THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES

After the death of his wife, Washington Post journalist John Klein, during a car trip, is mysteriously catapulted hundreds of kilometers away to Point Pleasant, West Virginia, where the inhabitants are in a state of terror and anguish due to some strange phenomena. In the town, eerie apparitions and various manifestations continue to occur, all linked to a strange entity, the Mothman (the moth-man), a kind of giant winged being whose appearance coincides with numerous deaths and disasters... Based on events that actually occurred in Point Pleasant, Virginia, and told in a book by John Keel, "The Mothman Prophecies" is a supernatural thriller halfway between "X-Files" and "The Gift" where, for once, the moments of suspense, those, are counted on the fingers of one hand. The direction of Pellington ("Arlington Road") is attentive and very careful, the director uses a lot of images, blurring or illuminating them at moments of maximum tension to accentuate the mystery; what the film lacks is rhythm, too slow and descriptive throughout the central part, and the screenplay also presents some unclear passages and some "holes" too many. The protagonist is Richard Gere who, after a series of more or less fortunate comedies, does not seem completely at ease plunged into a context suspended between the dramatic and the mystery like this. What should have been the true protagonist of the film, the terrible Mothman, in reality, is almost never seen, in fact, to be honest, his red eyes are barely glimpsed in the flash-back memories of those who have witnessed his appearances and in some drawings. In short, a film more than visible but not really memorable, suitable especially for fans of fanta-thrillers.