Review of The Mothman Prophecies (2002) by Michael R — 02 Oct 2011

Friend. Foe. Harbinger of doom. A lot has been said of the fabled Mothman. Whether or not one believes in the elusive being, one can't help but consider the possibility of its existence, considering the amount of evidence surrounding it. Sightings of this bizarre creature have been documented as far back as 1837 in London. It's been said that the creature has been sighted before disasters such as Chernobyl, the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, and as recent as September 11, 2001. This movie, however, focuses on the most talked about of the Mothman sightings. The sightings in question preceeded the collapse of the Silver Bridge in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. The collapse of the bridge led to the death of almost fifty people. Compared to the loss of life that followed other sightings, this tragedy was nothing. It was the number of sightings that made the Point Pleasant story so peculiar.

The movie that tells the story of the sightings leading up to the Silver Bridge tragedy changes a few facts around (E.g. the number of people killed). But despite that, it's still a gripping sci-fi/paranormal thriller. It keeps audiences on the edge of their seats from start to finish. And in its defense, the movie includes an in-depth history on the real Silver Bridge tragedy, and the associated Mothman sightings in the bonus features. It doesn't explain why the facts were changed, which is in itself disappointing. But that bonus feature was a welcome addition to the story nonetheless. On that note, it's about the only worthwhile bonus to the movie. The director's video diaries were nothing more than glorified "making of" featurettes. And the included music video is just a filler feature. It is nothing spectacular.

This movie isn't the type of work that one would typically associate with actor Richard Gere. And while Gere wasn't outstanding in his role, the overall story more than made up for his acting. Perhaps the best moment that Gere has in the movie comes when he talks to the Mothman on the phone. This is another made-up moment, that was added for the movie. The creature calls itself "Indrid Cold". The creature seems to know exactly what Gere's character is doing as the two talk. This moment is so gripping because of the subtlety of "Indrid"'s voice. It comes across as somewhat mocking and threatening all at once. This kind of thing helps create the discussion of whether the Mothman is friend or foe.

Every sighting of the creature describes it as having red eyes and wings. This description sounds almost demonic. Others have other theories. However, many sightings have been linked to experiences with the infamous "Men in Black". As a result, many people even believe that the creature could be from a world outside our own.

Regardless of whether or not a person believes in the possiblity of the Mothman, one can't argue that 'The Mothman Prophecies' is a thriller that audiences should see at least once, whether one is a paranormal/sci-fi fan or not.