M. Night Shyamalan came onto the film scene like a hurricane with his debut film, “The Sixth Sense.” The ending absolutely shocked audiences and remains one of the best movie twists to this day. Since then, his films have had mixed receptions from critics and audiences alike, but they still manage to get people to the theater — even if it’s just to see if this is the one that turns it around. It is the same curiosity that sent me to see his daughter Ishana Shyamalan’s first film, “The Watchers.”
On the 15th anniversary of her mother’s death, Mina (Dakota Fanning) hits the road to make a delivery to a client. When she enters a particular forest, her car mysteriously stalls and she soon finds herself lost deep in the woods. When she is about to lose hope, she is discovered by a silver-haired woman who leads her to a small facility in the center of the forest. Madeline (Olwen Fouéré) introduces her to two other refugees, Ciara (Georgina Campbell) and Daniel (Oliver Finnegan). As dark settles in, Mina hears the sound of creatures gathering outside, preparing to watch.
The premise for this movie is genuinely fascinating and the setup in the very opening scene sets a suspenseful, creepy tone. Unfortunately, this movie was a big miss when it came to delivering what it promised.
One of the biggest complaints about M. Night Shyamalan’s films is the dialogue, and Ishana’s effort suffers from the same problem. The exposition at the front of the film is clunky and awkward, and the conversations between characters are stilted and unnatural. While some of that could be attributed to the tension of the situation, it mostly comes across as a cumbersome script.
None of the performances help the film. Fanning is on screen in nearly every shot, but she fails to make much of an impression. The only character that feels somewhat honest to me is Campbell, but she seems held back by the rest of the cast. And with only four people on screen for the bulk of the film, it’s hard to connect with characters who aren’t well acted.
The story also suffers from a twist that feels visible from miles away. There was another way to play it that could have added more tension to the story, but as it is written, it is incredibly transparent.
In the positive column, the creature design is interesting, and Shyamalan’s eye for directing is quite sharp. This is a beautiful-looking movie, with a mix of sweeping, wide shots and close, intimate ones that draw the audience in. Unfortunately, what we’re drawn into is hollow.
There is a lot of potential for Ishana Shyamalan to make a name for herself as a filmmaker. But in order to do that, she will need to jettison some of the lessons she learned from her dad. “The Watchers” is a cool movie if you don’t care about story or dialogue, but that probably isn’t enough to build a career on.
Alise Chaffins is a Morgantown writer who loves movies and sharing her opinions. She reviews a movie from a streaming service every Saturday and one newly in theaters every Sunday. Find more at MacGuffin or Meaning on Substack.
