THE FOURTH KIND
**
“Hello, my name is Olatunde Osunsanmi, and check out all the neat tricks I learned in film school…” No, whereas writer/director Osunsanmi does not make this statement directly to the camera in his new fact-based horror film The Fourth Kind (though he does appear as himself - sort of??), actress Milla Jovovich does introduce herself as the star of the film at its opening, explaining that “what you are about to see” is an Unsolved Mysteries-esque blend of actual video and audio footage of alien abduction cases with reenactments by actors such as Jovovich, Elias Koteas, and 24 baddies Will Patton and Hakeem Kae-Kazim. It’s actually an interesting concept, the kind of thing that could be quite effective in the right hands, and when the screen splits between Jovovich and the real life character she is playing, Abbey Tyler, there’s an admitted “something I’ve never seen before!” thrill that provides a promising intro to the intriguing story.
Then, speaking of 24…
There really is something very satisfying about watching a movie you know nothing about and thinking to yourself as it unfolds, “This is a new filmmaker who is either still in film school or a recent film school graduate,” then jumping online and confirming this obviousness; moreover, in the case of Osunsanmi and this film, that there is already a “God, that was annoying” backlash about his heavy placement of the Chapman University logo throughout the film, Osunsanmi’s alma mater where - alas - he was a film student. Of course this isn’t a blanket attack on, or criticism of, filmmakers who studied film - no, just the ones who direct their films with an obvious hard-on for every conceivable camera and editing trick they can show off, and what’s worse, repeat ad nauseum.
An accomplished - or for that matter, simply capable - horror filmmaker appreciates the value of a level of intimacy in securing the desired effect of suspense and dread, especially in going for a sense of realism - the looming expansive quiet of the woods of The Blair Witch Project, the dust and grain of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and recently and successfully, the familiar disquieting nighttime silence of one’s own bedroom in Paranormal Activity. Rather than keep to his you’re-watching-it-happen documentary style that Jovovich’s intro suggests, Osunsanmi betrays the audience by attacking them with more split-screens than can be found in your typical 24 episode - nay, more than found in your worst spoof of 24 - and at one point, even has them rotate around the screen during what would have been one of the film’s most tense scenes. As if on a mission to distract the audience and kill the mood, he further employs a gimmick of panning his camera between Tyler and an interview subject, only to reveal a new interview subject every time the camera swings back; ostensibly he’s doing it to show how all of Tyler’s patients are experiencing similar phenomena, and one would buy that too, if not for the fact that the scene - and its clever camera gimmick - goes on and on. And if that’s not bad enough, he does it again later. Twice.
It’s somewhat infuriating when a clever premise is undone by a director who would rather outshine than complement his screenplay. The abduction horrors in The Fourth Kind would have been spooky enough if played as a traditional horror film, with actors playing characters, and without the need of the added conceit of “real” footage and interviews - one gathers, then, that this element was added to heighten the tension and it-could-happen-to-you chills. Why, then, cut up your film like a Beastie Boys video? Why continually distract your audience, and thus destroy the tension you are looking to build, with “LOOK WHAT I CAN DO!” sophomoric post-production tricks, distracting and seemingly random facial closeups, and time-lapse-photography sunsets? One hopes that Osunsanmi - and other budding filmmakers like him - take a tip from the successes of atmospheric hits like Paranormal Activity and The Orphanage to learn how to lend yourself to the service of your story; sadly, the otherwise intriguing and occasionally unnerving The Fourth Kind is ultimately a mess, further undone by an unconvincing performance by Jovovich which, considering the circumstances, seems certain to be no fault of her own.
- Logan Crow
2 Comments on “THE FOURTH KIND”
Comment:
November 10th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
was there a ticking clock? if not, might that have made you feel better?
by the by…I find it sweet that you gave the film a chance. Just the “Hi, my name if Milla Jovovich and I play…” had me groaning in my seat. “Really?!? They’re going to exploit the ‘based on real events’ ploy to THAT level and think just anyone can get away with it?!?” Let the big boys play that kind of game.
I’m glad i didn’t go with you guys. I’d likely have gotten angry. ORPHAN!! AWESOME HORROR AND SUSPENSE!!! WOOHOOO!
November 11th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
I completely agree. This movie reeked of amateur filmography. It was actually sickening to sit through. Anyway, I’d rather spend my time and money ($8 now, for a ticket?!) watching quality movies done by the big boys. Here is my list of good movies: http://www.ranker.com/list-of/film.