Studios: Warner Brothers/New Line Cinema/Blinding Edge Pictures
Tagline: They are watching
You can't see them, but they see everything
Plot: The thriller follows Mina, a 28 year old artist who gets stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland. When Mina finds shelter, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside three strangers that are watched and stalked by mysterious creatures each night.
Cast
Dakota Fanning - Mina
Georgina Campbell - Clara
Olwen Fourere - Madeline
Oliver Finnegan - Daniel
Alistair Brammer - John
John Lynch - Kilmartin
Siobhan Hewlett - Mina's Mother
Hannah Dargan - Young Mina
Emily Dargan - Young Lucy
Anthony Morris - Burke
Shane O'Regan - Collin
Hannah Howland - Chloe
Kya Brame - Georgia
Writer/director: Ishana Shyamalan
Rated PG-13 for violence, terror and some thematic elements (102 minutes)
Last week, I took a look at the new thriller The Watchers, which marks the writing/directing debut of Ishana Night Shyamalan. The director also happens to be the daughter of the master of twists (even the ones that fall flat) M. Night Shyamalan.
So, does The Watchers make a good debut for Ishana Night Shyamalan? Well .... yes and no.
The premise of this thriller is actually quite intriguing. When I saw the trailers, I thought it looked quite mysterious. Once we see the main character (Mina) finally gets to the shelter, we get introduced to a few others who are also in the shelter.
The one character, Madeline (played by Olwen Fouere from Texas Chainsaw 2022), can be mysterious since she seems to know some rules about the shelter and knowing about The Watchers. Though this character may seem to be very predictable at times.
But, it does start to fall apart as it gets to the ending (which seems to be bland). The twist has something to do with folklore, which can be rather intriguing as well. Yet, there is not much suspense or build up at all. There are some parts that are shot well and hides the Watchers for awhile. The reveal of the Watchers isn't really the best either.
Here are a couple tidbits for The Watchers!
Ishana Shyamalan's directorial debut.
New Line Cinema announced the development of this film in February 2023.
Principal photography took place in Dublin, Wicklow and Galway from July to September 2023. In mid-July, production was granted an interim agreement to continue filming during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.
Based on the novel of the same name by A.M. Shine.
In the US and Canada, The Watchers was released alongside Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
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