Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Debra Messing

A reporter is drawn to a small West Virginia town to investigate a series of strange events, including psychic visions and the appearance of bizarre entities. Based on true events.

Flixster Users

60% liked it

22,147 ratings

Critics

52% liked it

133 critics

PG-13, 119 min.

Directed by: Mark Pellington

Release Date: January 25, 2002

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DVD Release Date: June 4, 2002

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Stats: 2,259 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,259)


  • October 9, 2009
    I'm not too sure about how authentic these "true events" actually are, but The Mothman Prophecies manages to be moderately interesting. At least it got Richard Gere out of rom-com territory and introduced me to the milf-tastic Laura Linney.

    Once I accepted the fact that the mov...( read more)ie wasn't going to be scary in any way, I could focus on the unraveling mystery of what the hell was going on with the weird events and sightings going on in the small town of Point Pleasant. I can't say that everything was explained to my satisfaction, but the impressive sequence at the end of the movie made it worth the time for me. If you can adjust to the fact that this is not a horror movie, then maybe it will be worth the time for you, too.
  • September 25, 2009
    I thought I was going to hate this film but I thought it was quite good in the end. It?s based on a true story, something I'd like to look into. It real problem though was its direction, there were to many conflicting styles. Over all though it was good, like a good episode of th...( read more)e X-Files!
  • March 23, 2009
    A Washington reporter loses his wife in an automobile accident, then finds himself spirited away to a West Virgina town where the residents are spotting monsters and undergoing horrifying precognitive hallucinations. Creepy, bloodless "based on true events" chiller builds fine s...( read more)uspense through a series of unsettling, unexplained occurrences, and Gere is effective as a grieving widower who seems fated for even greater tragedy.
  • February 6, 2009
    Besides the obvious Gere classics, I am not a fan whatsoever of his and this didn't do much to change that. It was interesting enough to keep me watching, but the storyline was weird and weak. The bridge scene at the end of the film, though, made up for that mostly.
  • September 15, 2008
    The film is very slow and isn't really that interesting. Ok, it's based on true events but if this is what really happened, I think they should've focused more on the mystery behind this "Mothman". What is he? Is he an alien or some kind of mystical immortal oracle? Is he even a ...( read more)"he"?

    Mothman looks nice and the acting is decent but I got bored on several occasions. Could've been much better.
  • November 2, 2009
    The idea was good, being a real story and everthing but somehow they managed to make it boring. Even Laura Linney can't save it.
  • October 29, 2009
    Not everything falls into it's place, but it manages to involve you and surprise you, although not not fully unwind.
    Quite entertaining horror movie.
  • October 28, 2009
    I am one of those, who dont like Richard Gere cuz there are rumours that he looks good, and is talented or something. Maybe who knows. Lol. But he was not bad in this Movie. I liked the Plot specially cuz there are rumours this Movie is based on a true fact. Each to their own...
  • October 26, 2009
    based on a true story sad but cool movie.
  • October 22, 2009
    A three minute video on youtube explaining the mothman incident was more scary than this. It frankly wasn't interesting, and I felt bored.

Critic Reviews


January 25, 2002
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It's lazy for a movie to avoid solving one problem by trying to distract us with the solution to another. full review

January 18, 2002
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Plays like The X Files on Prozac. No wonder the actors look narcotized. full review

View more The Mothman Prophecies reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • jpm122880
    June 4, 2008
    Don't go looking for something you may not want to find...

    Curiosity killed the cat. Good movie!
  • Donegal
    June 12, 2006
    This movie fascinated me, not so much with the film itself (although that was very impressive) but with the mystery of the Mothman. I was very intrigued by him/them, and I plan to read the book in the future to learn more about this/these enigmatic entity/entities.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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The Mothman Prophecies Trivia


  • What actor starred in Unfaithful, The Mothman Prophecies, and Chicago?  Answer »
  • Richard Gere receives phone call from an other lifeform in this 2002 movie.  Answer »
  • Who is the actor that star the mothman prophecies?  Answer »
  • What disaster is predicted but unavoidable at the end of THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES?  Answer »

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