Ireland | The Ultimate Rabbit

‘The Watchers’ Movie and 4K Review

Posted on August 30, 2024 by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

“The Watchers” is the feature film debut of Ishana Night Shyamalan, daughter of M. Night Shyamalan. M. Night Shyamalan is one of the most polarizing directors of the past twenty-five years. He caught lightning in a bottle early on in his career, and for the most part, he hasn’t been able to recapture that magic with most of his current offerings. I recently discussed his movies with a friend of mine, and I said, “While I don’t always enjoy his films, they rarely, if ever, bore me.” He relies on a third act twist in his films to keep the audience guessing. However, after a while, it starts to feel like a gimmick. After all, if you are waiting to be surprised, is it really a surprise?

Upon viewing “The Watchers,” it’s clear Ishana was heavily influenced by her father and his directorial style. As a matter of fact, if you didn’t tell me beforehand who directed the film, I could believe the film was directed by her father. It very much feels like an M. Night Shyamalan flick, as he serves as a producer on this project. I can see how she would want to follow her father’s footsteps, but at the same time, I would have liked it if she had a style all her own. It’s only natural she is going to be influenced by his work, but she would have been better suited making a film unique to her own singular vision.

“The Watchers” stars Dakota Fanning as Mina, an American woman living and working in Galway, Ireland to avoid dealing with the pain and trauma of her mother’s death. It has been fifteen years since her mother died, but she’s still holding onto that sadness and unable to move forward. She works at a pet store, where she vapes and is going through the motions. Her twin sister tries to keep in touch with her, but Mina finds it challenging and painful to talk to her. One day, Mina is put in charge of delivering a golden conure near Belfast, Ireland when her car breaks down in a mysterious forest. She runs into an older woman named Madeline, played by Olwen Fouéré, who takes her into The Coop, a secure structure where they can stay safe.

The other individuals in The Coop are Ciara and Daniel, played by Georgina Campbell and Oliver Finnegan. Mina learns they are being observed every night by a group called The Watchers. There are also rules in the forest they must follow in order to avoid angering The Watchers. They can’t go out at night, and they also can’t enter The Burrows. Mina is very suspicious of these rules and doesn’t understand why she just can’t leave. Madeline is a grizzled veteran of this forest and acts as a motherly figure to the younger occupations of The Coop. After months of being in The Coop, things start to get very tense and uncomfortable for all four of them. Can they survive and last without killing each other or losing their minds?

“The Watchers” is an example of a film that sounded interesting and intriguing on paper. However, even though scripts are written on paper (or a keyboard for that matter), they need to come alive on screen. I never felt like the film came alive on screen. As someone who has seen a number of M. Night films, you know there is more than meets the eye here. There is going to be a big moment in the film where certain aspects of the plot are revealed and you go, “Ah ha! Now I get it.” Before that, everything else just feels like filler, and the film kind of meanders on screen. There is nothing about this film which is boring, awful or unwatchable, but there is also nothing that is truly captivating, exciting or pulse-pounding.

I’ve often had a big issue with PG-13 for horror films or thrillers. Yes, I do love a good kill in a horror flick, and I do enjoy gore. It’s more than that, though, as I feel like the PG-13 rating also doesn’t allow for the kind of freedom a film like this needs. It needs to be more intense and brutal. It feels like they are playing it safe here. Yes, the final thirty minutes are when the stakes are turned up a notch, but by that point, I didn’t feel as though it really mattered all that much. A good or great movie needs to be built up properly from the start all the way to the conclusion. It’s like conducting an orchestra. We have an OK beginning, a below-average middle, and a pretty good third act. “The Watchers” is an OK movie once you find out what it all means and what it’s about, but the journey there has too many bumps in the road.

* * out of * * * *

4K Info: “The Watchers” is released on a single disc 4K from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment, which also comes with a digital copy of the film. The film has a running time of 102 minutes and is rated PG-13 for violence, terror and some thematic elements.

