Observados

Having read some reviews, most of which very negative, decided to give Dakota another shot after the very emotionless performance she displayed on the latest Mr Ripley series. Again, the prodigal War of the Worlds actress offers a very emotionless, expressionless performance. It's like she doesn't want to be there, or is generally numbed. Not having a strong lead made this rely on the premise alone, and it did deliver.

Story is somewhat fresh, suspenseful, well paced action. Overall good entertainment for a monday night flick at home, but no more than that.

I'll give it a 6/10 for the effort put on everything but the acting.

I enjoy movies with a good story and rich world-building. Although I'd rate this movie a 6/10, I still liked and enjoyed watching it. It's a thriller and mystery that kept me hooked as I wanted to uncover each mystery. The creatures were terrifying, I wouldn't want to come across one of those.

I do agree with some of the reviews that I found some of the characters odd, and no one normal would act the way they did if they were in such a situation.

One thing that could have made a big impact is adding a bit of romance at the end-you'll understand when you watch it. Overall, it's not a mind-blowing story, but I enjoyed it.

"The Watchers" provides an interesting premise at face value. Horror movies that involve a twist on folk stories accompanied with an eerie location usually pair well together and in this case, it does.

Ishana Night Shyamalan's directorial debut is one to be proud of. You can clearly see sprinkles of her father's style imbedded in the film but also boasts her own unique vision.

In regards to the plot, the story is interesting enough to keep you invested throughout the duration. It reveals just enough to ask questions but not enough to give them away.

The design of the "Watchers" is the highlight of the film. Without spoiling too much, every time they were on screen I was fully engrossed. Enough was shown of them that made me wanting to see more.

The worst unfortunately, are the characters which were one dimensional and lacking realism. They acted in ways no human would in this situation, especially the lead. A good horror movie requires realistic and likeable characters to vouch for. "The Watchers" struggled to create such.

As most horrors unfortunately do, "The Watchers" does have some moments that I found a bit silly. Moments where you ask yourself "why would she do that" or "why did that happen like that". Such moments didn't help the film.

I was skeptical towards the beginning on the film, thinking that it would meander in its plot and ultimately be repetitive. However, as the film progressed and its locations changed it kept the story fresh and wanting more. The ending boarded on lacklustre however, I didn't mind that it didn't get too ridiculous and over the top. Felt more realistic and poignant.

Overall, a decent debut film that highlighted a fresh look at folk-lore. The frustrating characters and some silly moments did prevent it from being great. 6.4/10 for me.

Mina (Dakota Fanning) is a twenty-something girl, then her car is broken down at a treeline, being stranded in a forest in the west of Ireland. When she finds shelter, she unwittingly becomes trapped with three strangers, all of whom are watched and stalked by mysterious creatures every night. Now Mina is trapped inside a decaying woodland shelter with three perfect strangers: Ciara (Georgina Campbell), Madeline (Olwen Fouéré) and Daniel (Oliver Finnegan). Then some strange creatures emerge to observe their captive humans and terrible things happen to anyone who doesn't reach the bunker in time. Mina finds herself in a room with a wall of glass, and an electric light that activates at nightfall, when the Watchers come above ground. They are watching!. You can't see them, but they see everything !.

Dakota Fanning (Crazy in Albama) stars in this creepy "Folk Horror" directed by Ishana Shyamalan who shares his love of the terror genre like his father, the famous M. Night Shyamalan, director of ¨The Sixth Sense¨ and other successes in the field of horror and fantasy, such as ¨Signs¨ , ¨The village¨ , ¨Lady in water¨ , ¨Knock at the cabin¨, ¨Old¨, ¨The Incident¨, "Unbreakable" , ¨Multiple¨and "Glass" . It is important to name these films because some of them influenced on this ¨The Watchers¨which was also produced by M. Night Shyamalan.

This eerie and mysterious movie depicts the tale of an isolated place confronting the surprising truth that lies just outside its limits, they live under the control of a few 'Watchers' until a revelatory twist at the end. Ishana toys with terrifying ideas and in Irish fairy tales , but at times , she buries them under an illogical and rather unpredictable tale. Writer/director Shyamalan got a good feel for the time period with sinister images, threatening set pieces and tension enough . Stars Dakota Fanning who gives an acceptable acting as a young artist gets stranded in an extensive, immaculate forest in western Ireland, along with other decent players, such as: Georgina Campbell, Olwen Fouéré, Oliver Finnegan, Alistair Brammer and special apperance from John Lynch.

It contains a suspenseful and intriguing musical score by composer Abel Korzeniowski. As well as colorful and evocative cinematography by cameraman Eli Arenson, shot on location in Ireland. The motion picture was professionally written and directed by Ishana Shyamalan , although not too original, because she copies ideas and the peculiar cinematographic style of her father M. Night. And it was directorial debut in a feature movie, she also made some episodes of the series ¨Servant¨. Rating: 6/10. The flick will please horror enthusiasts and fans of the director's father's films.

I have often thought of this novel since consuming the audiobook in a couple days last year. I've recommended it to a lot of fellow horror readers, too. I personally feel that the film adaptation falls incredibly short of what it could have been. The novel is beautifully crafted with suspense and character development, whereas the movie offers 2D characters that are simply there just because. Their faces remain blank the majority of the movie and their line delivery is flat and almost always as if they're bored talking.

In true Shyamalan fashion, (yes, it's M. Night's daughter who directed it, but the apple doesn't fall far from the tree), the twist is a huge moment. While it does get revealed, it also changes a huge part of the original ending of the book, which makes the overall story even more of a 2D "horror twist." The book's ending gave me chills; the movie's ending gave me cliché horror.

I will say, I was eager to see who would play the character of Madeline, as she is such a force in the book as the most interesting character, as well as the one who has been trapped in the forest the longest, and Olwen Fouéré portrays her beautifully. The overall set design and atmosphere of the film is also done well, which helps but also makes the movie's poor script and characters feel all the more disappointing at times.

While I won't actively encourage not seeing this movie, I DO encourage you to check out the book, by A. M. Shine. I'm also happy that an author whose work I appreciate it getting the attention of Hollywood to have his work made into a different media form - let's hope if his other works become film or television adaptations, that they'll be given the adaptation they deserve.