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The Fourth Kind: Milla Jovovich's sci-fi thriller comes to theaters
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Though it seems like there is a shortage of original ideas for horror/sci-fi films that have been released theatrically as of late, one thing that The Fourth kind has going for it is the fact that it is neither a remake nor a sequel. However, it takes more than being excluded from that group to make a good genre film.
Nevertheless, with the promise of being based on true events and the release of an excellent trailer, The Fourth Kind seemed like a good candidate to be a very entertaining genre film.
The premise is actually very interesting. The setting is Nome Alaska, which is explained as being a secluded town that is only accessible by air. Strange things are happening to the residents of Nome, and through Dr. Abby Tyler’s research, the fact that the experiences of the victims are similar is coming to light. During her exploration of her patients’ minds under hypnosis, she is learning that there is a very serious problem that is only getting worse. After many interviews of the victims and at the chagrin of her colleagues, she hypothesizes that the cause of these problems are otherworldly.
The film consists mainly of Abby Tyler’s interviews with the residents who are experiencing these strange phenomena. However, there are dramatic elements in this film that fill in the gaps between the interviews and “real” footage excerpts.
Unfortunately, this film fails to keep a head of steam running throughout the movie. Also, in the beginning of the film we were treated to many scenes where the screens are split displaying a mixture of “real” footage and the dramatic “reenactment” footage was a unique experience in the beginning. However, the insistence of continuing to use this technique became somewhat distracting. (THE NEXT STATEMENT IS SPOILER!) I think that the main issue with this movie is the fact that the “real” footage wasn’t “real”. Honestly, this wasn’t a deal-breaker. In fact, it could have been seen as a clever way to gain the attention of the audience. However, the film began with an awkward introduction by Milla Jovovich who addresses the audience and explains that everything in the film is backed by footage or first-hand accounts. It kind sets a strange tone for the film that I was never able to shake off.
Like I said above, the story is interesting and the theories and elements of the alien abductions are interesting. There were moments of tension, but ultimately they were overshadowed by the faults of the film. To be fair I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that I did hear a girl sitting on my row confess to her male companion that she couldn’t take anymore tension and that the film was just too scary. However, I didn’t really understand her sentiment.
All in all, there were some interesting and entertaining elements of this film. However, it just had too much baggage. The tension it attempted to portray just didn’t work, and it was very light on scares. Not a terrible film, but definitely one that would be better suited for a rental sometime down the road.
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