The horror game continues to try and be strong this year with all the movies coming out in 2024. This week, another attempt to creep us into our seats emerges, a focus this time on mysterious appearances and a house within to watch. An intriguing concept with an invisible enemy, the trailers have been going wild as they shoot for the stars in another Shyamalan-led production that is hoping to take a book adaptation to the next level. Will it work? Can the family of the director grow something in the dry spell of horror? Or is this yet another flop doomed to become lost in the mediocrity media market? Robbie K thanks you for your time as he reviews:
Movie: The Watchers (2024)
- Director
- Writers
LIKES:
The Setting
The Camera Work
The Acting
The Character Story To A Degree
The Graphics
The Writing
The Bird
The Overall Story Is Okay
SUMMARY:
The Watchers is a movie that for the most part relies heavily on the imagination and the isolation effect to do the lifting of the movie. Under the guidance of Ishana, I found this movie successful in accomplishing this goal with camera work that finds optimum angles to convey the emotion of isolation. A fantastic setting of the grey European forest alongside dynamic lighting and special effects draws out a dismal and isolated feeling that leaves one feeling hopeless at times given the desolate world. As the world continues to reveal itself and the Watchers begin to emerge, the graphics continue to look decent, with smooth and horrific animation, some awesome details in the skin texture, and some haunting movements that further rip away the comfort and elicit the horror element. Sound editing that accompanies it further immerses you into the doomed forest, done well to optimize the terror and try to set you up for the jump scares they were shooting for.
In regards to the story to which the scares are built from, it’s okay. Another symbolic and artistic approach, The Watchers’ story relies heavily on some folklore for adaptation, something that does not show up until the second half of the film, and that revelation is both a bit more original and lackluster at the same time. A gradual revelation shows a bit more merit helps escalate how far this tale goes, and assists with helping draw out the horror and help fill in some of the story gaps. The character stories flesh things out a bit more, each of the four “heroes” holding some light and depth that hold some realistic relatability to care for the characters stuck in this mess. This movie holds heavy dialogue and the writing is smart at times and engaging, with heavy words, engaging delivery, and a strong atmospheric tone to establish the rules. I found the words brought to life well by most of the acting in the limited cast of this film. Fanning is about the same as always, listless, and creepy, and can portray the more somber emotions better than most as she faces the horrors of her past and present. Campbell offers more variety, bringing a bit of light into the movie that helps cut through the monotone depression and keep things engaging, especially during some of the trials forced upon her. Fouere is articulate and creepy in her role, all of her words so heavy, deep, and accented that they bring gravity to help enhance the story elements and somehow make the unknown more uncomfortable. Oliver Finnegan as well plays his role well, adding that unbalanced nature that adds a bit more of that psychological component to the film, further keeping the teeter-totter swaying back and forth Add in a cute bird that does very little and yet so much to help contrast the tone of the movie, and you round out the movie’s likes for me.
DISLIKES:
The Plot’s Ending
More Character Story Needed
The Revelation is Disappointing
The Twist Was Predictable
More Danger and Suspense Needed
Some Odd Plot Gaps
A Bit More Emotional Components To the Characters
SUMMARY:
Despite all the elements that were engaging, The Watchers has issues with some of the usual nuances this movie genre suffers from. In the story department, the plot’s ending is a bit of a letdown for me, not because of the content that they chose, but because the execution is mediocre and rushed at times. Perhaps we needed more gradual discovery in the woods, more time spent in the danger field, and a few moments edited to be earlier in the film. The characters needed more depth as well, helping to give them more layers like they tried to give Fanning’s character and helping give me more to either root for or against. The editing might have helped with smoothing out plot gaps and questions that distracted me during the time. They do answer some of the questions, but there are still some unresolved or a stretch. And the twist that came was predictable for many reasons, and thus the revelation was mediocre for me as well. Perhaps the biggest thing needed though, is more terror and close calls. The Watchers is missing so much of that, with the climactic components very mundane because there was so much more they could do. After such an epic setup with the environment and camera work, the lack of real challenges and trials was a very disappointing finish for horror fans who like a little more bite to their thriller.
The VERDICT
Another movie of mundane horror, The Watchers has elements that the Shyamalan tribe knows how to do well in their movie media. Fantastic visuals, audio, and dialogue are the centerpieces of this film, with good characters and acting to a degree to bring it to life. It blends folklore and scares in a nice hybrid with some emotional depth beyond the typical horror movie. A smarter approach to conveying terror, returning to your imagination being the primary painter, it works so hard to play off of the fears of isolation, desolation, and hopelessness that made me feel more uncomfortable than the bad guys themselves. Where the movie fails is the pacing of the plot, spreading out that allure and explanation to give the film more bite, alongside needing more time and writing to the characters to build them up past the solemn humans we get. In addition, more scares, close calls, and strategy needed to be executed so that we might have a bit more excitement in suspense in their attempts to get out of the forest. Is this film worth a trip to the theater… I’m mixed. I would encourage you to support your local theater, but this movie feels better used at home to get the most out of your experience. In regards to my score, I rank The Watchers at:
Fantasy/Horror/Mystery: 6.5-7.0
Movie Overall: 6.0
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