REELGUY'S REEL REVIEW:
"The Fourth Kind" terrifyingly real or is it?
Maine Connection: During the end credits, the movie plays phone recordings of people reporting UFO sightings. The second call is from an air traffic controller in Portland, Maine.
This film takes advantage of the "is it real?" trend horror movies like "Paranormal Activity" and "Blair Witch" have exploited to big box office success. "The Fourth Kind" is an alien abduction story told in a narrative format with actors but also with "real" footage and audio from the actual events inserted into the film. I cannot say whether these incidents actually happened as portrayed on the "real" side of the split-screen or are simply outgrowths of the writer-director's imagination. Either way, the movie is effective at scaring the hell out of its audience while further fueling the fire of the alien cover-up conspiracies.
Milla Jovovich ("Resident Evil" series) is an unexpected casting choice for the main character, Abbey Tyler, a paranormal researcher. This role is a dramatic turn for a woman known for her modeling and athletic, butt-kicking ability. Abbey loses her husband, another paranormal researcher, in a violent, mysterious incident, leaving her alone to raise her two children and complete his research. Abbey continues the interviews of possible abductees in Juno, Alaska. She is shocked to find similar stories amongst the victims and evidence of memories that have been tampered with. Abbey's sanity is questioned until others begin seeing the actual evidence left behind.
Jovovich ably performs Abbey Tyler as mother, grieving wife, and obsessed researcher. The supporting characters of Abel, Abbey's therapist, and Sheriff August are well-performed by veteran character actors Elias Koteas ("The Haunting in Connecticut") and Will Patton ("A Mighty Heart"), respectively. More important to the overall effectiveness of the film are the uses made of the "real" footage of the actual Abbey Tyler and her videotaped interviews of the abductees. Certain scenes are played out by the actors on one side of the screen while the "actual" footage and people are shown on the other side. The virtuoso performances are mostly on the "real" side, as viewers see hypnotized people flip-out, scream, and-at one point-hover. This style of filmmaking actually works during "The Fourth Kind," making the eyes of the viewer flit back and forth from one side to the other.
This horror tale manages to promote that terrifying feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when faced with something unexplainable that looks "real." The effect may not be the same for everyone but for those with an open mind, "The Fourth Kind" could throw you for a loop. The movie does slip in and out of documentary style filmmaking at times, which may not appeal to all viewers. The overall performances by the cast of actors are not particularly noteworthy and are instead used as a jumping off point for the actual footage. This may have been the director's intention all along. Do you believe now?
Rated PG-13 for violent/disturbing images, some terror, thematic elements and brief sexuality.
