-Written by Kyle Bain.
While delivering a bird, dubbed “Darwin,” to the middle of nowhere, Mina (Dakota Fanning) finds herself among three strangers, stalked by The Watchers. Each and every night the watchers stop by, studying their prisoners–but Mina is determined to escape the desolate forest of Western Ireland. She and her new companions must find a way to avoid certain death.
What you just read above is a more complete narrative than what Ishana Night Shyamalan is able to develop in The Watchers. Sure, A.M. Shine developed the novel first, and Shyamalan simply adapted the story for the big screen–but the way in which this story (if you can even call it that) unfolds is almost a bastardization of cinema. I read a short review prior to watching The Watchers that stated the film lacked everything from exposition to resolution, and everything in between. I found it hard to believe that a film with a production budget of nearly two-hundred-and-seventy-five million dollars could lack the basic necessities of storytelling. Well, I was wrong. Shyamalan struggles to develop just about anything throughout the course of her film debut–and, with nothing to latch onto, The Watchers quickly becomes a snooze fest.
Though, lacking a story is only one of the many issues that plagued The Watchers. Fanning, known for being a talented young actor that took the world by storm not all that long ago, struggled to convey emotion, struggled to become a character worth gravitating toward (or even appreciating on a rudimentary level for that matter). She remains almost monotone throughout The Watchers, and I don’t blame that on her. Seeing the supporting cast perform in a similar fashion led me to believe that Shyamalan encouraged the actors to present themselves in this drab, one-dimensional fashion. Once again Shyamalan hinders her own film–begging the question: was she the right person for the job?
Sadly, as frumpy and misguided as the direction of The Watchers is, Shyamalan is a name synonymous with frumpy and misguided films. Like her father, Ishana struggled to develop something cohesive, something that played out in full and was able to attract viewers. Though a brilliantly interesting concept, potentially steeped in symbolism and horror, The Watchers falls apart by its conclusion–like the Shyamalan brand often dictates. So, yes, Shyamalan was the right choice for a film of this caliber, as she fills the shoes of her father quite nicely.
Mentioning her father, which I think was impossible not to, I found The Watchers to be incredibly derivative of some of his works. I suppose that this makes sense, that I should have anticipated that something like this would happen with him producing the film. I’m sure that Shyamalan is proud of her father’s successes, but I’d imagine that it would be better for her own brand to separate herself from him rather than ride his coattails. With creatures and their sounds eerily similar to those from Signs and The Village, I was drawn back into two other films that falter by the end (though abundantly more successful in developing exposition than The Watchers). I anticipated some similarities, but none quite this strong–and I think that steals from what’s left of Shyamalan’s film.
I dug deep, trying to find something to appreciate about The Watchers, and the one thing that I kept coming back to was the brilliant Irish landscape. The abundant landscape as the film kicks off is welcoming, and the one true chance that Shyamalan had to reel in viewers–but this, like many other pieces of this puzzle, lead to nothing. Just like the bits of narrative that appeared to potentially hold so much weight going forward, the landscape at the film’s opening plays absolutely no role in the overall film. The one thing that I wanted more of failed to make its mark throughout The Watchers–adding just one more level of disappointment to the film.
Sure, The Watchers is Shyamalan’s feature film debut, and she has so much time to grow–but this film is a travesty. I implore you to avoid watching this film at all costs (unless of course you’d like to study the film to learn what not to do). Shyamalan seems to have been incredibly passionate about developing The Watchers, and I’m not sure if that blinded her to the fact that her film is simply a waste of time–but regardless of the reason why–this film failed.
Directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan.
Written by Ishana Night Shyamalan & A.M. Shine.
Starring Dakota Fanning, Georgina Campbell, Olwen Fouéré, Oliver Finnegan, Alistair Brammer, John Lynch, etc.
2.5/10 = AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS
