The Mothman Prophecies

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining but not superb
Review: Sucked me in.

Summary:
John Klein (Richard Gere) is a DC reporter whose wife, Mary Klein (Debra Messing), dies but not before drawing numerous pictures of the 'moth-like' creature that she saw just before hitting her head in a car accident. John ends up single and disturbed by his wife's death. On his way to an interview in Richmond, VA with the governor (I think) he somehow ends up in Point Pleasant, WV. While there he becomes embroiled in the ever-increasing intrigue caused by sightings of a moth-like figure and other strange occurrences. John teams up with Connie Parker (Laura Linney) to try to figure out what is going on but doesn't put things together until he talks with a former physics professor who had a similar experience.

John cries wolf when the mayor he was supposed to be interviewing in Richmond decides to tour the chemical plant in Point Pleasant, but nothing happens. A couple of days later John is on his way back to Point Pleasant when traffic gets stuck on the bridge crossing the Ohio River. John finally puts it together and realizes that the bridge is going to give way. He does his best to warn people and eventually ends up saving Connie, but 36 other people die.

My Comments:
Apparently this is based events that lead up to the collapse of the Silver Point bridge in Point Pleasant, WV in 1966. In light of that, the movie was pretty interesting. Sadly, the DVD doesn't have any special features that give any more information on the events that it is based on, which is one strike against it.

As for the movie itself, I was very intrigued and was sucked into the movie. Richard Gere was pretty good and the other actors were good as well. I was thinking that Debra Messing would have a bigger role, but she is only in the first five minutes or so (with occasional flashes of her throughout the rest). Despite enjoying the movie, I didn't particularly like the special effects that made things hard to see and hear at times. There was a lot of static and a lot of bright flashes. Understandably the director is trying to depict a vague phenomenon, but it probably wasn't necessary to make everything so hard to understand.

Overall, the movie was enjoyable and I would recommend it for anyone interested in the supernatural.

Rating:
Summary: I Will See You In Time
Review: The theater I saw this in was pretty empty (the film was pulled a week or two later), and I must admit that when I first saw this film I didn't care for it. Some months later it came out on video and I rented it to give it another chance. Each time I watched it I appreciated it more. The story is very ambiguous and there are a lot of unanswered questions which is enough to frustrate the viewer. Based they say on true events, this movie is a loose adaptation of the book which documents the strange sightings of a moth-like man in Point Pleasant, WV during the 1960's. It entranced those who saw it and told them predictions which largely would come true. Unfortunately, these predictions usually were for disaster. Of course there is no evidence that this creature ever existed, other than all the testimonies from those who say they saw it. So in this adaptation, we are not in the 1960's, but present time, and Richard Gere plays a fictitious reporter who ends up in WV mysteriously and is intrigued by the legend. Will Patton gives a great performance as a local man who is a victim of these sightings, and Laura Linney also does a great job as the town sheriff. Like I said, I was frustrated by this film at first, but it grew on me. It's definitely worth checking out if you like a lot of atmosphere and X-Files kind of mystery.

This DVD is unfortunately not a special edition as it could have been. For instance, there was a special the Sci-Fi Channel ran when this film came out called The Search For The Mothman and it documented the legend and interviewed those people who said they saw the creature and/or talked to it. That would have been a great addition to this DVD, yet it's not on the US version (the British version has it). The DVD video is very pale at times but this is intentional, and there is some grain and edge enhancement visible. There is both a widescreen version and an open-matte full-screen version available. The audio is tremendous, and really ups the atmosphere level, one of the better 5.1 tracks I've heard. As for extras, well you get the trailer and the music video and that's it. I hear there is a special edition coming with all the extras that should have been on the first release. I'd say wait for that instead of paying for this movie twice like I'll have to. Thanks a lot Columbia/Tri-Star!

Rating:
Summary: Great movie, misleading reviews.
Review: Okay, first of all- who cares if this film had no relevance to real life events? If this fact actually bothers you then you obviously cannot appreciate great cinema and therefore should not be writing a review. Everyone and their mother should know that any time "This move is based on actual events" flashes on the screen preceding the opening credits, this is only a half-truth; that is, it MAY be based LOOSELY on actual events, but the main purpose of this message is to put the viewer on edge and give them a paranoid feeling.

