Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong
Mina (Dakota Fanning) is an American lost in an uncharted forest in Western Ireland. Her car has disappeared and night is coming. Mina finds her way to a concrete shelter housing three other strangers, all terrified of creatures who are lurking in the woods around them. She quickly discovers that these creatures like to watch and study them through a two-way mirror, and is not so keen on following any of the rules they want her to abide by.
That is the set-up for Writer/Director Ishana Night Shyamalan’s adaptation of A.M. Shine’s THE WATCHERS. She takes on the folk horror/fairy tale/gothic mystery mash-up with the directorial confidence of a seasoned vet and not someone making their Feature debut. She has full control over the frame, using her uncanny ability to capture creepy, unsettling imagery to her advantage and doles out information in captivating ways. The Film mainly takes place in one setting and Shyamalan uses the space well without relying entirely on CGI. Sure, she may play right into the same hand her divisive filmmaker Father would, but she also seems readily aware of how to avoid the trappings other debut feature Filmmakers fall into.
She could have probably focused on the flowers and the bewildering score a bit less though.
What I was not so crazy about was Shyamalan’s writing. It is not very elegant and is often downright clunky. I have not read the book, so this could easily just be an issue with the source material working better on the page than on the screen. Given who her Father is however, I would contend that this might not be the case and may be more of an “apple does not fall far from the tree” situation. That said, certain tweaks could have easily improved some of the more comically inept scenes as would giving the characters even just slightly more depth. She has a totally game cast here, ready to throw themselves into the madness at a moment’s notice – including scene stealer Olwen Fouéré and Barbarian breakout Georgina Campbell – so why not use them more efficiently rather than saddling them with ludicrously bad dialogue?
Fanning fares a bit better than the Supporting Cast thankfully. She gets one oddly placed piece of narration and her characterization details are not the strongest, yet she manages to hold your attention and keep the Film moving even when it is desperately trying to grind to a halt.
As a Feature directorial debut, I admire the verve Shyamalan exhibits in her work on THE WATCHERS. She has a great sense of visual style and an eye for creepy, macabre imagery. Her Father has clearly inspired her, though I feel like she does more than enough to ensure some uniquity versus just homaging his greatest hits. Her confidence behind the camera gives me hope for her next projects, even if I harbour the fear that her inelegant writing will not improve. Let’s hope she proves me wrong.
Warner Bros. Pictures Canada release THE WATCHERS on Friday, June 7, 2024.
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