characters. One thing that really annoyed me, was the way Cassie every five minutes was calling out for Michael, and the little boy in question wheezing and moaning. Children with asthma have been seen on film so many times I can't even count them, so it annoys that they had to put one in this film, too. And one thing I can't understand is, why Michael first was mute and then all of the sudden started to talk again, and nobody paid any attention to this! So random!I have only seen the DVD-version, so I don't know if the extra 10 minutes made the film any better, but I have to say I'm very, very glad they cut the sex scene off. I hate the "mandatory sex scenes" that appear in almost every film, whether they fit in the story or not.All in all, the Gathering could have been an excellent movie, but as it is, it's shamefully lacking in many ways. Without Ricci, despite of her not so great acting, this film would have been a total flop. Now it is an OK film that you can watch when you're bored, but which doesn't leave any lasting impressions.

I found my copy of "The Gathering" in a shop in Amsterdam (as the movie was not available in the U.K. at the time) and was truly excited by the prospect of finally watching it comfortably sat at home. Why? Because of the quite exciting premise of course! A church from the 1st century depicting the crucifixion through an unusual angle (from behind) is uncovered in the English West country. Simultaneously, Cassie Grant, an American drifter gets hit by a car and looses her memory. Settling down temporally with the car driver, her husband and two children, Cassie is assaulted by a series of visions and nightmares while being quite obviously watched by strangers; strangers bearing strong resemblance to the bas-reliefs on the walls of the newly uncovered church. Soon, Cassie discovers that those strangers are The Gathering, willing witnesses of the human tragedies and miseries… Now how's that for promising? And sadly that is where the excitement ends, pretty much.Where "The Gathering" could have benefited from a more punchy direction, Brian Gilbert, obviously inexperienced in the genre, blandly illustrates his script without much of a spark of passion for its interesting concept. The results turns what could have been an exciting and unique horror movie into a somewhat run of the mill supernatural thriller (as directors like to call their films when embarrassed by the "horror" tag). Anne Dudley's score is pretty decent although flirting too much with Jerry Goldsmith's partition for "Basic Instinct" at times.The whole cast is doing a pretty good job except for Christina Ricci and there lies the main problem. The movie would have definitely benefited from being an all around British production rather than a simple vehicle for its lead actress. Therefore, exit any possibility of subversive or challenging ideas (and considering its original concept there could have been plenty) since the movie is just and ONLY a commercial venture. In that respect, the final scene where Christina's redeeming her character through that "little-girl-that-once-witnessed-something-terrible" little story is down right ridicule. Actually, it wouldn't have been that terrible if she had seemed to care about it at all. But Ricci SO obviously doesn't that it quickly becomes embarrassing watching her insipid performance all throughout. Either that or she's actually not that a good actress.