The Mothman Prophecies (2002)
Director:Mark Pellington
Writen by: Richard Hatem, based don the book “The Mothman Prophecies” by John A. Keel
Cast: Richard Gere, Laura Linney, David Eigenberg
Edited by: Brian Berdan
Director of Photography: Fred Murphy
Original Music: tomandandy
“The Mothman Prophecies” is one of these movies that got less attention than deserved. It is a good movie, with a solid screenplay allegedly based on true events, compiled in the book of the same name by John A. Keel.
There are several interesting facts about the movie translation into screen: first, the movie doesn’t add any significant event to the ones described in the book, something that sadly usually happens when Hollywood brings one story to the screen, in order to make it more commercial. The screenplay is really good (as proves the excerpt at the end of this thread), although it may seem slow sometimes, mainly due to the lack of “action” understood as the lack of “apparitions” of the creature and, as we said, consequence of the faithfulness to the book. The only thing to blame on the script is the possible narrative “impasse” before the end, that we mentioned before, although we don’t consider it a real problem.
Laura Linney is perfect and even convincing, as the little town policewoman. Richard Gere is correct as the confused journalist, although sometimes seems a excessively lost in the plot (probably he wanted to give more confusion to his character), and the rest of the cast are just perfect as the normal people facing an unexplainable mistery.
As the weakest point of the movie we can mention the scenography in the mothman sightings, that seem more from a documentary fictionalization for The Discovery Channel than from a big screen production. Besides this, the direction is firm.and effective
One of the most interesting movies about parapsychological matters, and something different to what Hollywood usually brings us, a look into a true American, although international, myth.
ALEXANDER LEEK: What happened to you, Mr. Klein?
JOHN KLEIN: Last week my friend got a strange phone call... from an entity... a spirit, whatever. It seemed to know everything.
ALEXANDER LEEK: Like God? It made predictions that came true?
JOHN KLEIN: Yes. His name was Indrid Cold.
ALEXANDER LEEK: It's perception, John. They appear differently to everyone. A voice, a light, a man, a monster. If your friend thinks it's God he spoke to, he's off by more than a few degrees.
JOHN KLEIN: Then how do you explain that it knows everything?
ALEXANDER LEEK: Look at that -he points the top of skyscraper-. If there was a car crash blocks away, that window washer could likely see it. That doesn't mean he's God... or even smarter than we are. But from where he's sitting... He can see a little further down the road.
JOHN KLEIN: I think we can assume that... These entities are more advanced than us. Why don't they just come right out and tell us what's on their minds?
ALEXANDER LEEK: You're more advanced than a cockroach. Have you ever tried explaining yourself to one of them?
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