Mothman Prophecies, The (2001)

Mark Pellington, who helmed the underrated thriller "Arlington Road," has a good knack for storytelling through visuals he uses, while putting us in the shoes of the lead character. He uses those techniques for impressive results with his latest, "Mothman Prophecies," a nifty psychological thriller that takes a fictional twist on the supposedly true "Mothman" stories.

Richard Gere plays John, a reporter for the Washington Post who has been getting over a calamity two years ago where his wife (Debra Messing) died in a car wreck. Before she passed away, she asked him if he saw something that caused the accident, which he was confused about.

When driving out one night, he ends up finding himself in a small town at West Virginia. He's baffled how he got there and begins doing a little investigating with the help of a kindly sheriff (Laura Linney), where he starts to realize that some of the people in this town happen to have seen a "Mothman" personality that he believes his wife had encountered before passing away. Getting constant bizarre phone calls and seeing some strange visions, John tries his best keeping his head straight while learning more about the mystery of the Mothman and what it wants with the people that claim to have encountered it.

Gere's astonishing performance carries the film, which gives him the meatiest role he has worked on since he starred in 1995's "Primal Fear." We feel for the guy as his character starts becoming paranoid when he becomes obsessed about the Mothman. Another role worthy of notice is underrated actor Will Patton, who adds dimension to the part of a troubled man who has been getting bizarre encounters from the "Mothman."

Despite that her character seems underwritten, Linney, who co-starred with Gere in "Fear," adds warmth to her character and sparks a little chemistry with Gere (a relief to see the film doesn't make her into a love interest). Debra Messing and Alan Bates manage to make very good impressions in small parts.

Pellington, teamed up with cinematographer Fred Murphy (Stir of Echoes), know how to craft suspense into the film by letting it slowly get to you and leaving the Mothman a mystery. The film looks great and I liked the various camera techniques used throughout the film.

The screenplay was well thought out and brought some interesting life into the old myth. The film does have a few corny moments in there that left dead air around the audience, particularly one forced love scene between Gere and Messing. There were also times where I felt the pace slacked around when it should've been picking up. The slow pace was appropriate for the film, but I felt there were a couple little subplots that could've been tossed in the editing room.

I went into this movie with real low expectations, but came out pleasantly surprised with the results.
It has the feel of an old school horror film and benefits off of a game cast and crew. It tended to poke around a little bit, but managed to hold my attention throughout the movie and does a nice job setting up some very creepy moments when you least expect them. If you were fascinated by the myth, make sure to check out the official website, which has plenty of fascinating links on it that include sightings of the Mothman.

Rating: *** 1/2 out of *****

Review by Adam Eshack - (c) 2/3/02