Secondly, I thought that the music and odd, atmosphere-indulgent cinematography were perfectly suited for a film in which the main character is in an almost constant state of emotional chaos; the music is hard-driven and menacing while maintining a chilling ambiant quality that will affect you after the movie; the cinematography reflects the dreamlike quality of the protagonist's life- 'can this really be happening to me, or is it all just some horrible nightmare?'- while giving the movie a fantastical quality as if to say, "Take this with a grain of salt- but remember, it is based on actual events."

Thirdly, I felt that the acting and directing were very strong in the film; I usually don't much care for Richard Gere, but I can't imagine anyone else playing this particular part better. (Some may mistake his character's emotional detatchment as poor, bland acting, but wouldn't you be pretty indifferent to everything else if your wife had just died?) Laura Linney has been a favorite ever since- she is perfectly suited for this role. The supporting cast is wonderful, as well.

Finally, the ending (hmm.. <G>). I noticed comments from other reviewers stating that the ending was "obvious" and "contrived"; perhaps these people are mistaking "obvious" with "looming" or "impending". Everyone knew what was going to happen; the purpose of the ending was not to surprise the viewer. The key to the ending was the ANTICIPATION of disaster- you had gathered vague clues throughout the course of the film, but you didn't know exactly where, when, or how it was going to happen. And when it did happen, I found it QUITE thrilling. In fact, I absolutely LOVED the ending... once again, maybe people just didn't understand that they were SUPPOSED to know what was going to happen, and mistaked the ending for poor moviemaking when it was the exact opposite... Just a thought.

Rating:
Summary: One From Column A...
Review: I was initially reluctant to see this film when it first opened because I know John Keel and was half-afraid that the film would stink. Now that it's safely contained on DVD, I wish I had gone to see it in the first place.

The film is a sort of impressionistic version of the book-- a kind of slice-and-dice retelling of the story that still manages to convey the main ideas and throw in a lot of little details. Composite characters are created from eyewitness testimony (Gordon is based to some extent on Woodrow Derenberger, but some of his experiences happened to other people), and things are shown happening to "John Klein" (one of the Keel-based characters; the other is Alan Bates' "Alexander Leek") that reportedly happened to the people he was investigating at the time. Things like that...

The photography is fantastic; the colors are dark and lush, and there are all sorts of subtle-- almost subliminal-- morphing and juxtaposition of images that remind one of a David Lynch film. And, as in a David Lynch film, there are no easy answers. The nature of Mothman is never explained, because it was never explained in real life. The 'rational', mundane explanations do violence to the testimony. Some weird events happened and then they stopped; the strangeness you see in the movie is just the tip of the iceberg. But an important point from the book runs all the way through the film and comes to a climax near the end; the point that you can't drive yourself crazy over these things. G. K. Chesterton once wrote about the fate of the man who tried to fit the whole universe into his head: his head cracked. Without denying that something weird as hell happened in West Virginia, it's dangerous to obsess on the events to the point that you end up in your own little universe. It almost happens to Klein, but he is able to break away.

The cast is wonderful; Richard Gere doesn't look anything like John Keel, but he gives a great performance as an emotionally-traumatized man who finally comes to terms with his grief. Laura Linney is the voice of sanity throughout (a bit like Scully to Gere's Mulder), and Will Patton's character starts out as paranoid and unlikeable but becomes more sympathetic as the film progresses.

There's nothing much on the DVD in the way of extras apart from a music video; the disc is two-sided, but Side One is the widescreen version and Side Two is the fullscreen version. A commentary would have been nice...

POSTSCRIPT (10/03): An expanded, 2-disk version of the DVD has been released, which contains not only a commentary but some 'making-of' material and a feature about the historical Mothman.)

Rating:
Summary: What did he say? Rewind that!
Review: Wasted potential. This movie tries so hard to be creepy that it ruins itself. Everyone whispers throughout every dialog scene, and their voices are further obscured by the constant cacophony of eerie music and sound effects. If you turn it up to hear the words, the shrieks of the mothman sightings will shoot your speaker voice coils across the room. I, English speaking from birth, had to turn on the subtitles to know what they were mumbling about. Very frustrating. Also, the ONLY relationship between the movie and reality is reports of something creepy seen in the woods and the collapse of the bridge. Weak. The only good thing about this movie was the depiction of the bridge collapse. Convincing.

