"Some of what you are about to see is extremely disturbing."
Well, a few weeks ago they released the trailer for the new movie starring Milla Jovovich, "The Fourth Kind." As many of you probably know, I've been a Milla fan ever since I saw the very first "Resident Evil" film. However, Milla wasn't the only factor that drew me to this film. After I watched the trailer for the movie, I was utterly surprised. Never in my ENTIRE life have I ever been frightened, or kept in suspense even, by a movie's mere TRAILER. After seeing this trailer, I knew that I HAD to see this movie no matter what. Then my friend wanted to see it as well, and she took me for my birthday. As I sat in the theater, and the movie started, I immediately felt that suspense build up again, and I knew that the movie was going to be one big, exciting thrillride, and that it was going to be a new favorite of mine. Well... I was completely correct. What I really enjoyed about this movie was the actual archive footage that was used to back the story up. I mean, you know all of these movies CLAIM to be based off of true and actual events, but this one goes a step further, and gets some footage to make it's claim more coherent. As MIlla states in the film's opening sequence, "What you choose to believe is up to you," and I for one believe that, at the very least, these people BELIEVE what they went through, and quite frankly, that's enough for me. So overall, the movie was incredibly creepy, and in some instances just downright creepy. I actually felt myself gripping the seat, which for me, is kind of odd. Now, don't get a false sense as you read this. The movie is not SCARY, really, it's just very creepy, and as Milla also states to the audience, extremely disturbing.
The director of this film is a man named Olatunde Osunsanmi. Osunsanmi is known for a directorial hand in two other movies aside from "The Fourth Kind." These movies are "WIthIN" and "Etat." I've never seen either of these movies, so I really can't compare the three films, or point out any progressions that Osunsanmi may have made, so I'll just write about how he does on this film alone. I really liked how Osunsanmi chose to use the archive footage to back up the story. It's an interesting choice, and it could have gone wrong in so many different ways. But it really helps back the story up nicely. Especially in the scenes where the dramatizations and the actual footage are spliced together on the screen, so you actually see how these things went at the same time as you watch the dramatizations go on. It was something that Osusnanmi handled very nicely, and as I said, it had the oppurtunity to go very wrong in so many different ways. Osunsanmi also writes for the movie, doing the screenplay, and helping to write the story with Terry Lee Robbins. The writing of the movie went very nicely, and I feel this also helped along the actual footage. What made the movie go so well was the actual footage, I believe. It was truly disturbing, and it really made things go nicely. So the storyline of the movie, based, as I said, on actual footage, was done very well, and does a great job at gripping your attention as you're watching. This isn't ALL that Osunsanmi does, either, as he plays a minor role in the movie. He sets up the story as the person who interviews the real Dr. Abigail Emily Tyler. He plays himself, but it's still a pretty big role. So Osunsanmi delivers a triple-threat with his performance, and he handles all very nicely, helping the film move along very smoothly.
The visuals of this movie are pretty simple. There's not a lot of magic or explosions going on because this movie is delivering us an actual story, and does so with unusual vigor for a film of this type. I guess one very well done visual that I can bring into light is the owl. Many wonder, as they watch the trailer and the various TV Spots and clips, what the owl is all about. I don't really want to describe it at the moment, but it plays a really big role, as I'm sure you all gathered as you yourselves watched the preview footage. What does this have to do with the visuals is probably what you're wondering right now. Well, the owl is done very well. I'm not sure whether they used an animatronic owl, a CGI owl, or an actual owl that was trained for the movie, but whatever the case, the owl looked absolutely creepy, and really helped the suspenseful and creepy feel that this film is trying to create (something which, as I've said, they've succeeded at doing). For other visuals, like I continue to repeat, you have the actual footage. This isn't anything that is filmed for the movie or anything. It's actual footage, and it delivers a powerful punch of disturbia as you watch it. It was something (as I'm going to continue reitterating) that could have gone disasterously wrong for the film, but if they were able to do it the right way, would make the film that much more suspenseful. And they handled it magnificently, making the movie creepy, disturbing, and suspenseful, which is something I am almost positive that they wanted to do. The visuals of the movie are handled very well, and help to make the movie go along very smoothly.
The storyline of this movie is based on true events. That much you all already knew, I know, but I have to keep bringing it up to remind you and remind you about what this movie is all about. You're not going to get some epic film about alien abduction. Don't get me wrong, the film IS, in fact, epic. But! It's not full of action and adventure. It's got it's action, but not like what you'd expect from movies. It's action that occurs in reality. Like the destruction of the table while somoene was under hypnosis. The point I'm trying to make you realize is that it uses action, but the action that it utilizes is subtle, and not very "kick-you-in-the-face," if you know what I mean. If you're wondering what the title of the movie is all about, the movie explains that for you at one point, but I'll explain it here. There are four steps in dealing with other-worldly creatures. The first kind is sightings, such as UFO's and whatnot. The second kind is evidence of these creatures; crop circles and radiation are examples. The third kind is actual contact with these creatures. And finally we have the fourth kind, which is abduction by these creatures. And that's what the movie is ultimately about: abduction. You choose what you want to believe, as I said, but I know for a fact that it'll really make you think about things, at the very least. Is the storyline very effective for a movie? Yes, yes it is, and it'll keep you glued to your seat. That much I know. Even the credits have something to make you sit through them (I won't tell you what, but you can see for yourself once you see the movie). So yes, the storyline definitely delivers a big, thrilling, and suspenseful punch.
