Retroactive Review: The Mothman Prophecies

6/10

The Mothman Prophecies is a movie, loosely based on the sightings of the urban legend known as the Mothman, with Richard Gere as a Washington Times reporter who ends up in a town where the residents have ran into the creature. This is one of those movies that is hard to rate: it doesn't drop the ball but doesn't make a slam dunk either.

To director Mark Pellington's credit, he had a clear vision for this. He brings a unique visual style featuring a controlled use of the camera and close-ups to tell the story. The movie has an overcast, bleak look to it that really helps push the eeriness and mystery of the whole thing.  

The script is where things get shaky. This is a long movie that is a lot of talking with little action. The first half in particular drags. It helps when we get closer to when the tension starts revving up and we learn and experience more. The dialogue is decent (with the exception of Gere's work friend who is too obviously there for exposition) and the ending is solid, but they may not be solid enough for a lot of viewers to salvage the pacing.

Some of the audio is pretty soft, requiring me to crank the it up hear what's going on. This is pretty story heavy. You have to pay attention. Don't make this a background noise movie.  

This is a supernatural mystery. It's all about exploring the unknowable. Don't expect this to be an outright horror film. If you're expecting a good visual look at Mothman, that's not what this is about. 

Nothing to complain about the acting; solid across the board. Will Patton (the villain from The Postman) is the standout here as one of the witnesses to the Mothman.

This isn't a perfect movie, but has its interesting points. It's not something I'd ever recommend to a group of people if they were trying to think of something to watch. But if you're a fan of Richard Gere or the Mothman, this may be for you.