Anika Patel
Having honed her skills as a second-unit director on Old and Knock at the Cabin, Ishana Night Shyamalan has certainly learned a thing or two about creating a chilling atmosphere from her father, M. Night Shyamalan. However, what she seems to have missed is his knack for scriptwriting. While her father’s storytelling abilities may not always be flawless, even his most absurd narratives (think Lady in the Water) don’t suffer from the plot inconsistencies and excessive exposition found in The Watchers. Some of these issues may stem from the source material, a novel by A.M. Shine, while others seem like studio-imposed changes to eliminate any potentially “confusing” elements.
Regardless of the reasons, the unfortunate result is that despite Shyamalan’s ambitious attempt to weave a complex mythology into her film’s relatively straightforward premise, she largely falls short. The silver lining? There’s enough promise in her work to suggest she might hit the mark next time.
Stoking the Fire
Dakota Fanning stars as Mina, an American expat running a pet shop in Galway, Ireland. When she’s tasked with delivering a rare bird to a Belfast zoo, her unreliable GPS leads her into a dense, disorienting forest reminiscent of the Blair Witch’s haunting woods. As darkness descends, she follows a mysterious elderly woman into a one-room cabin inhabited by two others, where she quickly learns the rules of survival. They’re being observed through the cabin’s enormous two-way mirror window by enigmatic, dangerous entities that fear the daylight. These creatures watch them with an unending curiosity, returning night after night. To survive, they must never turn their backs to the mirror after dark, only venture outside during the day, and avoid the massive burrows scattered throughout the forest.
The mystery’s setup is as straightforward as its resolution is bewilderingly complex. It’s clear that Shyamalan shares her father’s love for Lost. While she juggles numerous plot points, some inevitably fall flat, but others occasionally take flight. She draws ominous parallels to caged pets, mimicking parrots, and round-the-clock reality shows like Big Brother, but fails to offer any insightful commentary on these comparisons. They neither illuminate each other nor tap into real-world fears and pitfalls.
The Forest Comes Alive
On the topic of reality versus fantasy, credit must be given for transforming an Irish forest into a terrifying landscape, with every tree branch resembling a large, menacing thorn. In reality, getting lost in an Irish forest is relatively safe, as none of the wildlife poses a lethal threat. However, throw in some pagan mythology, and the imagination runs wild. The sudden appearance of mystic runes on car radios and smartphones might be overkill, but perhaps they can be chalked up to electromagnetic anomalies.
Remember, this is based on a horror novel featuring twin sisters named Lucy and Mina. If you think that’s an overt nod to Ireland’s own Bram Stoker, wait until you see the other tributes. The creature effects are impressive, striking the perfect balance between seen and unseen. The Watchers features some of the most terrifying crow scenes in recent memory. However, it also introduces plot points that strain credibility. For instance, are we really supposed to believe that after five months of confinement in a single room, no one thought to look under the rug?
The Coop Crew
Fanning delivers a solid performance at the helm of a largely forgettable cast. The only other standout is acclaimed Irish stage actress Olwen Fouere, who plays the longest-held captive of the Watchers. Georgina Campbell and Oliver Finnegan round out the cast, primarily serving to deliver exposition and make the classic horror movie mistakes. The production design by Lola’s Ferdia Murphy is top-notch — the natural beauty of Galway provides a stunning backdrop, and the way the bunker, or “the coop,” lights up against the unfamiliar foliage at night, transforming into a sinister TV set for evil voyeurs, is eerily beautiful.
If only the story didn’t insist on over-explaining everything, leaving gaping plot holes in its wake. Much of this stems directly from the book, and it’s perhaps unfair to expect Shyamalan to disregard the source material in her directorial debut. However, as her father discovered with The Last Airbender, adaptation might not be where the Shyamalans’ talents truly shine. A more abstract director might have had a blast with the material, but Shyamalan isn’t quite ready to transform it into a smart story.
The Million Dollar Question…
Does Ishana share her father’s love for plot twists? Well, that depends on whether you consider a twist something you can see coming a mile away — long before the clueless characters do.
Grade: 2.5/5
The Watchers hits theaters on June 7.
