The Mothman Prophecies (2001)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Tim S

  
  I distinctly remember this film because of the bridge sequence. Mediocre to be sure, but maybe worth a late night watch when there's nothing else to do.

• Lady D

  
  This incredibly drawn out film is not without potential, whilst it's weird, dark and unique, it somehow loses itself, which I feel is in the storytelling and just when you feel it's a little too dull the ending offers a little consolation for sticking with the film

• Mark W

  
  As soon as I see Richard Gere's name in the credits of a film, I'm instantly put off. The man has made an absolute fortune without having any real ability and in this, he yet again proves he has a very limited range. Thankfully though, there is more to this film than Gere… More
  As soon as I see Richard Gere's name in the credits of a film, I'm instantly put off. The man has made an absolute fortune without having any real ability and in this, he yet again proves he has a very limited range. Thankfully though, there is more to this film than Gere and his usual dull repetitive approach. He plays John Klein a Washington journalist, who after the death of his wife in a car accident, is somehow drawn to Point Pleasant, a small town in West Virginia, where strange and unusual events are happening to the locals. They are all living in fear, having premonitions and reporting sightings of a large black winged figure around the area. This is also the same dark figure that Klein's late wife claimed to have seen before her death, causing further obvious interest from the journalist and also putting his own life in danger. Supposedly based on actual events, this is a surprisingly tight and engaging little super-natural thriller. As mentioned earlier, Richard Gere is a plank of wood but the support from the always excellent Laura Linney and the wild eyed Will Patton are very welcome indeed. There is brilliant use of atmosphere and low-key music that raise this film above a particular standard and has many genuinely creepy moments. It doesn't try to be too fancy, wisely and effectively leaves a lot to the imagination and just gets on with telling an unsettling story. Which it does, to good and chilling effect.

• xGary X

  
  Allegedly based on a true story, The Mothman Prophecies is the story of a journalist who finds himself in a small town where the inhabitants keep seeing a mysterious winged figure who tells them of catastrophes yet to occur. Well, for a start. "True story"...? Please. This… More
  Allegedly based on a true story, The Mothman Prophecies is the story of a journalist who finds himself in a small town where the inhabitants keep seeing a mysterious winged figure who tells them of catastrophes yet to occur. Well, for a start. "True story"...? Please. This is a mystery based very much on the formula of The X-Files, with a journalist and lady cop sidekick filling the shoes of everybody's favourite FBI agents while they investigate the mysterious happenings that seem to point to some alien force predicting the future. The approach is quite like that of The Omen and similar religious thrillers, Pellington unable to resist the urge to throw in plenty of spooky imagery and elaborate wipes to underline just how "doo-de-doo-doo, doo-de-doo-doo" Twilight Zone it all is. The engaging cast and intriguing premise keep the interest ticking over, all being very M. Night Shyamalan, and like most of his films the ending just does not live up to the build up. In the end, as clever as all this "hinting at the future through obscure clues and references" SEEMS to be, it is written by a script writer who KNOWS what is going to happen in the end! Dropping hints about something you've written yourself is NOT big OR clever! It is reasonably entertaining however, and if you're suffering from X-File withdrawal, this is an adequate fix.

• Wahida K

  
  I believe in that creature, in my Nightmares.

• Lewis C

  
  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… More
  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 movie 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.

• Anthony L

  
  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… More
  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 the X-Files!

• Coxxie M

  
  oh god this is so f@%#ing unbearable!

• Bruce B

  
  Reviewing a movie 7 years after its release date is really not fair, as seen by some of the others reviews here on Flixster, I am sure when this movie first came out the reviews would have been much higher, and this movie deserves that, Its supposed to be based on true events, like… More
  Reviewing a movie 7 years after its release date is really not fair, as seen by some of the others reviews here on Flixster, I am sure when this movie first came out the reviews would have been much higher, and this movie deserves that, Its supposed to be based on true events, like any other movie that is based on true events I am not sure just what is real and what is made up. But the over all story is really good, just wish we could have seen more of Mothman. I enjoyed the acting of Will Patton and Laura Linney more then that of Richard Gere. I've watched it 5-6 times since 2002, but never to review it, Its a good suspense film, 4 stars.

• Greg S

  
  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… More
  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 suspense through a series of unsettling, unexplained occurrences, and Gere is effective as a grieving widower who seems fated for even greater tragedy.

• Derek D

  
  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.

• Jani H

  
  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… More
  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 "he"? Mothman looks nice and the acting is decent but I got bored on several occasions. Could've been much better.

• Drew S

  
  How lousy was this, seriously? A relatively neat (if not completely unoriginal) concept is blown on a plot that stubbornly insists on not advancing at all. The first hour makes no movement - AT ALL. It's Richard Gere staring at buildings for an hour. Seriously. I have never… More
  How lousy was this, seriously? A relatively neat (if not completely unoriginal) concept is blown on a plot that stubbornly insists on not advancing at all. The first hour makes no movement - AT ALL. It's Richard Gere staring at buildings for an hour. Seriously. I have never found him to be a particularly good actor, and here he's just burying an already-boring character even deeper into the ground. Laura Linney, looking oddly puffy, doesn't have anything to contribute either. There was a five-minute stretch of The Mothman Prophecies that I actually found to be rather creepy, but the movie staunchly refuses to move on that plot point. In fact, it discards any mysteries that aren't explained by the end of the scene, thinking that it can fool the viewers into satisfaction by solving the "big" problem. Not so. It leaves us with a tangle of untied plot threads. The movie is visually boring but offers some occasional surprises with the soundtrack. Honestly though, a creepy phone conversation and decent piano music certainly don't give many viewers a reason to sit through a film, and I hardly expect The Mothman Prophecies to do as much. This is a tacky, dull waste of two hours.

• Dean !

  
  A very slow, almost tediously, thriller that has been harshly judged by critics. Towards the end it improves and overall it's ok. Similar to White noise.

• Steve K

  
  Overlooked gem is extremely well directed, offering up new little things every time you view it.

• Emily A

  
  This is a really subtle movie with a great finish. There are better movies like this out there, but this one is still pretty good. The Mothman imagery really stays with you.

• William G

  
  Hokum that works better than it should, complete with tense climax.

• Jason S

  
  A mostly boring, unscary thriller. Its never freaky or horrifying, and the 'based on a true story' spiel is never used to good effect. Missable.

• Brett W

  
  Yeah, well, when you live between a chemical waste dump and a power station you're gonna start seein' a lotta crazy **** like radioactive storks. This film starts off promising, remains promising for about forty minutes, and then slowly begins tapering off once you realize… More
  Yeah, well, when you live between a chemical waste dump and a power station you're gonna start seein' a lotta crazy **** like radioactive storks. This film starts off promising, remains promising for about forty minutes, and then slowly begins tapering off once you realize that the Moth Men aren't actually doing anything particularly intimidating other than messing with Richard Gere's mind and playing practical jokes on West Virginian yokels. This is the movie M. Night Shamaylan wishes he'd made.

• Andrew P

  
  A fun mix of supernatural elements in a journalistic thriller. Its like Zodiac meets a real demon. Gere is great as is Linney, but the thing that stands out in the film is the direction, it's so very stylish. What ultimately runs perhaps a little bit too long but entirely worth a… More
  A fun mix of supernatural elements in a journalistic thriller. Its like Zodiac meets a real demon. Gere is great as is Linney, but the thing that stands out in the film is the direction, it's so very stylish. What ultimately runs perhaps a little bit too long but entirely worth a watch.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings