Film Filter: Off - The Fourth Kind

Film Filter: Off- I had seen this movie in theaters when it was originally released, but I had forgotten a lot of what happened and wanted to refresh it before I blogged about it.  I do remember leaving the theater not being terribly impressed, but not remembering why, I figured I'd give it another go.

Pros- Let's start at the beginning, I guess.  The introduction is very appealing, I like the PSA style, with the eerie background, and Milla Jovovich delivers it very well, while keeping it open ended.  It was nice that the movie was wrapped up in the same manner, with the director giving input as well (who, I didn't realize the first time I saw it, was the interviewer as well)
   Since we're on the topic of Milla already, I will take this time to commend her on a job well done.  It's not easy to play a character who has so many emotions and dimensions, not to mention interactions with all kinds of people and, beings I guess.  She has to go from possessed-ish (I don't know what you would call an alien possession, is it still possession?), to a sweet loving mother, to a horrified wife, to a calm doctor and all the way back around again.  It has to be tiring, but she does the role justice.  I also liked the way the rest of the film was cast, as it made the film feel a bit more realistic.
   One of the scare tactics used in this film that isn't terribly common, thank God, is going from a straight black screen to a scary image.  This is absolutely contrasting, and when the silence erupts into the chaotic noises that ensue from the hypnosis sessions or memories, it is visually and mentally jarring. It is also very effective.
   I also liked that this film did not rely solely on fiction, as it was claimed at the beginning that these events were true, but also not totally on found footage or the appearance of it.  Instead, they used the "found footage" and compared it to the dramatic re-enactment.  They also did some clever things with the layout of the two screens to make it visually interesting when she was being interviewed at one point, which I thought was different and refreshing.

Cons- While this movie had a spooky introduction, and a rock solid beginning, it got more and more difficult to believe Dr. Tyler's story as it progressed.  The directors did an admirable job trying to get her not to appear nuts, but towards the end the crazy won over and I was left a little confused.  It was also confusing that the police officer was ready to arrest her without consulting ANY of the, oh, say 4 or 5 witnesses present for the hypnosis that resulted in paralysis.  That's just lazy, bad police work.  Abigail did a really good job standing up for herself too...all sobby and incoherent.  She should have stood up for herself and DEMANDED due process.  There was no evidence and she just kind of gave in.  I have to say I lost some respect for her there.
   Unfortunately, as eerie and thought provoking as this movie may be, it is not as based on true events and footage as it seems.  Upon further investigation, it seems that Dr. Tyler was either an alias, or didn't exist.  It also seems that the "real" Dr. Tyler (who isn't listed as an actress on the film or on IMDB) is an actress.  This movie was also not shot in Nome, Alaska (as they have little to no trees, apparently) and the lack of the label "actual footage" on the video tapes, when the label was present on the recordings, is misleading too.  Especially if "Dr. Tyler" isn't really "Dr. Tyler".  That knowledge being public would definitely discredit the footage, as it would have to have been shot with the actress.  Bummer.

Wrap Up: So, it wasn't real, big whoop.  There are plenty of fake scary movies that are still hella-entertaining, but it does piss me off a bit that this film is particularly misleading with their production.  I would recommend watching it, but definitely taking a lot of it with a big fat grain of salt.

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