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CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Fourth Kind’ is Disturbing For the Wrong Reasons
Submitted by mattmovieman on March 18, 2010 - 12:37pm
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Milla Jovovich announces that she is indeed an actress in Olatunde Osunsanmi’s The Fourth Kind.
Photo credit: Universal Home Entertainment
‘The Fourth Kind’ is released by Universal Home Entertainment and stars Milla Jovovich, Charlotte Milchard, Will Patton, Elias Koteas, Corey Johnson, Enzo Clienti and Hakeem Kae-Kazim. It was written and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi. It was released on March 16th, 2010. It is rated PG-13.
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CHICAGO – Here’s the most desperate film in many a moon. It tries harder than any recent horror picture to prove that its artificial horrors are real. What it lacks is the subtlety and suspense necessary to actually scare viewers. “Blair Witch Project” did it with ominous sounds in the dark. “Paranormal Activity” did it with time code. Both films proved that in the case of psychological horror, less is always more.
“The Fourth Kind” collapses under the weight of its excesses. It begins with its star Milla Jovovich introducing herself as “actress Milla Jovovich” who will be portraying the real-life “Dr. Abigail Tyler” in the film. She explains that the film will utilize actual archival footage and audio from Dr. Tyler’s sessions with patients, before ending with the warning, “Some of what you’re about to see is extremely disturbing.” It sure is, though not in the way the filmmakers had intended.
 Blu-Ray Rating: 1.5/5.0 |
In every scene, the audience is repeatedly reminded that they’re watching a movie. Director Olatunde Osunsanmi’s interview with the “real” Dr. Abigail Tyler is glimpsed at throughout the picture, as “real” footage is juxtaposed with dramatizations via split screen. This proves to be quite irritating, particularly when the actors start screaming in unison with the people they’re portraying. The story is pure sci-fi cheese: Dr. Tyler’s patients are all having the same traumatic nightmares, which are naturally linked to alien abductions. One patient, Tommy Fisher (Corey Johnson), becomes so deranged that he guns down his entire family before shooting himself in the head. The allegedly real footage of this homicide-suicide, captured by police cameras, plays alongside re-enactments, as the warring footage fights for room on the screen. This is when the film officially falls apart. Does Osunsanmi really think that audiences will believe that footage of actual murders would be used for cheap thrills in a PG-13 mainstream entertainment?
Milla Jovovich announces that she is indeed an actress in Olatunde Osunsanmi’s The Fourth Kind.
Photo credit: Universal Home Entertainment
Any person with even a shred of common sense would be able to label this a fraud long before a Google search relieves all remaining doubt. One of its least believable moments comes when Jovovich identifies herself as an actress (someone show me this woman’s SAG card!). Her acting experience hasn’t extended far beyond the “Resident Evil” series, and she doesn’t have the chops necessary to do this role justice (her primary method of displaying emotion is by exhaling deeply). Her bad performance suffers all the more when it’s literally juxtaposed against footage of the “real” Dr. Tyler, played by an uncredited Charlotte Milchard, who looks like a middle-aged Carrie, and acts Jovovich right off the screen. If this character were real, then Osunsanmi could be charged with exploiting mental illness. But since she’s clearly not, Osunsanmi can simply be charged with wasting our time.
 The Fourth Kind was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on March 16th, 2010. Photo credit: Universal Home Entertainment |
Everything in “The Fourth Kind” is laughably over-the-top. The aliens’ presence is announced by Spielbergian light streaming through a window. When the movie wants the audience to jump, the picture fades to black before cutting to a loud clanging sound (this gets old very quickly). When characters become possessed by aliens, “Exorcist”-style, their mouths stretch to ludicrous lengths, resembling the deformed victims in “The Ring.” Atli Orvarsson’s haunted house music overplays every moment, while Will Patton camps up a storm as a disbelieving sheriff more blatantly villainous than Snidely Whiplash. And Osunsanmi accompanies his “archival audio” with subtitles even when they aren’t necessary (a recorded scream is helpfully translated as, “[screams]”). This film is the epitome of audience-insulting dreck, relying on the presumed stupidity of the masses (it’s as if the filmmakers were from another planet). The only aliens here are the ones behind the camera.
The film is presented in 1080p High Definition (with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio), accompanied by English, French and Spanish audio tracks, and includes a pocket BLU app for iPhone, iPod Touch, and other smartphone devices. The BD-Live-enabled disc also includes a social BLU app and a D-Box Metadata track, though there’s a conspicuous lack of special features. Of course, any director interview or commentary would immediately debunk the film’s shoddy illusions. The sole extra is 23 minutes of relatively dull deleted scenes, though the first one is a whopper: the complete footage of the “real” Tommy’s domestic murder spree. If you listen carefully, the first sounds you’ll hear are two off-camera crew members yelling, “Action!”
 | By MATT FAGERHOLM |
Good aliens and Bad aliens
I know their are good aliens and bad horrible aliens out their, the bad ones will look like owls without feathers, with an extra eye and really large mouths and evil cat looking eye’s. Horrible aren’t the bad one’s. But the good one’s will look like the one’s from Avatar or like yoda from star wars. Also maybe small, grey, skiney and small mouths and quite like. But with huge black eye’s to help them to see in the dark or have a head like an amphibian or a lizard.
