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The Mothman Prophecies

The Mothman Prophecies

List Price: $14.94
Your Price: $11.95
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Effectively Creepy and Something New
Review: Mothman is one of those rare movies that comes out with a 50/50 chance because of it's different plot and a "not so sure" reaction. But comes to be a great thriller that gets under your skin and twists and turns at every dark corner. Accompanied by eerie music and a dismal atmosphere, Mothman is a great psychological thriller that delivers chills, thrills, and a clever twist of an ending.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Based On True Events? I'm Skeptical
Review: I remember hearing and reading about the Mothman years before this film came out. There have been many 'Man' creatures that have been reported. Everything from Skunk Man to Lizard Man, but I believe the Mothman is most interesting. The fact that many people have seen this thing and reported it, all having similar descriptions is just creepy. Naturally, I was interested in this movie because of this. Ultimately, I thought it portrayed the Mothman phenomenon pretty poorly. The first thing that I find bad about this film is its lack of a convincing story. The fact that the box says Based On True Events really means nothing. The film "Titanic" was based on true events as well. They base a fictitious plot around a true event. "Based" is your key word. I believe that's what they did here. The Mothman accounts in West Virginia were real, but the story happening around that event was put in. I could be wrong, but it seems to me that the film relied on those four words to push its story. That was the major problem I found in the film. Another problem I found was there really wasn't enough Mothman in the film. All the Mothman was was an electronic voice on a phone which got really repetitive after the fifth time he called. They should've focused more on encounters with the Mothman. In the last twenty minutes of the film I nearly forgot that there was a Mothman involved. Other than that, there were some good parts to the film, mainly dealing with the predictions of the Mothman coming true. And Richard Gere's departure from grandmotherly romantic comedy films for a second in this film was nice. When the day comes when they stop making movies, I'll recommend this.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Flawed but fascinating thriller, stylish to a fault
Review: Following the loss of his wife in a fatal traffic accident, a successful journalist (Richard Gere) is strangely drawn to the small town of Point Pleasant in West Virginia where sightings of a weird moth-like creature appear to foretell a devastating tragedy...

Mark Pellington's portentous drama "The Mothman Prophecies" (2001) claims to be based on actual events surrounding a disaster on the Ohio River in 1967. Stylish to a fault, the film develops a keen sense of foreboding as Gere's world is transformed by his wife's mysterious death, leading to a series of genuinely creepy episodes as soon as he arrives in Point Pleasant (eg. Gere's 'first' encounter with Will Patton, his 'telephone conversation' with the Mothman, etc.). Apparently, neither Gere nor director Pellington were interested in making a conventional 'monster movie', opting instead for a series of bizarre plot twists and sudden shocks, linked to various glimpses of the title creature in a number of clever disguises. Scripted by Richard Hatem ("Under Siege 2") and based on John A. Keel's non-fiction book (an overview of the entire Mothman phenomenon), the film exhausts its sleight-of-hand trickery around the halfway mark and subsequently loses some of its forward momentum, despite a welcome cameo appearance by acting heavyweight Alan Bates as a grizzled professor whose personal encounters with the eponymous Mothman have reduced him to a shadow of his former self. Elsewhere, the movie is lifted by an explosive climax, but this remarkable sequence seems a little hollow and inconclusive, despite the elaborate pyrotechnics, perhaps because the characters have been kept at arms-length throughout the narrative, playing second fiddle to the unfolding mystery. For all its drawbacks, however, "The Mothman Prophecies" - clearly inspired by the recent popular success of like-minded chillers "The Blair Witch Project" (1999) and "The Sixth Sense" (1999) - is mature, intelligent, and often deeply unsettling, and both Laura Linney ('Tales of the City') and Debra Messing ('Will & Grace') are excellent in crucial supporting roles. Good title, too.

Photographed in Super 35 by cinematographer Fred Murphy ("Stir of Echoes", "Soul Survivors"), Columbia Tristar's region 1 DVD - which runs 118m 39s - contains both a full-screen and letterboxed (2.35:1) version of the film, the latter anamorphically enhanced. The image is crisp, solid and colorful, and the Dolby 5.1 soundtrack is both immersive and eerie, making a particular virtue of the modern-Gothic score by 'music and sound design house' Tomandandy. English captions and subtitles are provided, along with a trailer and music video.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Needs more...
Review: I was really looking forward to this movie for awhile and as always I expect too much from a movie like this. My first complaint was that the being was never really seen. There was always some type of blur too quick to get an idea of what that thing looked like. Other than that the story keeps you on the edge of your seat. The movie seems too outrageous to be based on true events but it is good enough to buy. My advice is to rent it first then go from there.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Who is Indrid Cold?
Review: I really enjoyed this movie, and to me it was much more intriguing than the book. I read John Keel's book after seing the trailer for the movie and doing some research on the Internet; I found it extremely unbelievable and not very well-written. Keel gives his theories and tries to explain how and why everything happened to the reader, which is opposite of what the movie did--the film leaves you with many unanswered questions, which is fine with me because I like unsolved mysteries that no one can explain. What really happened in Point Pleasant, West Virginia? Nobody really can answer that question with certainty.

