Nope... didn't quite buy it.
The
Mothman Prophecies tries to be hypnotic and
mysterious, but comes across as messy and
befuddling. When the audience is left in the
dark for the first 95% of the movie, the ending
damn well better be a great one that rewards the
patient wait entirely. That is not the case
here. In fact, I still feel like I am in the
dark. What was the point of all the creepy
sounds, phone calls, moth-like creatures,
premonitions, dreams, lights, mysterious deaths
and cross country flights??? According to this
film, 2 + 2 = Dog... It just doesn't make any
sense!
I appreciated the solid acting from the entire
cast. Gere really carries the emotion of the
film well, and Linney is powerful even though
her character isn't particularly well written.
Debra Messing has a small but vital role as the
wife who dies early on in the film. She has a
good screen presence, and could have a good
career as long as she avoids the romantic comedy
typecasting that will follow her everywhere she
goes because of her role in TV's Will & Grace.
If any of this actually happened to you, you'd
drive straight to the nearest mental institution
and check yourself in for an extended stay...
either that or you would jump off the nearest
bridge.
This film almost does enough to elevate itself
into something more than a fright flick with a
silly plot... B+ for effort... D+ for substance
= C+.
Laura Linney plays the small town cop who
decides to help investigate this paranormal
phenomena based on the ramblings of an
apparently crazy man. She devotes her every
waking hour to help him, all the while
neglecting her everyday duties. However, as soon
as there is substantial proof that something
strange is happening based on 30+ eyewitness
accounts, she makes a complete U-turn and
decides that this is all nonsense. Her character
seems only there to be at the mercy of the
plot... what it needs to create tension, she
provides.
I cannot recommend this film.
©
Written by TC Candler
Richard
Propes' Comment
We agree
on the strangest films. I can slightly recommend
this film. Richard Gere and Laura Linney both
offer decent performances, and while the film as
a whole never gels these two performers keep the
proceedings interesting.
Jacob
Hall's Comment
The Mothman Prophecies" is a film that tries to
mystify and fool the audience...and it succeeds.
The reason it succeeds is not because it's
challenging and exciting (like "The Usual
Suspects") but because it hides the truth and
doesn't even give us the slightest glimpse of
it, so the viewer is just confused and not
intrigued.
With that said, Richard Gere isn't bad as a man
whose wife was killed by a supernatural force.
The same can be said for the rest of the cast,
including Laura Linney, who never achieve the
level of bad. The film just simply never knows
when to stop being "mysterious" and start making
sense.