These in the 4th kind are based on bad Aliens and these kind I’d love to team up with a few good aliens and team up, to kill all the bad aliens - cos of what they’ve done to the patient’s. Also the bad one’s need to be defeated, in cease they do any more trouble. So me and some good aliens, if in my dream world - me and my Alien friend’s go to war and finish of the bad alien’s in this. We’ll all be heroes, won’t we? sure if it happens. Also I believe some Aliens are telepathic and they can help me to read their mind’s to and then I’ll become cleverer then. With you get some feeling’s of their bondness from them, then you could feel like them and get help to learn their language etc. The good one’s, could be our great little - helper’s, to make us more intelligent, helpful and help us to conform better even to them, by having their great feeling’s.
Anyway, what if their are no bad alien’s - at all, if none - what might be going on with the patient’s then, if no bad aliens are hurting them ?.
Owww, I feel like a stupid
Owww, I feel like a stupid cow now :)))
You know, I really believe in aliens, and, this movie somehow helped me to prove to the others that they really exist :) but as I found out the TRUTH about the movie, well, I don’t know what to say…
I just don’t really understand WHY the directors have the need to persuade the audience about the truthness of their story (you know, after that movie I can’t sleep well, waking up around half past 3am, looking around if there is somebody at my bed)
On the other hand, I feel sooo sooo stupid that I could ever believe in such an absurdity like this :D
I decided to be more realistic before deciding to watch any kind of movie next time :p
i feel stupid 2
i could not believe it when i found out it was a hoax. but who wrote this is harsh because he just basically have no commen sense. i hope he is happy he just told a teenager she has no commen sense. and even though it was fake it doesn’t hide the fact at how good and realalistic it all seemed. it was a great movie and i would recommend it to anyone looking for a good scare (especailly if you believe in aliens like me).
I'm A Sucker
Well just like Lady Jane I also fell for this movie. I thought it was actual footage! Oh well….
I thought it was still entertaining to watch, not the best method to film a movie but to me, I was on the edge of my seat, although not by the terrible acting but by the story. I think those who believe in this stuff are the ones who should watch the movie. Otherwise, those who don’t should stay away because they will just be judgemental of it all. Enjoy the movie for what it is, which is a movie. No need for all the analyzing.
When I watched it (8 days
When I watched it (8 days ago) I didn’t take it too hard, but it felt real. I wondered if they were near my home.
4 days ago I had a dream about being abducted and that was terrifying! Just feeling totally helpless in my bed, trying to move and scream for help, but having no control whatsoever. And in my dream I had my eyes open so I could see the room as I was being abducted, saw my socks on the floor. Well, they didn’t take me, but while they were trying I felt like every cell in my legs was being pulled separately. Crazy how your mind can cause such fear and feelings. Dreamt it around 4 am, couldn’t sleep after that until it was day time and there were people around where I slept. Still looking for owls before going to sleep :D Or more like hoping not to see them :D I can’t believe I’m scared of owls now :)
So happy it was a hoax! Maybe I can get over it now.
I think you are being too
I think you are being too harsh! I know many people (with more than a shred of common sense) who were scaed by this movie. I think if you put yourself in the “this could be real” mind set, this movie is scary, and you can look past the over the top parts of it, but if you are caught up in the movie, you don’t think about “would they use real police footage”. Just because I didn’t think of that, being caught up in the film, doesn’t mean I don’t have a shread of common sense. I do agree about one thing, when they sowd the “real” footage at the same time as the movie and they were screaming at the same time, that was annoying. But overall, I was scared while watching the movie. And just because the footage isn’t real, doesn’t mean that the story couldn’t have happened in real life.
I’m pretty sure that the
I’m pretty sure that the critic said those things mainly ‘cos he’s have to.
He couldn’t write anything nice about this flick even if he wanted to..
I hate reviewers - they exalt themselves and do their jobs with such studious attitude it makes me wanna vomit all over the place.
To me the movie was nice: different and refreshing. I’m from Europe so what do I know, right..
Don't feel bad the film was Okay, in that it fooled millions
@Anoymous
Don’t think for a minute that because,
” you’re from Europe, what do you know”
Europeans, our the main forefathers, of the US. I consider most more insightful, then many here.
I agree, the reviewer went over the top, most of them do! “Chicagoians” tend to be more tough when it comes to their reviews, of films. This film was engaging, and scary
This reviewer wouldn’t know fun if it jumped up and smacked him in the face.
I don’t know about anyone else, but this movie just reinforces, how I feel, and exalts
the consensus in the US, which is mainly “pro” extraterrestial…
(most in the US believe in their(E.T.) existence, & that our government has not only covered this fact up,
but, that the world has benefitted, from their technology)
I just do not really
I just do not really understand why the directors have the need to persuade the audience about the truthness of their story.
I disagree. I—as well as
I disagree.
I—as well as everyone else I knew—found this to be a very convincing and well done job. Their viral marketing campaign was genius and the people behind this movie deserve a fucking medal for making nearly every person who saw this question their beliefs. Bravo. Jackass critics with their nonsense. What do they know?