On to the movie, the film starts with John Klein(Richard Gere) and his wife, Mary(Debra Messing), looking at a house they're interested in buying. The two of them seem to be newly married and very happily in love. On the way home from the house, Mary sees something. She looks closer, not sure what it is--and then whatever it is hits the car, which sends it spinning out of control, and Mary ends up being badly injured. While in the hospital, Mary starts drawing pictures of a winged creature with two blazing red eyes--the Mothman. She asks her husband: "You didn't see it, did you?". I won't go into anymore details about what happens after, because it will reveal too much. What I can tell you is that strange things start to happen to John Klein, and they all seemed to be related to this winged creature and a place called Point Pleasant. The more he learns about what's happening there, the more he is drawn into the mystery.

Mothman Prophecies has a very eerie feel to it. There are not many scenes that will have you jumping from your seat--it's more a creepy feeling of dread which heightens the tension with each passing moment. There are some great performances by Laura Linney, Will Patton and Debra Messing, but Richard Gere really steals the show. He gives a terrific performance as John Klein, a man that is close to losing his mind trying to solve the mystery of Point Pleasant. I really related to what his character was going through. Great job of directing by Mark Pellington--he keeps the pace moving just fast enough to keep it interesting. Overall, a great film, especially if you're are interested in the paranormal and unsolved mysteries.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: All Hail Ye Mothman!
Review: The Mothman Prophecies, while holding several plot holes, is a very entertaining film. The movie is well directed and well acted to a very intriguing storyline. The film is about Richard Gere's character losing his wife in a freak car accident. Then ending up in some town in West Virginia without knowing how he got there. He starts finding out all kinds of weird stuff, then he ends up communicating with the "Mothman"

The movie held my attention all the way through even though it has some slow moving scenes and I thought the actors did a wonderful job. Especially the actor that plays "Gordon" I forgot his name off hand. If you're into sci-fi or mystery type movies, then this is a good pick for you. But I think it's either a hit or miss film so you might want to watch it before you buy it.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good cast, lots of tension, but ultimately weak ending
Review: "The Mothman Prophecies" has a spooky atmosphere, several creepy moments, and some good acting, but, overall, this horror thriller is less than satisfactory. Though set in the present, it is loosely based on events alleged to have occurred in a small West Virginia town in the 1960s.

John and Mary [Richard Gere and Debra Messing] are a happily married couple living in Washington DC. One night they are in an auto accident, and Mary is badly injured. She asks John if he saw 'it' before the wreck. He doesn't know what she is talking about. She begins to draw pictures of a moth-like creature, but before he can figure anything out, she dies. A few months later, John has to drive down to Richmond, VA. Somehow he winds up hundreds of miles off course in West Virginia. He has no way of accounting for this. Soon he is running into people who have seen the same creature his wife saw. John decides to investigate and is assisted by the local sheriff [Laura Linney]. As he searches for the mothman, he increasingly gets the feeling that something disastrous is about to happen.

Photographically, the movie is excellent. The actors give their best shots to their rather limited characters. The problems are in the screenplay. The creature is never clearly seen, and its purpose is only vaguely defined. The story tries to get around these weaknesses by switching directions at the end. I won't say how because it would spoil the plot. While the ending is spectacular and exciting, it's almost as if it belongs in a different movie. A happy ending seems tacked on, and the audience is still left wondering where the creature came from and what it wanted.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Perfect Thriller!
Review: Don't watch this movie alone. Sound effects throughout the DVD left me jumping and looking over my shoulders. Cinematography was spooky. The vivid picture quality brought to life every aspect of the movie. You may have trouble sleeping. The story line is new and works great. Some parts were slow but finding out what happenings next keeps the interest fresh.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Put some moth balls on it
Review: The Mothman Prophecies was a major disappointment. With a good concept, terrific actors, and a proven director, you would think this would be a terrifying film. It was not terrifying. Actually, at times it was laughable.

Even the claim that it is based on "true events" doesn't make me the least bit scared. Anytime a movie is based on a true story, you know that things have been fudged to make the movie more interesting. And sometimes, like in this case, I don't know how they can even consider it to be based on anything, besides an idea.

Richard Gere put out a decent performance. I've definitely seen better by him, and I've seen worse. Laura Linney was good as the town cop. And Debra Messing had a small role. I feel that if her role was more developed and expanded on, the movie would have benefited.

Mark Pellington did a terrible job directing it. It was way over done. There were too many out-focus-shots. There were scenes in which needed to be cut out of the movie because they had absolutely nothing to do with it. They could have chopped off about 10-15 minutes. I don't understand how he could go from a terrific movie like Arlington Road to this train wreck.

The one plus about The Mothman Prophecies is the music. It's the only thing that kept me interested at all.

The Mothman Prophecies will not scare you or intrigue you. It will only make you wonder why such a good idea was turned into such rubbish. 2 Stars

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Mothman Lives...
Review: The Mothman Prophecies is an excellent movie, based on a true story or not! I think it being based on true events is even more suspenseful because our mindspan knows that things like this "can't" happen, but after seeing this movie, every little nose you hear, you look at where it came from!

If you haven't seen the Mothman, you should, buy it now on DVD!

"Wake up number 37!"

Special Note: Read the book before watching the movie, the book is better!


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