Rating:
Summary: No relation to the "facts" and all the better for it!
Review: Like Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Mothman Prophecies is a film to enjoy in and of itself. Comparison to the book does the movie a disservice, and in no way is this film an historical accounting of the seemingly mysterious events that occurred in Point Pleasant West Virginia in the late sixties. But as a fictional tale, it is well-told, thought-provoking, original and suspenseful.

Consider first the actual events of Point Pleasant; a series of recent articles in the Skeptical Inquirer responding to renewed interest created by the film indicate that the Mothman himself was likely a large barn owl, that the mysterious phone calls were hoaxes by "UFOlogist" Gray Barker, and that the bridge collapse was entirely unrelated to those events. John Keel, author of the book The Mothman Prophecies, described very few of the events of the movie. There was no Washington Post reporter, no wife with a brain tumor and prophetic visions, no inexplicable 6 hour drive taken in one hour, no mysterious visits by a doppelganger, no visits from the dead--the list goes on and on. But for all this, we should be grateful; the reality of the case is apparently so mundane that no film purporting to be a truthful depiction of the facts could have been of interest.

Where the film succeeds is in its willingness to create a new story, a story that evokes the supernatural in so many ways--through cinematography, visual design, and music in addition to plot. What actually happens is never entirely clear--while other reviewers find this a fault, it seems to me wonderfully appropriate when dealing with worlds beyond our normal perception. It is in this respect that the film becomes outstanding, in seeking to "explain that which is beyond explanation" several thought provoking ideas emerge. We are never sure whether the Mothman is devil or angel, whether he comes to give warning or to create disaster, whether he is a creature of power or insignificance. To help create this uncertainty we never actually see the Mothman, although we are treated to verbal descriptions, drawings by witnesses, and haunting near-glimpses. Is the Mothman to us like we are to the cockroach, and any attempt to communicate doomed to fail? Or is the creature of no greater power than we are, but simply living in a different perspective through which it can apprehend our world more clearly than we do ourselves? Viewers desiring answers to these questions will be disappointed, as will those looking for great special effects or a horrifying monster--I feel certain that these were the cause of the lack of box-office success. But for those looking for something unusual, suspenseful and stimulating, with a terrific look, good acting, a great script and music, I highly recommend The Mothman Prophecies.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: This turned out to be one of the best films I've seen in quite some time. It's not really a scary film, it's more like a perplexing film. There are a lot of things that are never explained, and that's where a lot of the interest is developed. On an aesthetic level, it's a true work of art. The visual effects are extremely good, using lots of sweeping crane work and very clever dissolves. But what really sets this film apart is the soundtrack. High frequency sounds are used in the context of both insect-like tones and telecommunications devices to create a unique ambience. At times. you're not aware you're hearing something until it becomes silent. This is a very original and engrossing film. The director made good use of the material and created something that will never be duplicated.

Rating:
Summary: Logic Vs. God
Review: I just watched the Mothman Prophecies tonight, or rather, this morning. This movie kept me guessing all the way through to the end, right before the bridge tore apart, and again near the VERY end.
I think the Mothman, itself, can best be described in a few different ways. (.......)

Rating:
Summary: A Good Creepy movie!
Review: This movie was great! It held on to the creepyness of the mothman with out the mothman walking around like in most horror movies. Though this movie shold not be called horror at all. Over all a great movie that will make you think!

Rating:
Summary: Creepy, moody spiritual journey leaves you bewildered
Review: The Mothman Prophecies is completely wrapped in warm, stunning cinematography. Gorgeous and beautifully acted film. As a matter of fact, it is so realistic that you actually forget this is a movie. You befriend Richard Gere as if you are watching a family member who needs assistance in his life. Within moments you are fully engrossed in his mission to solve and understand the mystery of life, death and the unexplained. Sound too deep? "All will be explained". The Mothman "itself" is elusive and will leave you disoriented if you make "it" your focus of this film. Allow the unexplained to explain itself. Relax. Watch this movie on a quiet lonesome night. Wrap up tight. Get comfortable. Most of all, keep in mind the moody, spiritual journey you will be experiencing is actually a true story.