4K Video Info: The Dolby Vision transfer here is a crisp looking transfer. This is a very dark and moody film, so don’t expect a ton of colors or anything to really pop on screen. However, the 4K does a good job of setting the mood for the film with its deep blacks and shadowy background.

4K Audio Info: The Dolby Atmos audio track is also a great home-theater experience for viewers. The sound is exceptional, as I was able to keep it on the same volume throughout the entire movie without it being too high or too low. It was perfect. Subtitles are also included in English, Spanish and French.

Special Features:

Welcome to the Show: The Making of The Watchers

Creating The Watchers

Constructing the Coop

Ainriochtán and the Irish Fairy Folklore

Deleted Scene – Lair of Love

Should You Buy It?

I liked “The Watchers” a little more after I understood the mythology behind The Watchers and their backstory. It’s still a film that is a one and done viewing experience. As I stated in my review, there is nothing here that is truly terrible in terms of the acting, the production or the story. There is also nothing which really stood out or made a big impression on me. I wouldn’t mind seeing another film in the future from Ishana Night Shyamalan, but I’d like to see more of what she brings to the table as a director as opposed to just following a similar formula to what her father has done in his career. There are some interesting special features here, and the audio and visual aspects of the 4K are very impressive. Overall, “The Watchers” is worth checking out on a rainy day as it has a short running time, but I don’t think it’s a film that needs to be added to your movie collection.

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free. The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.

Phil Joanou on How He Came to Direct U2: Rattle and Hum

Posted on March 27, 2020 by The Ultimate Rabbit

WRITER’S NOTE: This article is about a screening which took place back in 2012.

Filmmaker Phil Joanou was at New Beverly Cinema when the theatre showed two of his films: “Three O’Clock High” and the U2 documentary “Rattle and Hum.” While most of the evening was spent talking about “Three O’Clock High” as it had arrived at its 25th anniversary, Joanou did take some time to talk about how he was hired by U2 to direct their first music documentary (or rockumentary if you will). The story ended up becoming one of the strangest and funniest ones told on this evening.

Joanou was busy doing post-production on “Three O’Clock High” when his agent got him a meeting with U2 on the day before the band had to leave America for Ireland. They had already interviewed a number of directors already, but Joanou said they hit it off to where they asked him, “can you come to Dublin tomorrow?” He said sure, but he had to call the producer of “Three O’Clock High” to explain why he had to leave post-production on a little early. The producer apparently was not too happy about this sudden opportunity, but Joanou got to go anyway.

Once in Dublin, Joanou said U2 interviewed him for five days about directing “Rattle and Hum.” Where the story goes from there is not what you might expect as the band kind of left him hanging.

Phil Joanou: They would take me to a friend’s house and then Bono and Edge would leave and I would have dinner with the husband and wife. After that they took me to a wedding and they left me there as well. I’m there in Northern Ireland and I’m all by myself at an Irish wedding and I’m like, okay great! I don’t know anyone here. I had to figure out how to get home. So, they would do weird things like that to me. They’d drop me off at a bar and leave me. This went on for five days!

After all this craziness, U2 came up to Joanou and said, “alright, you can do the film.” Joanou said that to this day he still does not know what the criteria was for them hiring him, but he described making “Rattle and Hum” as being an “incredible experience.” Looking back, he described the Irish rock band as having taught him so much while being on the road and in the studio with them.

“Rattle and Hum” was greeted with a critical backlash when it came out as critics accused the band of being too grandiose and self-righteous. Watching it today, however, is a different experience as “The Joshua Tree” tour, as it is presented here, feels far more intimate than any tour they have done since. The musical numbers are exhilarating to watch, especially in black and white, and their journey through the American music scene gives us a number of unforgettable moments. But moreover, it was especially great to see it on the big screen for the first time in many years. Concert movies like these really need to be seen on the big screen to be fully appreciated.