Director: Mark Pellington
Venue: DVD
DVD Features: music video
Trailer
The trailer for this movie gave me chills from beginning to end. Often, the teaser for a film will do that, whereas the actual movie makes somewhat less of an impact. This was not the case with The Mothman Prophecies. Not only did the trailer raise hairs on the back of my neck, but I got that feeling constantly throughout the feature as well. I should mention though, that I have not read the book of the same name and doing so may have given me a different perspective. (I encourage anyone who has read the novel to leave a comment about your experience as pertains to the cinematic version.)
According to the closing message, The Mothman Prophecies, is based around an actual phenomenon experienced globally. People have reported seeing visions of a winged humanoid (mothmen) prior to catastrophic or otherwise significant events. Such is the case with John Klein’s wife (Debra Messing), just before their car careens off the road. In the hospital, following the accident, Mary fills a notebook with sketches of the shadowy creature she glimpsed. Some years afterward, John (Richard Gere) gets into his car and suddenly finds himself in West Virginia, hundreds of miles away, with no recollection of the journey. A bizarre experience leads him to meet Connie Mills (Laura Linney), a local law enforcement officer. When she mentions her recent troubles with citizens seeing “visions”, Klein decides to stick around and investigate.
Plot: 4 stars
I don’t usually go in for movies starring Richard Gere. It’s not that he is a horrible actor, he just isn’t on my list of favorites. The actors in this movie, however, all do a stand-up job in their roles. Linney makes a great small-town cop, trying to be skeptical but open at the same time. Gere is mostly convincing as a grieving reporter trying to wrap his head around the supernatural. Some combination of the story line and the performances really makes The Mothman Prophecies tingle.
Acting: 3 stars
Most of the action in this movie is consolidated into the climax. This is where all of the explosions and car crashes take place. However, the audience is made to sweat in anticipation of that climax via plenty of tension and de ja vue sensations. The Mothman Prophecies isn’t suffering due to its lack of combat, gunfire or chase scenes. The pace of the film is on target with keeping the audience interested.
Action: 3 stars
It’s not necessary to have a high degree of CGI in Mothman, so very few of the visual effects are achieved this way. One neat thing to watch for is the use of light and arrangement of objects that suggest the Mothman shape. Some shots are more obvious than others. Aside from that fun little visual, the movie is fairly unremarkable as far as effects are concerned.
Visual: 3 stars
The most intense scene dialogue-wise is Klein’s phone conversation with Ingrid Cold. Although somewhat spoiled by the trailer, it’s still creepy. It was well put together and succeeded in generating suspense and chills. The rest of the movie is fairly “blah” as far as characters’ verbal interactions.
Dialogue: 3 stars
To wrap up, despite starring one of my least favorite actors, The Mothman Prophecies was a great experience to watch. I love movies that deal with eerie coincidence! So, I’ve marked it on my list of movies to buy, as long as a good deal comes along.
Alternate viewing choice: The Ring
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