Mina (Dakota Fanning) is a young artist who works at a pet store in western Ireland. Aside from her job and passion for drawing, she enjoys assuming different identities at local bars to pursue one-night stands. Mina frequently receives phone calls from her sister, who is currently trying to reach her to discuss a reunion for the anniversary of her mother’s death. The death of Mina’s mother continues to haunt her for undisclosed reasons.
At work, Mina agrees to transport a rare and beautiful bird to a zoo, but her car breaks down while travelling to her destination, and she gets lost in a forest. As she seeks help, she encounters unexplainable phenomena, such as discovering her car has vanished. She finally stumbles upon an odd house and becomes trapped in there with three strangers. In the forest around them, mysterious creatures called ‘The Watchers’ are lurking. Inside the house, there is an odd set of rules for survival and to help them avoid disastrous consequences. Determined to escape the house and the forest, Mina will do whatever it takes to understand the creatures better and find a way to freedom, even though those before her who attempted to escape have died.
This is Ishana Night Shyamalan’s directorial debut, and the daughter of the legendary film director M. Night Shyamalan is also credited with some of the writing. It’s terrific to see Ishana following in her father’s footsteps, and she successfully delivers a story and concept with mysterious thriller vibes and multiple twists and turns.
The setting of the forest and the introduction of The Watchers’ world created an enjoyable atmosphere. The mysteries and storyline, including about the creatures in the forest and Mina’s connection to her mother, kept me engaged and hooked for most of the film. I was determined to understand the movie and uncover its secrets fully. I also want to mention the excellent soundtrack by composer Abel Korzeniowski, which perfectly complemented the entire film and enhanced the atmosphere wonderfully.
I found that the horror elements in the movie didn’t scare me, including the attempted jump scares. The main character, Mina, was enjoyable, but her reactions in certain moments didn’t feel realistic. For example, she seemed too calm in a forest filled with strangers and monsters, which was hard to believe. Although the first and second acts were firm, the third act and ending were weaker. While clear in meaning, it didn’t live up to the rest of the story and felt unnecessarily long. It was disappointing that the build-up and mysterious journey didn’t pay off as well as I had hoped.
Overall, my impression of Ishana Shyamalan’s directorial and writing debut was quite positive. She seems to follow in her father’s footsteps, M. Night Shyamalan, which earns no complaints from me. The film introduces a fun concept with a mysterious storyline, which left me interested and invested in finding out the outcomes. While most of the film is pleasing as a thriller, I felt it didn’t quite stick the landing of the finale, which also felt dragged out. Dakota Fanning’s performance was above average, but specific aspects of her character were questionable and problematic to accept. If you enjoy films like The Village and The Lady in the Water, you will likely find The Watchers an enjoyable cinematic experience.
6.6/10
8th June 2024
Written by Peter Walkden
0 Comments