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Is 'Fourth Kind' real? Nobody cares
Would-be thriller fails to create any realistic tension.
Published online on Thursday, Nov. 05, 2009
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"The Fourth Kind" is a term to describe close encounters with aliens that include probes and prodding by the visitors. Such an encounter would be a welcome alternative to this movie, which is a horrendous piece of celluloid garbage that would have to improve a thousandfold to reach being boring.
The film is based on what are supposed to be real events that unfolded in Nome, Alaska, in 2000. A psychologist, Dr. Abigail Emily Tyler (Milla Jovovich), discovers a large number of her patients have had the same dream (they are visited nightly by a white owl).
After hypnotising a couple of patients, the doctor discovers the owls are really aliens who have been using Nome as a private petri dish, whisking residents away for unearthly experiments. The realization of these encounters is too much for most to handle.
Director Olatunde Osunsanmi mixes mock documentary footage of the doctor's sessions with reenactments. He even goes so far as to show split screens of what is supposed to be real footage next to scenes shot with actors. It's all part of Osunsanmi's relentless effort to make the audience believe this movie is based on fact.
He fails miserably, partly because he tries too hard. Such movies as "The Blair Witch Project" and "Paranormal Activity" get their scares out of what appears to be raw footage because it is easy to believe this footage could be real. The moment "Fourth Kind" bounces from "real" to reenactment, the illusion is shattered.
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Grade: F
It doesn't help that Jovovich, acting's answer to a stick, seems bored. It's comical to see Jovovich's performance next to what is supposed to be the real doctor. These women couldn't look any different. It becomes more of a nod to the absurdity of Hollywood filmmaking, where casting starts with good looks.
"Fourth Kind" would be a perfect cure for insomnia if not for one startling moment. It's not scary -- just loud. The rest of the film is a monumental snore. You'll long for aliens to come and pluck you from the theater.
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TV and movie critic Rick Bentley can be reached at rbentley@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6355.
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