The Mothman Prophecies (2002) Reviews

• Bad things just happen. We usually can't stop them.

  TOMASBBloodhound2006-02-22

  The Mothman Prophecies is a solid thriller. It's supposedly based on true events, but even if it weren't, it would be worth a look. Richard Gere stars as a Washington Post reporter who inexplicably finds himself in a small West Virginia town where a series of strange goings-on have been happening. His wife was killed two years prior in a mysterious car accident, and there seems to be a connection between her death and the strange happenings in Point Pleasant. Holding the key behind the mystery seems to be a large moth-like creature who tends to show up in places where the loss of human life is about to occur. Gere meets up with several locals who claim to have seen the Mothman, and after a while this creature begins communicating with him. The creature warns people of tragedies about to strike (plane crashes, earthquakes), and Gere thinks this creature can even put him in contact with his dead wife. Gere is given a warning about an upcoming tragedy near Point Pleasant, but can he act in time to stop it? Or should he even try? The film is very moody and sullen. The direction and photography are top drawer, and they enhance the mood greatly. The acting is terrific, as well. I usually can't stand Gere, but he's great in this film. Laura Linney would seem miscast as a local cop, but by the end of the film, she will have proved how truly talented she is. Will Patton is outstanding as a local resident who has several run-ins with the Mothman until it drives him crazy. What exactly is the Mothman? According to this film, he's some type of oracle. He can see bad things that will happen, and he can even see through to the other side. Does he cause these tragedies? The film would seem to argue not. Though he may have caused the fatal car accident that took Gere's wife early on. Apparently the concept of the Mothman has been around for a while, but this film gives a pretty good explanation of it for those of us who had never heard of it before. The film came up short of its $40 million budget in theaters. I blame this on a terrible marketing campaign, and some bad reviews from the big name critics. Don't let their reviews scare you away. This film is very good. I was hooked after seeing only a couple minutes of it. It was the very effective scene where Gere and Patton first meet up at his home one evening. That was well done! Be warned, however. The film will likely leave you feeling very mortal, and maybe even depressed. There is a really cool new-age rock song during the credits that also adds to the mood. Consider this film a thinking man's Final Destination. The climactic scene at the end could have even wandered in from one of those movies. The Mothman Prophecies is worth about 8 of 10 stars. The Hound.

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• In a word- EERIE!

  Nightman852005-12-23

  Bizarre, well-made supernatural thriller is all the more chilling for the fact that it's rooted in actual events. Washington reporter ends up in a small West Virginia town where a strange entity is foretelling of a disaster. Although many critics harpooned this film for its seemingly aimless storyline, it's really a forgivable thing since Mothman is such an atmospheric and slickly-directed film. The direction is artistically stunning, with lots of colorful and frightening visuals. The atmosphere is solidly dark and mysterious, with a number of truly spooky sequences - particularly Gere's phone call from the Mothman. And despite the fact that everything is not explained to us up front, after all who could place logic to this strange true story, the film is a pretty decent gripper. The grand climax is especially dramatic! The cast is fairly good, star Richard Gere probably being the best as our bewildered hero. The filming locations are good and the moody soundtrack is quite effective. For those who like their thrillers a touch on the X-Files side, The Mothman Prophecies is a terrific choice. *** 1/2 out of ****

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• Pretty Mothman

  dfranzen702002-06-11

  John Klein (Richard Gere), a Washington Post reporter, finds himself somehow drawn to a small town in West Virginia. In fact, his car dies, along with his cell phone and watch. He knocks on a nearby house to call for help, and the man who answers the door attacks him, saying Klein's been around three days in a row. But has he? Two years earlier, John's wife died from injuries sustained in a car wreck, and before she died, in an apparent delirium, she had been etching weird drawings. Could her drawings have some connection with this town? Based on true events, The Mothman Prophecies follows John through his search for the truth. People in the town report seeing a strange being - are they lying, or are they misinterpreting? Are they simply seeing UFOs, or is there more to the story? Intrepid reporter that he is, John wants to know more - although of course his thirst for knowledge is accompanied by a need to know what happened to his wife (why did the car crash?). Thrillers such as this one are hard to come by. It's not exactly a horror movie, but there are more than enough creepy moments to send a few chills reverberating through your body. It's a film that relies less on special effects than on such quaint ideals as character motivation and development and atmosphere. In fact, this movie's just brimming with atmosphere. We've all seen those cheesy movies in which a car runs out of gas along a desolate country road, and then BAM - some serial killers make dinner or belts out of the hapless occupants. But in this case, the monster is hardly ever seen, thereby heightening the scares. At the centerpiece is Gere as Klein. I've never, ever been a Gere fan; it seems to me he has one expression. He's never been terribly emotive and has been known in recent years more for the age disparity with his female costars than for anything else (they get younger, he stays the same old dude). Call him ruggedly handsome if you will, but vacuity is never really appealing. But this is not your typical Gere at all. He definitely turns in the best work of his career. Sure, he was appealing in Pretty Woman, but it was Julie Roberts' movie. Officer and a Gentleman? Ok, but that was Lou Gosset Jr.'s movie. Primal Fear? Red Corner? Runaway Bride? No, no, no. This is acting on a ledge for Gere. It's a true departure from the romantic comedies and the sly psuedo-mystery/dramas. Ordinarily, I would think such a movie would expose Gere for the terrible actor he is. But I would be wrong. This movie was so well written and directed that Gere rose to its level, rather than sinking it. That's a huge credit to him as an actor. Now, I need to differentiate between good acting and appeal. An actor can look good or be charming in a role and still be a bad actor; by contrast, an actor can look uncharming and turn in a great performance. But what's key is how the actor draws the audience in - do they sympathize with his plight? Are they on his side? How good of an actor he is will answer that question. Gere's Klein starts out as an average joe, and then we get to see him slowly descend into madness - we even descend a little with him. That vaunted atmosphere is so vibrant and realistic that we turn when he turns and feel things he feels. This is an absolute hallmark of excellent filmmaking (by Mark Pellington, whose only other big film was 1999's Arlington Road). The writing is crisp and eminently believable, and the acting in addition to Gere (including Laura Linney, Debra Messing, and Will Patton) is simply superb. And don't forget the prophecies part of the title, either; this "Mothman" entity issues warnings to whomever it deems worthy. Which sounds good, as long as one can interpret them correctly. Apparently, many have not. The story is based on actual events that took place in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, but this is no Amityville Horror story. With Amityville, one could distance oneself from the experiences of the family involved; we could say that it would never happen to us, it was only a movie. This is a little trickier with The Mothman Prophecies. It's a creepy, tingly movie that gets under your skin and crawls all over your heart.

