The Mothman Prophecies: Critic Reviews

The stone-faced Gere is more at home here than in a romcom role and there are a few effectively scary moments. But it goes on a good 15 minutes too long.

Watching The Mothman Prophecies is like getting mugged in an alley by an especially thuggish crew of Method actors.

A gaudy yet grim science-fiction horror movie of such surpassing silliness, humorless intensity and stylistic overkill that watching it may actually put you in a state of paranoia. Why are these moviemakers persecuting us?

This is the scariest movie I've ever seen.

Despite hints that it aspires to be more, The Mothman Prophecies is a by-the-numbers sci-fi thriller.

Even with your eyebrows raised and your tongue planted firmly in cheek, the whole thing gets under your skin in ways that creep you out.

Director Mark Pellington hardly lets a moment pass without suggesting some bad vibes creeping onto the edges of the screen, but he's let down by Richard Hatem's script.

Psychological thriller may deeply upset some kids.

The stylish bleakness keeps you off-balance with unreliable narration and an unforgettable conclusion. The more it accelerates rant-and-rave paranoia, the greater it gets - a campfire-ready chiller whose subconscious embers glow long after it's over.

The last reel or so is an embarrassment -- or entertainment at long last, depending on how you look at it.

The Mothman Prophecies is the kind of solemn, credulous junk that Men in Black so cleverly sent up.

Gere does a great deal in solo scenes with no dialogue, suggesting that he might not be as alone in the dark as he seems.

In promoting its cliche-ridden sci-fi-horror, Sony is using the tage "based on true story," as if the "factulaity" of the text is a badge of honor, or necessary condition for taking the schlocky flick more seriously.

There are certainly strong moments and efficient set pieces here, too, but for all the claims that the film, adapted from a 1975 book by John Keel, is based on real events, Pellington fails to sustain credibility.

A big disappointment.

Few recent movies have such portentous and eerie nocturnal scenes ...Don't let this one fly away-it's a real wing-dinger.

It's bone-chillingly, back-crawlingly, heart-stoppingly scary!

Criando um clima de suspense e tensao eficaz, Pellington narra uma historia intrigante e bem resolvida.

The story is eerie and gets under the skin, but director Mark Pellington is unable to recreate the suspense found in the best supernatural thrillers.

Destined to enjoy a late night video audience for many years to come.

You would probably be better off watching an episode of The X-Files instead . . .

An effective visual style and campfire-storytelling flair. The climax manages to effectively tie most of the ideas together with chilling resolution.

An accomplished supernatural thriller that substitutes atmosphere for monsters and puts substance high on its list of priorities.

Whether Pellington or Gere is to blame for keeping the obvious potential of this weak thriller down, someone should be held responsible. Even the Mothman doesn't have to predict how well this film will do at the box office.

Moody, suggestive horror piece has fascinating elements, but never quite takes off.