The movie begins with actress Milla Jovovich ("Resident Evil: Extinction") addressing the audience and explaining that the movie is based on actual events, that characters are based on actual people, but are under aliases to protet privacy, and that ultimately, what we choose to believe is up to us. From there we go to directore Olatunde Osunsanmi interviewing the actual Dr. Abigail Emily Tyler, a psychologist, about events that occurred in her life. She starts telling the story, and we fade into the dramatization where Dr. Tyler (played now by Milla Jovovich of "Resident Evil: Extinction") is in a psychiatric evaluation with a colleague of hers, Dr. Abel Campos (played by Elias Koteas of "The Haunting in Connecticut"). Her husband, Dr. Will Tyler, had been killed. As she goes under hypnosis to remember the face of her killer, she relates that he was falling asleep, and she was wide awake, when an intruder broke into the room, and stabbed him. However, she did not see the intruders face. Now under hypnosis, she still cannot see his face, and she starts freaking out about all of the blood coming from her husband in this memory. She returns to reality, and Dr. Campos suggests she take some time off to get over the shock of this experience. She refuses, saying that Will would have wanted her to finish her work. As she returns to her home office in the town of Nome, Alaska, we learn more about her family. She has two children, Ashley Tyler (played by Mia McKenna-Bruce of the television show, "EastEnders") and Ronnie Tyler. Ashley's shock over her fathers death has caused her to loser her sight, and it's unclear whether it will ever return, and Ronnie blames his mother for everything that is going on in their life. So at home, Abigail is not having the easiest time ever. To make things even more stressful for Abigail, three of her patients have reported having the same exact experiences; they've all woken up in the middle of the night, at around 2:30 - 3:00 in the morning, and seen an odd owl right outside their window, staring at them. And somehow, though no windows are open, the owl gets INSIDE of the house, and stares down at them from their headboards. During one of these interviews, she asks her patient, Tommy Fisher (played by Corey Johnson of "The Bourne Ultimatum"), to return the next day for a further session to learn more about this. He does, and when he goes under hypnosis, he realizes that the owl is no longer there, but when Abigail tries to find out what he means, he freaks out, and she must wake him up before he destroys her office. He refuses to tell her anything when she asks about what he saw, but that night he commits a very heinous crime, which makes Abigail's life even more complicated, since now the Sheriff, Sheriff August (played by Will Patton of the television show, "Numb3rs"), is on her case about using hypnosis, and is accusing her of being at fault for the crime that Fisher committed. However, when a similiar episode occurs, when another patient, Scott Stracinzky (played by Enzo Cilenti of "Next") comes to her with his wife, asking to be hypnotized. As things continue forward, Abigail starts to hear Sumarian voices in one of her recordings, and enlists the help of Dr. Awolowa Odusami (played by Hakeem Kae-Kazim of "24: Redemption"), a historian who knows the ancient Sumarian language. Abigail begins to believe that whatever is doing these things to the people of Nome, Alaska, it's not from this world. Video footage is, of course, used to back up everything that is occuring in this movie. The actors and actresses who play part in this movie do a fantastic job at their performances. They all really get their characters down nicely, inducing scenes of panic, terror, seizure, and other such things that occurred in the film during hypnosis, or panic. It's something that you're going to have to see for yourself, but you'll just have to trust when I say that all of the actors get their roles down spectacularly. Definitely a great job on the casting of this movie.
So if you're looking for a movie that will frighten you, creep you out, disturb you, and maybe even terrify you, then "The Fourth Kind" is definitely one of the movies that you should make an effort to see this year. It's absolutely fantastic, and all of the performances throughout this movie are handled spectacularly. This movie took a chance with the actual footage angle, and what could have been disastrous, proved to be spectacular. Very rarely has a movie actually creeped me out, and since this movie (being only PG-13, even) managed that wonderfully, it gets my full support. So believe me when I say that this movie is very unique, and it will definitely make you think about abductions and everything. "In the end... What you choose to believe is up to you." Milla AND Olatunde Osunsanmi BOTH end the movie by saying this one quote, and quite frankly, it's very good advice, and that's the fact I'm going to leave you with. The directing is fantastic, the writing is great, the visuals are excellent, the storyline is enticing, and the actors and actresses deliver performances that are DEFINITELY very well done. You feel for the characters on the screen, rather than just watching from an apathetic view-point, and that's another thing that this movie does very well. If you're looking for a great, thrilling, creepy, disturbing movie, then "The Fourth Kind" is DEFINITELY what you're looking for. So give her a try. I am almost POSITIVE that you will not get disappointed with it. I know I didn't!!!!!
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