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• About as eerie as it gets

  Cujo1082010-08-04

  Based on actual events that occurred in the 60's. John and Mary Klein are a happy couple who have just purchased a new house. The excitement over their new place is short-lived when they have a car accident following the purchase. Mary winds up in the hospital with a head injury, but the CT scans reveal that she has something far worse wrong with her. She eventually dies, leaving a devastated John to discover that she had been drawing sketches of moth-like figures during her time at the hospital. A year passes, and John is scheduled to do an interview for his Washington Post job. On his drive to the interview, he mysteriously winds up in Point Pleasant, West Virginia with no recollection of how he got so far out of his way. Mysterious events are plaguing this small town, events that may be connected to what happened to his wife. I first saw this way back on opening night and loved it. As someone who is really into the unexplained, myths and legends, this film is right up my alley. The story of the Mothman is one of the most fascinating I've ever come across, and while The Mothman Prophecies takes a great deal of liberty with the story, it's a terrific film all the same. I've never cared for Richard Gere, but I fully admit that he's very good here. He nails the confused, distraught mental state of John Klein, and is very believable in the role. Laura Linney is also solid, though that's no surprise. The standout, though, is Will Patton. One of my favorite character actors, his portrayal of the rugged Gordon Smallwood, an individual who seems to have a deep connection to the Mothman, is absolutely perfect. This guy rarely fails to impress the hell out of me. He just has an awesome screen presence. The abnormal occurrences throughout the film certainly produce an unsettling atmosphere. Coupled with eerie imagery and surreal filming techniques, they help the film become quite nightmarish. The use of sound is most effective as well, with all sorts of bizarre noises being heard, including the odd screeching noise that the Mothman was said to have made in some of the real accounts. We also get a moody score that's a perfect fit for the film. Just listening to the soundtrack is guaranteed to give you chills. I know from experience. Speaking of chills, one of my favorite scenes is when Klein speaks with the Mothman entity, having dubbed itself Indrid Cold, on his motel room's phone. It's a wonderfully tense scene, and Cold's voice gets under your skin. The effects of the occurrences on the small town of Point Pleasant are well explored, as many different aspects and accounts are introduced. The town itself comes off as a bleak and unnerving place. Almost lifeless. The occurrences have basically killed off the town's livelihood. Gere's John Klein becomes increasingly paranoid the longer he stays in Point Pleasant, and when his dead wife appears to the sheriff, he becomes increasingly tortured. It isn't long before he's driven to a distant and isolated state of being, much like Gordon before him. The climactic scenes do not disappoint either. The scene where Klein realizes what is really going to happen makes for a powerful moment, and the final scenes on the Silver Bridge are as tense and suspenseful as they are exciting. It's a very well-done climax, both dramatically and from a technical standpoint. A fine way to finish the film. Overall, this is a deeply eerie, surreal piece of work. Nightmarish really is the best word for it. It also has interesting characters and some emotional moments. I'm a big fan.

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• Great Suspense

  ccthemovieman-12006-04-17

  This gets high marks for suspense alone. It is a very tense movie, guaranteed to keep the first-time viewer glued to his/her seat. It might even raise a few hairs on the back of your neck! Dramatic music also helped with the suspense. In addition, we get some fine acting performances from Richard Gere, Laura Linney and Will Patton. Don't be fooled, however, with the "based on a true story" tag line. It might be "based" but that could mean only a very, very small part of this film was actual; the rest presented for dramatic purposes. This film is a good case of that, from what I've read. Nonetheless, it's interesting, has good visuals and decent sound and some genuine creepy moments. This definitely a film to have on DVD, as opposed to VHS, although I suppose at this point, few people buy tapes anymore anyway. Those looking to curl up on the couch with a good thriller: give this movie a look.

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