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Movies / On DVD / The Mothman Prophecies
The Mothman Prophecies

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The Mothman Prophecies (2002)

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Reviews Counted:30

Fresh:9

Rotten:21

Average Rating:4.9/10

Consensus: A creepy thriller that poses more questions than it answers.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for terror, some sexuality and language

Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Theatrical Release:Jan 25, 2002 Limited

Box Office: $35,228,696

Synopsis: Based on true events, "The Mothman Prophecies" examines a series of inexplicable occurrences through the eyes - and mind - of one man. Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Will Patton and Debra Messing star... Based on true events, "The Mothman Prophecies" examines a series of inexplicable occurrences through the eyes - and mind - of one man. Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Will Patton and Debra Messing star in this suspense-filled thriller about a man driven to extremes to investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding his wife's death - and how they might be connected to the strange phenomena in a town four hundred miles away. When is life truly at its best? John Klein (Richard Gere), a respected Washington Post journalist at the top of his game, recognizes that moment. It comes the day he and his wife Mary (Debra Messing) are house hunting and find the place of their dreams. It's a little too big, possibly a little more than he wanted to spend, but one look from Mary tells him this is it. Then on their joyful ride home, with a gust of wind and a passing shadow, the dream is shattered. The accident should have been avoidable. When Mary slammed on the brakes…there was nothing there. For Mary, the incident was a premonition. John puts everything on hold to be with her, but his love isn't enough to keep her alive. While removing Mary's possessions from the hospital, John remembers her last words: "You didn't see it, did you?" Then he discovers a sketchpad covered with odd drawings, variations of the same eerie apparition. John can't understand the significance of the drawings but is haunted by the unsettling images. A couple of years later, John's grief has settled somewhat but he is clearly a man altered by tragedy. He lives his life and performs his job in a fog, an unexplainable presence always with him. While driving one night from Washington to Richmond for an assignment, he loses his way and ends up on a deserted country highway. When his car inexplicably breaks down, he walks to a nearby farmhouse. The homeowner not only threatens John but tells him he has been waiting for him. John is baffled. Sgt. Connie Parker (Laura Linney) arrives on the scene and apologizes for the rude reception, but divulges that the entire county is on edge due to a recent series of odd disturbances. It is only now that John realizes that he is in Point Pleasant, West Virginia -- four hundred miles from where he thought he was. It is not logically possible. But here he is. How? His curiosity piqued, John decides to stay in Point Pleasant to explore the reports of unexplained phenomena in the town. He soon realizes that they may all be related - not just to each other, but also to the strange sketches Mary had been obsessively drawing just hours before her death. But what exactly is the connection? The events defy simple explanation and, even more disturbing, seem to predict impending disasters. Plane crashes, earthquakes… surely it must be a gruesome coincidence? The more he unravels, the more John begins to question his own sanity. Are there unknown forces behind the strange sightings? What terrible thing awaits the people of Point Pleasant? For John, it's a race against time to figure it out - and try to prevent something terrible from happening. -- © 2002 Screen Gems [More]

Starring: Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Will Patton, Debra Messing

Starring: Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Will Patton, Debra Messing, Alan Bates, Lucinda Jenney, Nesbitt Blaisdell

Director: Mark Pellington

Director: Mark Pellington
Screenwriter: Richard Hatem
Producer: Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Gary Goldstein
Studio: Screen Gems

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Release:

Jun 4, 2002

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Reviews for The Mothman Prophecies

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Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
09/29/08
David Ansen
David Ansen
Newsweek
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This is the scariest movie I've ever seen.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
01/11/08
Lisa Alspector
Lisa Alspector
Chicago Reader
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Director Mark Pellington hardly lets a moment pass without suggesting some bad vibes creeping onto the edges of the screen, but he's let down by Richard Hatem's script.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
01/11/08
Robert Koehler
Robert Koehler
Variety
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Despite hints that it aspires to be more, The Mothman Prophecies is a by-the-numbers sci-fi thriller.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
11/06/02
Jeff Strickler
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune
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A gaudy yet grim science-fiction horror movie of such surpassing silliness, humorless intensity and stylistic overkill that watching it may actually put you in a state of paranoia. Why are these moviemakers persecuting us?

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
07/20/02
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
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Even with your eyebrows raised and your tongue planted firmly in cheek, the whole thing gets under your skin in ways that creep you out.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
03/13/02
Rex Reed
Rex Reed
New York Observer
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Watching The Mothman Prophecies is like getting mugged in an alley by an especially thuggish crew of Method actors.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
02/03/02
Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter
Washington Post
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
02/03/02
Susan Stark
Susan Stark
Detroit News
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The movie's more abstract scare tactics ... are so restrained that viewers may start to yearn for a bogeyman to burst from the closet.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/26/02
Carla Meyer
Carla Meyer
San Francisco Chronicle
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Mark Pellington's The Mothman Prophecies stretches credulity even while it creeps you out.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
01/25/02
Geoff Pevere
Geoff Pevere
Toronto Star
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To regard The Mothman Prophecies merely as two hours of your life that you'll never get back is to miss the larger affront it poses.

Full Review Source: San Jose Mercury News | comment Comment
01/25/02
Bruce Newman
Bruce Newman
San Jose Mercury News
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Creepy but ultimately unsatisfying thriller.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
01/25/02
Jonathan Foreman
Jonathan Foreman
New York Post
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Gere gives a good performance in a film that doesn't merit it.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
01/25/02
Eric Harrison
Eric Harrison
Houston Chronicle
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A minor picture with a major identity crisis -- it's sort of true and it's sort of bogus and it's ho-hum all the way through.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
01/25/02
Rick Groen
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
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The Mothman Prophecies is mostly well-cast and acted.

Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
01/25/02
Terry Lawson
Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press
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The film is inert and narratively unintelligible.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
01/25/02
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
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Compellingly watchable.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
01/25/02
Mike Clark
Mike Clark
USA Today
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It's lazy for a movie to avoid solving one problem by trying to distract us with the solution to another.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/25/02
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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One truly, madly, deeply satisfying creep-out.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/24/02
Michael O'Sullivan
Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post
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Watching the film is like getting hooked by a fearful angler who can't successfully reel you in.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
01/24/02
Carrie Rickey
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer
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