The Best Thriller in 30 Years !by Anonymous
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February 24, 2007:
The Mothman Prophecies is a throwback to the time when "horror movie" didn't actually mean "Teenage Gore Fest." I guess the word for it now would be 'thriller,' and thrill it does. Based on a true story from Point Pleasant, West Virginia in 1967, the Mothman takes place in present 2001, or thereabouts. It's the story of a newspaper reporter who finds himself in said town on his way to interview the governor. There he stumbles across several bizarre occurances namely repeated sightings by the townsfolk of a not-quite-seen ethereal creature, and how these strange tales seem to intertwine with the reporter's own life. The director, Mark Pellington (whose directorial credits include the mediocre movie Arlington Road and the music video of "Jeremy" by Pearl Jam) has created a mood and a tension in film that I don't think has appeared since The Exorcist in 1973. And he does so without blood, gore, or cheap scares. And only a PG-13 rating. Mr. Pellington falls backs on some outdated "tricks" like good acting, excellent cinematography, and an absolutely stunning soundtrack. Close-ups of the actors' faces here convey more real terror than in all the Friday the 13th films combined. The musical score sets the mood from scene 1 to the finale dark and foreboding, tense and pensive. Sound work this good should have earned an Oscar nomination. The camera work is beyond reproach, as well. Sometimes long shots, setting a mood, sometimes jerky, fuzzy, or distorted like a funhouse mirror, all perfect to what needs to be conveyed - - without giving away too much. The acting, also, is top notch. Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Will Patton, and Will & Grace's Debra Messing all convey a range of emotions not seen in modern day thrillers in sometime. If there is a flaw to the Mothman Prophecies, it's that the townspeople are too quick to tell a stranger of their paranormal experiences. A moments' hesitation, a shifting away of the eyes, the use of a softer-spoken voice in public would have made the stories and the characters come more alive, and added only a minute or two to the films' overall length. Counting Memento, this is the second great film I've seen in the past thirteen months. Get it while you can. * * * * * * * * * * Rating: Solid A F.Y.I.: Although this film is rated only PG-13, it may be too scary or intense for children 15 and under.
This review was written about the DVD Wide Screen / Pan & Scan edition.
'Based On True Events'...by Anonymous
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September 10, 2004:
...so read the byline on the poster to the paranormal thriller, 'The Mothman Prophecies'. Back on November 12, 1966 was when the unexplained phenomena of the Mothman was first sighted near Clendinen, West Virginia. Five men were in the local cemetary that day, preparing a grave for a burial, when something that looked like a 'brown human being' lifted off from some nearby trees and flew over their heads. It appeared to them to be a man with wings. A few days later, more sightings would take place. On November the 15th, two young married couples sighted this same creature near an abandoned TNT plant (where many believed the Mothman was residing) near Point Pleasant, West Virginia. These sightings drew the attention of John Keel, who became the major chronicler of the Mothman case and wrote that at least 100 people personally witnessed the creature between November of 1966 and November of 1967. This all finally culminated at around 5:00 pm on December 15, 1967 when the 700-ft bridge (Silver Bridge) linking Point Pleasant to Ohio suddenly collapsed while filled with rush hour traffic. Dozens of vehicles plunged into the dark waters of the Ohio River and 46 people were killed. Two of those 46 were never found. Many believe that the Mothman sightings and the tragic Silver Bridge event were linked. The movie starring Richard Gere (Pretty Woman, Final Analysis & Primal Fear) as John Klein...a Washington Post reporter, Debra Messing (TV's Will & Grace, Along Came Polly & Garfield: The Movie) as his wife Mary, Laura Linney (Congo, The Truman Show & Mystic River) as the local Point Pleasant sheriff, and Will Patton (The Postman, The Client & The Punisher) as the local spook who has connections to this phenomena...is a VERY loosely based rendering of John Keel's recordings. 1) None of the characters in the movie were real, never existed...but were fictionalized. The only similarity was in the name of a character in the movie, that of Alexander Leek (played by Alan Bates) who was a supposed authority on the unexplained and paranormal who Klein consults. Leek is the only reference to a true person involved, John Keel. Leek is Keel spelled backwards. 2) The movie has 36 dying, and 46 is the true number. 3) The movie also had the tragedy taking place at 6:00 pm on Christmas Eve, and 5:00 pm on Dec. 15th was the actual time. 4) The movie has all of this occuring in our present day, when in actuality it occured nearly 40 years ago. 5) The movie has you believing that the Mothman came to others in phone calls, visions and dreams to prophesy tragic events, when in actuality, the Mothman was nothing more than an unexplained sighting. The Mothman is just as fabled as Bigfoot or the Lockness Monster, nothing more. Now having said that, I still enjoyed this movie. It was well shot, well developed, and the acting was excellent. It still made for an engaging storyline and plot, and keeps the viewers glued to the screen. The music was eerie, and the sets and backdrops ominous. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and do recommend it. However, don't go into this thing thinking that these are true events, because nothing could be farther from the truth.
This review was written about the DVD Wide Screen / Pan & Scan edition.
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