There are many things in this universe that science has a
hard time explaining. The mysteries of Atlantis, The Bermuda
Triangle, crop circles, Bigfoot, The Loch Ness Monster, and
The Yeti, are just a few of the subjects that cant be resolved
nor fully explained by scientific theory.
Nature is often full of mystery as life forms are still discovered
to this day. The Celocampth was thought to have been extinct
for thousands of years only to be discovered again in the
late 1980s off the coast of South America. Many people love
mysteries, and that is why films, books, and television shows
dealing with the unknown have proven so popular over the ages.
With the recent announcement by series creator Chris Carter
that The X-Files would be ending its nine-season
run on the small screen, a new movie is set to debut this
weekend on the big screen with a mystery as compelling as
anything that Mulder or Scully ever faced. What makes the
premise of the film even more interesting is that it is based
on true events that are supported by numerous eyewitness reports
from credible sources.
The movie in question is The Mothman Prophecies
and like the book of the same name by John A Keel, it covers
the mysterious events that befell the town of Point Pleasant
West Virginia from 1966-67. Though set in modern times, the
events have been recreated with only slight dramatic enhancements
by director Mark Pellington, and Writer/Producer Richard Hatem
with chilling results. Mothman stars Richard Gere as John
Klein, a respected and accomplished journalist for the Washington
Post. Klein has just purchased a dream home with his lovely
wife Mary(Debra Messing), when a car accident turns their
world upside down. While in the hospital, Mary asks her husband
if he saw it, confused by the question, John chalks the notion
up to accident trauma, and forgets about it, as the health
of his wife is his main concern. Sadly for John, his wife
dies, and while sorting her things discovers a series of bizarre
and horrific sketches his wife made while in the hospital.
The film then jumps two years ahead and John is a shell of
his former self. He is still mourning his wife, and going
through the motions at work and in life. John is sent on assignment
to interview the Governor in Richmond, VA, when his life takes
a turn out of the Twilight Zone. A short 90-minute drive later,
John finds himself stranded in a small town with a local man
claiming he has woken him up the past two nights previous
and he has been waiting for him. The arrival of officer Connie
Parker (Laura Linney), only adds to the confusion as it is
determined that John traveled over 400 miles in just under
90 minutes and is now in a small west Virginia town named
Point Pleasant. During his time in the town, John learns of
mysterious sightings, strange phone calls, and odd goings
on from people who are pillars of the community. A series
of sketches by witnesses are exact ringers for the images
Johns wife drew two years earlier, and before long,
John is receiving odd phone calls by something that does not
sound human, yet knows everything about him and what he is
doing, even in a closed room. Soon after, some people start
claiming a mysterious moth shaped figure is talking to them,
and telling them of disasters to come. John soon finds himself
racing for an answer before something bad happens to the area,
as he is convinced is about to happen, and the lines between
reality and madness start to blur in a frenzy of bizarre and
unexplained activities.
The film is slowly paced and builds to an interesting if though
predictable climax. I saw what was to come before it happened,
but it did not spoil the moment for me. Gere and Linney give
solid performances, and the film does keep your attention.
The true nature of the mystery is left a mystery, as the audience
is left to ponder what they have seen and in some areas draw
their own conclusions. That is the joy of the film as to this
day, The Mothman continues to be reported in areas often before
a disaster strikes and then never to be seen in that area
again. There were sightings in Chernobyl before the nuclear
accident, and in Mexico City before the large earthquake.
While some may call this notion nonsense, there were 47 people
who lost their lives in Point Pleasant shortly after the Mothman
was reported there, only to vanish following a tragedy.
Whether
it is fact or fantasy one thing is clear, The Mothman
Prophecies is an entertaining and chilling film that
will make you question what you believe about myths and the
supernatural.
4 out of
5
Gareth Von Kallenbach
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