If you can dream "The X-Files" with Richard Gere and Laura Linney in the lead roles, then you have a fairly strict report of what to expect from "The Mothman" Prophecies. Based on events that occurred in Point Pleasant, West Virginia in the United States, this effectively creepy, but meandering piece of work follows the investigation in to a series of paranormal occurrences in the small town by Washington journalist John Klein as he is mysteriously drawn in to the strange things going on to the residents, who are otherwise normal and sane people. The film is very atmospheric, going for spine-tingling chills rather than cattle-prod bad dream movie scares, and the performances of the two stars are quite strong. However, director Mark Pellington does not quite focus the report sufficient to fully drive home the paranormal aspects to the story, leaving a film that is very watchable, but at the same time, not overtly satisfying by its conclusion. "The Mothman Prophecies" is an challenging film, but is forgettable after you've concluded it.
Although this film is based on actual events that occurred in the 1960's, director Pellington has chosen to disregard much of the information surrounding those events (apparently there were Ufos and Men In Black in the true story), instead focusing on the sightings of the "Mothman" and the Point Pleasant bridge collapse to hang his fictional story of journalist Richard Klein (Richard Gere) and his investigation of what is happening. The film begins with a fairly hum-drum romance subplot which takes an unexpected and incredibly dramatic turn when Klein's wife suffers major head injuries in a car urgency after she sees the Mothman flying right at her. The scene itself is quite chilling and sets the film off on a strong course, with Klein disturbed by the eerie drawings made be his wife in hospital of the "Mothman". He picks up the case two years later when he unknowingly drives all the way straight through the night to Point Pleasant, drawn by the same entity which has been witnessed by dozens of locals. Given the association to his wife's experience, Klein begins to investigate; an investigation which turns in to obsession when he discovers that the paranormal sightings are related to premonitions and prophecies of disaster which he believes he can avert if he can understand the paranormal occurrences.
Ufo Sightings
For a spooky thriller, the film has a lot going for it, but the film does stray and lose focus as it progresses, largely because it cannot find a balance in the middle of the paranormal sightings and the idea of premonitions. Is the film about strange entities impacting the lives of daily people, or is it about changing the course of the future? It seems that the lack of fusion in the middle of these two fundamental themes of the film mean that they should have been separated in to two different films, because they give off two different tones that friction when put together. They are both intriguing, but since they do not come together very well, the dramatic thrust does not work. As for the "Mothman" itself, there is only one sighting in the entire film (the chance car urgency sequence), and one eye study account. The rest of the film brings up spooky voices, weird voicemail messages and "oh my god, it came true!" moments. Again, watching the film is not a waste of time because it covers some challenging territory, but more work on seeing a clear theme would have made it great.
Richard Gere and Laura Linney do very respectable jobs in their starring roles, grounding the film in a reality that could have really not been there given the fantastical nature of the plot. This is especially true of Gere, particularly in the moments when he begins to impart with the entities via his hotel room phone; a consolidate of creepy moments where he looks at himself in the mirror are some of the best in the film, but his quality to make you believe in the weirdness of it all is commendable. Likewise Linney has to play in to this as well, and her grand moment comes at the end of the film when she finally understands the meaning of a premonition she had in a dream. It's a moment that she plays very well. Most of the acting moments in this film are quite strong, however, the subplot challenging a professor who has palpate with the "Mothman" does not work too well, largely due to the annoying direction that character takes as he 'explains' (or doesn't) the situation to Klein.
The visuals, soundtrack and yield institute are really first rate, giving a unique, rich and three dimensional aspect to the film. The swooping shots from the sky are particularly effective, giving the impression of something watching over the Point Pleasant town's people. The music is effectively creepy as well. As I mentioned in the chance to this review, the whole practice feels like an X-Files episode, but without the clarity needed to drive the dramatic points home.
"The Mothman Prophecies" is a good film to watch, but it does not hit the ball out of the park, and in some instances, struggles to hit the ball at all. It would make for a decent X-Files episode, but I speculate Mulder and Scully may have done great any way.
The Mothman Prophecies Film describe
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