The Fourth Kind

Starring: Milla Jovovich, Will Patton, Elias Koteas, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Corey Johnson
Directed by: Olatunde Osunsanmi
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller
2009

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Dr. Abigail Tyler (Milla Jovovich) is a psychologist in Nome, Alaska, who begins interviewing patients who all seem to have the same nightmarish visions. She soon believes something very unnatural is occurring in Nome- and perhaps, something otherworldly.

Review:
Tim: Your enjoyment of The Fourth Kind will depend vastly upon your opinion of Universal's questionable "true story" marketing. This film is supposed to be incredibly based on actual events- indeed, Milla Jovovich starts the film out as herself, telling the audience that what they are about to watch is a movie intermeshed with actual, disturbing video and audio footage. Indeed, the entire movie desperately wants you to believe the scenes labeled "actual" footage are actually real. Unfortunately, they are not. This is fairly obvious as you watch, but the movie does just enough to make you question the validity of what you're watching. If you feel shafted and misled by the lies and trickery, then I bet you hate this movie. If you understand that this was all just a part of the film's appeal, then you might be more sympathetic.

Perhaps not surprisingly, I fell somewhere in the middle. I certainly don't appreciate the length of Universal's deception (google it- it is incredible the lengths they went to to make this seem real). However, I understand that the "real" and "true" aspects of this story make it scary. For that reason, I was pretty forgiving. Yes, the movie tries to get the audience to buy a pretty big lie, but it was also executed poorly enough that it is very easy to see through the lies. For example, watch the "real" footage- it is remarkably perfect... almost as if was staged. These moments would be amazingly convenient if they were real, and you'd bet that the footage would have made the national news. So, this movie is fake- but that only hurts it to a certain extent.

Getting past the film's dishonesty, this is actually a fairly solid alien abduction movie. I don't believe enough of these are made in Hollywood, so I always enjoy a decent one. While the film's mixing of filmed footage and the "actual" footage is occasionally disruptive, it also makes this a unique and very different movie. While it takes some time getting used to, in the end, I thought it added an interesting new dynamic to the film. Director Olatunde Osunsanmi does a good job of balancing the "real" with the fake, and expertly turning to the "real" footage when the film needs a real scare. I enjoyed this aspect of the film.

I thought the cast was fairly good. Milla Jovovich does a good job portraying Dr. Abigail Tyler. While Jovovich isn't a tremendous actress, she is a solid, good performer. She was good in the role, and she does have a quality about her that allows the audience to identify with and root for her. I thought she did a good job. I liked seeing Will Patton as the Sheriff, although his limited screen time only allows him to be unlikable. I wish he had more time to establish himself as a multidimensional character. I loved the casting of Elias Koteas. I've always thought he was a good actor, and I appreciate any screentime he can get. He is good here. While the supporting actors are good, this is really and truly Jovovich's film.

What I enjoyed about this movie is that it tells a very scary story. Alien abduction is scary enough, but this was portrayed in a realistic, believable way. I love the imagery of the film- the owl, the hypnosis sessions, and all the rest of it. This film follows the trend of many horror movies- the best scares occur not when you actually see the source of the horror, but when you are in constant dread of it. This is not to say there aren't scary moments. There were a few jaw-droppingly frightening moments. I jump every time I see that one fateful hypnosis session, and the alien ship moving aross the top of the screen is truly scary. I enjoyed this movie more than I should have because it certainly made me feel afraid a number of times.

I am sympathetic and understanding of those that hate this movie. I admit that it is pretty terrible when a movie blatantly lies to achieve its own ends. However, I was also entertained because of those lies, so in some ways, I can appreciate the effort. Good alien abduction movies are rare, and I think this one does just enough to reach that level. I enjoyed this movie although I didn't love it, but sometimes that is good enough.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Communion, Fire in the Sky, Resident Evil trilogy