Castigo mortal

Right, well "Mothman" was definitely a TV movie in the sense of those words. Sure, it was a slight horror movie, but still it was not something that was overly impressive.

The storyline in "Mothman" was actually adequate, taking into consideration what they had to work with. But the end result of the movie was shoddy and questionable, especially given the poor CGI and the fact that it seemed like not even the actors and actresses themselves were convinced about the outcome of the movie.

The acting in the movie was for the most parts adequate, even with taking into consideration that it felt like most performers were only half-hearted there.

As for the horror aspect in the movie. Well, sure it was generic and straight forward, and not something that haven't already been dabbled with before in other movies. But still, it was sufficiently entertaining enough to keep me watching the movie to the very end. Was I overly entertained, hardly. But I still wanted to see how the movie ended.

Now, the movie suffered terribly from having laughable CGI effects. For a movie from 2010, then the movie was plagued by having special effects reminiscent of a PC game back from the mid-1990s. It was that questionable and laughable to look at, believe you me.

One thing in the movie that had me laughing was the fact that they never reloaded the shotgun and it had a lot, and I mean that literally, a lot of shots stored inside it apparently. That was just such an idiotic mistake to make in a movie.

With "Mothman" watched, I can honestly say that this movie came and went without leaving a dent in anything, only to slowly fade into oblivion. There is no chance of me ever returning to watch "Mothman" because there was just not enough contents in the movie to sustain more than a single viewing - and even that single viewing it at a stretch.

Mothman starts out... essentially it's like another one of those ridiculously common ghost movies. Characters become targeted, some die mysteriously and survivors must discover how to survive.

The monster itself tends to emerge from whatever reflective surfaces are available to murder victims.

The protagonist is visiting and reporting on the town. Killing her first wouldn't raise any suspicions so naturally the monster goes around killing the permanent citizens first.

But things reach their lowest when the monster starts rampaging, ignoring the previously-established rules completely. This scene doesn't make sense in the context of the previous events and is likely caused by a rewrite. Another problem is the main cast; many were murdered without making any impression.

Some movies, even made-for-TV movies, are better than you'd expect. This is not one of them.

The plot could work, if the writing was even decent. The actors really did seem to be doing the best job they could, given a horrible script. The setting and costumes were fine and believable (there are mountains and no-name hotels in West Virginia, and normal young adults will wear jeans and tank tops around town).

This is one of those movies that is the acting equivalent of flipping burgers or cleaning hotel rooms. It's honest work, and the actors did the best they could in the context, but it's a job you hope will be pushed off a resume by better work. Even the TV-movie-only actors deserve better resume content than this mess. Fortunately, some of the cast (such as Firefly's Jewel Staite) have had enough quality work for this thing to only be a place-holder in the long run...One of those jobs you pick up to pay the rent when work is slow, or for some extra cash. Otherwise, this is a horribly mediocre movie and is best for background noise during a weekend afternoon nap.

Swimming in a West Virginia river, six mature-looking teenagers tease (Jared's) younger brother Alex Hardee (as Jamie). They tell him the scary story of the legendary "Mothman" monster. During a strange water game, the cast pulls each other's legs down in the water. Somebody suffers a mishap and the swimmers, led by Jewel Staite (as Katharine Grant), decide to make the death seem like an accident. It already was an accident, and their repeated head-bashing only makes it look worse. However, nobody seems to notice. The kid's not dead, either; you can see him breathing. Maybe that's why the resuscitation attempt was so half-hearted...

Ten years later, Ms. Staite returns to town. A Washington DC reporter, she has been assigned to write a story on the legendary "Mothman" monster of Point Pleasant...

Staite meets the old gang after almost killing one of them in another accident. Quickly, supernatural stuff begins to happen. Probably, the monster is out to punish the cast for making an accidental drowning look like an accident. There is also a parallel incident involving blind resident Jerry Leggio (as Frank Waverly). The leading man is Connor Fox (as Derek Carpenter). The cast is attractive and the special effects are serviceable. Director Sheldon Wilson uses the red eye symbolism well and keeps the cameras steady. Unfortunately, as we get more of the Mothman and the murders, it looks sillier. The story never really makes any sense.

*** Mothman (4/24/10) ~ Sheldon Wilson ~ Jewel Staite, Connor Fox, Matty Ferraro, Jerry Leggio

Just what is The Mothman supposed to be? A harbinger from Hell? A monster from the ID? An extra-terrestrial? Bad acting and stupid plot. There is not enough shock and disbelief from the people responsible for the boy's accidental death. They act like they just dented a fender! The victim He doesn't even look very dead! the Mothman is a tall stuntman in a feathered costume with red glowing eyes! Ask for your 90 minutes back, and go watch "The Mothman Prophecies" (2002) with Richard Gere. It's far better than this mess!