None of this makes much sense but director Mark Pellington uses extreme close-ups to maintain the tension and suspense.
The Mothman Prophecies (2002)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:132
Fresh:68
Rotten:64
Average Rating:5.5/10
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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Reviews for The Mothman Prophecies
Gere lets his jutting square-jawness and blinking dumbfoundment stand in for Klein's supposed grief-stricken anguish and In Search Of... befuddlement.
An intelligent, tense thriller of the unexplained, a film for anyone who thinks the X Files movie comes up short.
Uses a thick undercurrent of atmospheric dread and truly creepy sound effects to keep the tension high.
Basically an extended episode of The X-Files with Richard Gere playing both the Mulder and Scully roles.
Instead of leaving me with a unsettled, shocked feeling, the end brought me endless joy that the film was finally nearing its completion.
The movie's more abstract scare tactics ... are so restrained that viewers may start to yearn for a bogeyman to burst from the closet.
High hokum and stylistic panache with very little truth or possibility lurking in the frames.
I really tried to go with this attempt at a creepy thriller, but found it impossible to be either creeped or thrilled.
"The Mothman Prophecies" is a difficult film to shake from your conscience when night falls.
Buttressed by a smart, restrained script and highlighted by wonderfully modulated performances, it rises above what you’d expect from a movie about the supernatural.
A suspense thriller that is so tense, you might need an Ibuprofen to ease your aching muscles when it's over.
Director Mark Pellington -- who didn't want to make a monster movie and so keeps the mothman on the periphery -- does a bang-up job evoking the jitters, the way you feel when you've spooked yourself.
Mark Pellington's The Mothman Prophecies stretches credulity even while it creeps you out.
The thriller is like an average episode of The X-Files stretched to two hours, without the humor and with less satisfaction.
An effectively creepy little film that manages to work its way under your skin and deliver its share of goosebumps.
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.
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