Saturday, September 8, 2012

Film Filter: Off - The Mothman Prophecies

Film Filter: Off - I watched this film for the first time a long while ago with a good friend, and to be honest, it scared the bejeezus out of me.  After recently re-watching it, it still spooked me a little, but I do have a different view of it as an adult from that of when I was a teenager.

Pros- First off, I have yet to see a movie starring Richard Gere where he does not do a commendable job with his role.  Maybe that means he's a great actor, or maybe that means I haven't seen enough Richard Gere films, but he definitely pulls his weight in this film, as he is present in nearly every scene from beginning to end.
   If you've read any of my other posts, you'll understand that I am fascinated with symbolism.  Hidden graphics, colors, underlying themes and the like are intriguing to me, as it presents another level of depth to the film.  This movie is by no means void of symbolism, which is one of the reasons why I enjoy it.
   This next piece is, like many things in my reviews, a personal opinion.  Although scary movies that contain blood, gore, and creatures popping out for cheap scares are sometimes good and often scary, I find myself more drawn to subdued fear that is susceptible to actually occurring.  With my self-created genre of theological thrillers, the horror is not as deep with the actual film as it is with the thought process of the events occurring in the film actually happening.  Most of us have succumbed to the fact that a masked murderer wearing a pig faced mask isn't going to be hiding in our garage, but the probability of demons, possession, ghosts, spirits and supernatural forces are something that I think could be more of a distinct possibility.  Maybe that's just me, but it usually ends up scaring me more, because it falls into the category of the unknown, and what's scarier than something that you have no control over?
   The cinematography was great, especially when showing perspective changes and demonstrating the eerie scenery in many of the scenes.
 
Cons- One of the major things that is wrong with this film that I started to see more recently is its inability to commit to a specific content.  If I were to describe the film to you, it would more or less be a series of short stories or events pertaining to the Mothman, of which Richard Gere's character (John Klein) is a common link to.  The focus of the film in that regard, is often unclear.
   One of the other things about this movie that sort of confuses me is the ability for this supernatural mothman to have people who are dead show up in a tangible form.  I can sort of understand the hearing of the deceased person's voice, as that can be something that could be manufactured by some outside force, but there's a big stretch between that and seeing said dead person walking the streets of West Virginia.  That is pushing it, in my opinion.

Wrap up- Overall, I still enjoy this movie.  Is it, at times, unrealistic and unfocused?  Yes, but I think the pros outweigh the cons in this instance.

 

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