Review of The Fourth Kind (2009) by Stewart S — 22 Jan 2011
Initially spine-chillingly frightening, entirely due to the "actual footage", the sound design and a creepy owl. Unfortunately, once you discover that the entire film, including the actual footage, is fictional it loses a great deal of its terror and feels disappointingly fraudulent.
It's nicely shot and, as mentioned, the "actual video footage" is terrifying, complete with screeching video signal, and glimpsed terrors. The real-world re-enactments are juxtaposed in split-screen with the actual footage in an attempt to give verisimilitude to the events, which works well, despite the eventual debunking.
This isn't Milla Jovovich's finest acting hour but she is always a reliable actress, and her descent into fear is believable. There's also just enough doubt about her to wonder if she could be delusional. Elias Koteas provides solid support, but Will Patton's unsympathetic officer is overdone. Charlotte Milchard is the star of the show, her pale, drawn appearance and quietly spoken doctor conveying the effect of great emotional trauma.
An odd film - if you treat it as a fictional experience it still works as a thriller with some very chilling moments, but the need for the belief in the actual footage rather undermines it when the truth is known.
This review of The Fourth Kind (2009) was written by Stewart S on 22 Jan 2011.
The Fourth Kind has generally received mixed reviews.
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