The Watchers(2024)(Review) - Gruesome Gazette

The legacy of M. Night Shyamalan has been a topic of debate amongst the film culture since the mid 00’s. But regardless of how you feel about his work after ‘The Village’, there’s no denying that he knows how to craft a well put-together film. Sure, the writing may leave some to be desired, but he knows how to make beautiful, bombastic, interesting pieces. So it only seemed natural that when his daughter Ishana Night Shyamalan stepped up to the plate, we were delivered a similar product – a tale that’s interesting, brooding, and mysterious, with controversial takes and an ending that only pleased half the audience.

‘The Watchers’ tell the story of Mina (played by Dakota Fanning), a lonesome artist working at a pet store who is given the task of delivering a bird to a client. Enroute, her car breaks down in the middle of thick woods where she encounters foreboding signs of danger and a tense atmosphere. She eventually finds another woman in the woods, who runs away and then says “follow me if you want to live.” She obliges, and enters a glass box in the middle of the woods where 2 additional strangers are already waiting.

Inside this box, these people are forced to basically put on a reality-style performance where they must act natural and ignore the sounds on the other sides of the one-way glass, because evidently there are creatures that come out at night to watch them. The story builds as we wonder if they are real (and if they are, then what are they), they venture into the woods by day to try to escape and find food, and try to carry on until they find a way out. Some of the strangers have been in this box for such a long time that they don’t know how long they’ve even been there.

As time goes on and revelations occur, we begin to learn the truth of the situation, and it goes into some bizarre territory.

This movie was super interesting. While I will not spoil nor confirm the existence of these creatures, the things we learn along the way are creepy and psychologically tormenting. It’s based on a novel by A. M. Shine, with some liberties being taken by the director. And while the content definitely tests your limits and beliefs, the movie itself is beautiful. We are presented haunted, dark forestry with dark colors and a soundscape that swallows the viewer. There’s confrontations, arguments, and a long streak of intrigue all throughout the piece to carry our curiosity.

While it doesn’t break the mold in any category, and it does unfortunately feel like just any other ‘Shyamalan project’, it’s still a film that can get under your skin and make you question our relationships with one another, as well as with ourselves. It certainly deserves more praise then it’s been given credit for to this point.

3.5/5
“The Watchers” is currently available to rent on VOD services.

‘Til Next Time,
Mike Cleopatra