The Solomon family moves from Chicago to a farm in the middle of the North Dakota countryside. Right away, something strange alarms young Jess: her 3-year-old brother seems continuously distracted by invisible presences, and the crows infesting the sunflower fields appear particularly aggressive. One evening, while Jess is home alone with her little brother, a mysterious force manifests inside the house, and strange beings from the basement attack her. From that moment on, the girl tries to warn her parents of the impending danger, but her pleas for help are considered merely attempts to attract attention to herself.
The first images that appear on the screen at the beginning of "The Messengers" show a dramatic scene of aggression: a woman and a child are fleeing from something not shown to the viewer, something extremely violent and seemingly overpowering the two. The child is Jodelle Ferland from "Silent Hill," now trapped in the role of the ghostly figure from a ghost story; the photography is presented in a dirty black and white, indicating that the event took place in a not-so-distant past. Even from these first images, completely devoid of pathos despite the intentions, it is clear that something is not right, and the ghost (to stay on theme) of "The Grudge" seems to hover embarrassingly. Time jump. Today. A nearly happy family, a creaking house in the middle of nowhere, a disaffected teenage daughter, and a toddler who sees ghosts... the sense of déjà vu begins to become oppressive. Add resentful ghosts and a terrestrial threat with a thriller twist: at this point, the viewer, already impatient, begins to seriously consider the possibility of abandoning the viewing, as they already know how it will end, who will be saved, and who will be punished...
"The Messengers" wouldn't even be a bad movie if it weren't for the 40 years of ghost stories that are entirely similar; surely, one could appreciate the beautiful photography by David Geddes and the sober direction of the Pang brothers if it weren't so predictable, banal, seen, and revisited so many times that one can anticipate exactly every single shot and every narrative twist. One could appreciate it, but truly, one cannot.
Sam Raimi, in his role as producer alongside colleague Robert Tapert for Ghost House Pictures, makes yet another flop; his attempt to import the style and directors from the East to the New Continent and to mix them with Western stories and actors has failed again. After the two "The Grudge" films by Shimizu, an attempt is made to drive the American nail with Danny and Oxide Pang, the brothers behind the successful trilogy "The Eye"; the two are incredibly talented, but unfortunately, they tend to waste themselves in mid-range productions (the bottom was reached with the unwatchable "The Eye 3 – Infinity"), always impeccable in packaging but extremely sterile in content.
"The Messengers" on paper had undeniable potential, if only some aspects of the story of certain interest had been explored, such as the conflict between Jess and her family, who mistake her truths for lies from a girl seeking attention, or the strange relationship between the crows (the Messengers of the title) and the haunted dwelling. Instead, the ambiguous family relationship is resolved with a couple of lines thrown in there out of narrative necessity, and the behavior of the birds, after a gratuitous reference to "The Birds" by Hitchcock, is completely overlooked. Even the unusual economic situation of the Solomons could have provided a variation on the typical middle-class American family from a thriller, but in this case as well, an exchange of lines and the problem is solved. All this approximation is shocking.
The cast features a host of well-known names and interesting faces, often poorly employed. The lead role is given to the always unlikable Kristen Stewart ("Panic Room"; "Oscure presenze a Cold Creek"), her father, Roy Solomon, is played by a talented Dylan McDermott ("Wonderland"; "The Jury"), while Denise Solomon is a bewildered Penelope Ann Miller ("Carlito's Way"; "Relic"); finally, in the role of the farmer John Burwell appears the likable John Corbett ("My Big Fat Greek Wedding"; "Serendipity").
A round of applause certainly goes to the excellent makeup of the ghosts, but the insistence with which the (too) frequent jump scares are constructed (one of which references the famous scene of the monster-child from "Phenomena"), always resolved with the easiest effects given by the alternation of sound shots, ends up irritating and boring rather than scaring.
At this point, one hopes that Ghost House Pictures will attempt to change direction and move on to other stories and other characters, because with ghosts, so far, they have not hit the mark!
It deserves half a point more for the impeccable packaging.
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