The Mothman Prophecies

The Mothman Prophecies (2002)

A reporter named John Klein from Washington DC ends up in a small town in West Virginia named Point Pleasant. The thing is he has no idea how he ended up in the town and there is no possible way he could of made it that far from his home in the time that has passed. Throw in a disturbed man that claims that Klein has been knocking on his door at the same time every night and you have a mystery. Whether it is his natural curiosity as a reporter or something else Klein becomes engrossed with the strange happenings that are plaguing the small town. Respectable members of the community have been seeing a strange figure around town that doesn’t seem to be human. A figure that resembles one that Klein’s own deceased wife saw right before her death. So what is this figure that is called the Mothman and what does he have to do with the town? Does Klein’s wife have any connection to the town or the Mothman?

This is another of those movies that I decided to pass on when it was in the theaters. In fact the only reason that I watched it at all was because I got the DVD super cheap. This turned out to be a pretty damn good movie. The story is interesting and sucked me right in. It can seem to be slow at times, but pay attention because they are setting you up for things later on. This movie also does a great job at building tension as well as providing several creepy moments. The characters are well rounded and sympathetic, which considering my personal dislike for the movies star Richard Gere this is a real accomplishment. As the movie approaches it’s finale I actually started to worry for the characters, both major and minor. When a movie can get the audience caring like this (especially a jerk like me) then you know they have done a great job on story and character. Of course the best script in the world means nothing without a great cast. Richard Gere does a fantastic job as Klein and has the charisma to carry the movie. Laura Linney as the sheriff of the small town isn’t given too much to do, but does very well in her supporting role. I also want to mention the work of actor Will Patton as the disturbed and possibly delusional Gordon Smallwood. Not only does Patton do great work here but also he is quickly becoming one of those actors that seems to show up in supporting roles in almost every movie you see, always doing a bang up job.

Of course the camera work and sound is going to be great, this is a big budget Hollywood film. But there are a couple of parts to the film that are really well done. The minimal use of CGI to create the illusion of the Mothman (who the audience never really gets to see much of) is very well done and worth checking out. Beware spoilers ahead. Also the ending of the movie with the bridge collapsing into the river is filmed very well and is gut wrenching at times (the little girl in the car). The filmmakers show just enough to create “buy in” and emotions as to the fates of some of the characters we have been watching during the movie. Also there are a couple of shots using mirrors that show the distorted reality around the Klein character that stand out and work really well.

This is a solid movie that is well worth checking out. Because it is a big budget release there are cheap copies to be had pretty much everywhere you can pick up used DVDs. I recommend that everyone check this one out, it can be a lot of fun.

3 out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer