“The Watchers” stars Dakota Fanning, Georgina Campbell, Oliver Finnegan, and Olwen Fouéré. Released on June 7, 2024, the film has a woman trapped in a forest with mysterious creatures watching her. The film was written and directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan in her feature directorial debut. It is based on the novel by A. M. Shine. There’s nothing more nerve-wracking than the uncontrollable feeling that a mysterious presence is watching you. No matter where you go or what you do, the anxiety coming from it can leave you with chills, especially in the dark, isolated forest. If that presence is non-human, you might want to rethink your summer vacation plans. M. Night Shyamalan is prepared to dominate summer vacation with two new eerie films that are sure to send chills down the spines of his fans, and he’s enlisting the help of his family to make it happen. The first of the two sees Shyamalan’s daughter, Ishana, making her mark as a filmmaker with a supernatural horror movie warning audiences about watching their backs whenever they go out in the woods at night. Talk about a family business worth screaming about. With both Shyamalans involved, is this latest horror film worth a watch? Let’s delve into the deepest part of the woods and find out. The story centers on Mina (Fanning), a 28-year-old artist in Ireland who is struggling with her mother’s death. While traveling through the isolated forest to deliver a valuable bird, Mina’s car breaks down, stranding her in the darkest part of the woods. She eventually finds shelter in the form of a mysterious bunker-like building, where she meets three strangers, Ciara (Campbell), Madeline (Fouéré), and Daniel (Finnegan), who are also trapped in the woods. Mina also discovers they are being watched by unknown creatures called “The Watchers” that come out from underneath the ground every night, serving as their audience. With her life at stake, Mina must use her instincts to survive the inescapable forest and decipher the mystery surrounding her “watchers”. It bears repeating that M. Night Shyamalan’s “Split” has revived my interest in the filmmaker after enduring back-to-back misfires in the late 2000s and early 2010s. While some detractors are complaining about his writing, notably the twists, it’s hard to ignore his ambition for old-school tension and storytelling, especially his recent outings. So, it’s unsurprising that I was eager to see what he’s got cooking in his upcoming directorial effort, “Trap”. Until then, I have another Shyamalan project that piqued my curiosity. It’s not because of the concept of people haunted by peeping toms. It’s due to my interest in Ishana Night Shyamalan’s vision for the film. After helming the second unit for her father’s previous two movies and writing and directing several episodes of “Servant”, Ishana hopes to follow in her father’s footsteps in directing a feature-length horror film. However, there have been some discussions swarming around Ishana’s “nepotism,” which could make or break people’s perspectives, with her taking advantage of being her father’s child to work in the industry. That could be the case here, but my only focus is reviewing her vision as its own thing without worrying much about her personal life. While I don’t mind sharing conversations about what’s happening in Hollywood, I also love watching and talking about movies more. It keeps my mind away from the negativity plaguing the world recently. Yes, that includes “The Watchers”, the latest Shyamalan film destined to divide audiences with its narrative choices. Unfortunately, after watching it for myself, I believe it’ll do more than divide its audience. It isn’t without its eerie moments that tend to crawl underneath one’s skin, but they’re hardly worth watching when everything else lacks the impact of their sense of terror and suspense to warrant those moments. I’ll give it this, though. The movie has shown some promise in its concept regarding Ishana Night Shyamalan’s vision. M. Night Shyamalan is renowned for his ability to craft captivating scenes within his horror films, evoking a sense of tension, dread, and discomfort akin to a malevolent force. This quality distinguishes his recent works, making them more bearable than several other horror films I have viewed this year. In “The Watchers”, Ishana attempted to perform this similar task while combining elements from Celtic folklore horror and psychological terror. The result is far from perfect, but for specific sequences, it’s a solidly crafted display of fear that held my gaze long enough to survive its dull execution. Cinematographer Eli Arenson captured stunning shots of Ireland's landscapes and the secluded forest, enhancing Shyamalan’s immersive vision. From those sequences, it’s easy to see that Ishana has gathered some inspiration from her father’s works regarding the framework while offering her own. It’s enough to convince me that Ishana may have potential as a director. Her writing, on the other hand, is an entirely different story. Before going into this film, I wasn’t familiar with the novel it’s based on. However, from what I can gather from “The Watchers”, it’s displayed as a grounded depiction of humanity amid its supernatural frights. The main character, Mina, is isolating herself due to her actions that took her mother’s life, while these “watchers”…well, since it is a Shyamalan film, that’s something you have to see for yourself. That is if you can tolerate the film’s screenplay. This horror concept had the potential to be successful but was hampered by a lackluster script filled with dull dialogue, weak surprises, genre clichés, and uninteresting characters. What's worse is that it failed to establish its own identity amidst its dark tone, struggling to balance its different horror sub-genres: psychological, supernatural, folklore, and slow-burn. The blending of these elements felt soulless and uneven, much like the scares, which were unfortunately overshadowed by the film's uninspired approach to building tension. As for the cast, they delivered what was given, but in the end, I was left feeling disappointed by their efforts, or lack thereof. Dakota Fanning and Georgina Campbell were the only tolerable actors who elevated most of the movie’s runtime regarding their performances as Mina and Ciara, respectively. They’re far from terrible, but considering my experiences with their earlier works, I feel these talented women deserve better. The only actor I think is the worst of the bunch is Oliver Finnegan as Daniel. On several occasions, Finnegan was phoning in his delivery to portray Daniel’s discomforting personality. The way he delivered specific dialogue was a bit more cringy than frightening, which I would admit was worth a chuckle or two. It might be the direction causing him to sound like that, but it still doesn’t excuse the poor delivery of Finnegan’s acting if that were the case. Overall, “The Watchers” is a disappointing and inconsistent slog that gazes upon its humiliation in the horror genre. To its credit, though, it shows that Ishana Night Shyamalan has some potential in her direction, offering plenty of eeriness and dread in its cinematography and her vision. Unfortunately, these elements don’t exactly belong to a film that’s overly basic with its tropes and mundane regarding its tone and scares. With its subpar cast, weak and unbalanced screenplay, and forgettable scares, this is another horror film that’s hardly worth watching this year. If you’re interested in seeing it due to Shyamalan’s involvement, regardless of its flaws, you’re better off waiting until it’s available on a streaming service. D
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