Film review "The Prophecy of the Moth Man" (2002)

There are many so-called "urban legends" in the world, stories about incomprehensible phenomena, unknown creatures, and stories about secret organizations... The most famous of them have their roots in the USA, because it is there that such stories are popularized in all possible ways, especially through books and movies.

One of these legends is the story of the Moth Man, a mysterious flying creature that seems to have been repeatedly seen over the town of Point Pleasant in West Virginia in 1966-67. Reports of the creature stopped in December 1967, when the Silver Bridge collapsed near the town, killing 46 people. After that, the moth-man was considered a harbinger of some kind of large-scale catastrophe. Of course, the story looks too far-fetched and mystical to believe in it, but as a plot for another horror movie, it fits perfectly. Surprisingly, the X-files series did not dedicate a separate episode to this. In 1975, based on this story, the book "Prophecies of the Moth Man" was written by writer John Keel, and in 2001, a film adaptation of the same name was released based on the book.

However, the events of the film adaptation were postponed from the 1960s to the early 2000s. The plot tells about the journalist John Klein, who has a tragedy in his life - his wife dies due to an incurable disease. The disease was discovered after an examination of the injury caused by a car accident. But as his wife was dying, she told John that she had seen a strange butterfly-like creature right before the car crash. Two years later, John finds himself in the town of Point Pleasant, where residents say they have seen a creature similar in description to the one described by John's wife. And the most amazing thing is that the creature tells people some facts about upcoming tragic cases...

It is quite logical that the film "Prophecies of the Moth Man" was shot in the genre of a detective thriller with elements of science fiction and mysticism. It should be noted right away that the film was shot quite competently. Of course, as in most films of this genre, there are many gaps in the plot of the "Moth Man". But the main thing that the filmmakers, led by director Mark Pellington (who, by the way, voiced the Moth Man in one of the scenes), did was to create a tense, dark atmosphere and detective intrigue. And no banal "jumping out from around the corner." Of course, at some points the filmmakers were clearly drawn to humor. But, fortunately, it didn't spoil the whole movie.

The visual component of the film also works on the atmosphere - the corresponding small picture, normal camerawork, even a couple of musical compositions are memorable. However, some visual effects today look noticeably outdated.

The acting in the film, of course, is far from ideal, but the leading actors, Richard Gere as John Klein and Laura Linney as Sheriff Connie Mills, worked out their fees normally. But Will Patton in the role of Gordon and Alan Bates in the episodic role of the writer Alexander Lick earned praise.

In general, "The Prophecies of the Moth Man" may not be an ideal film, but it was shot quite well in its genre. For fans of mystical detective thrillers and various urban legends, including the one about the Moth Man himself, this film can be recommended for viewing. De nombreux sites proposent des récompenses exclusives accessibles uniquement au moment de la création du compte. Ces bonus offrent un avantage immédiat et permettent de tester les services sans engagement important. En activant un code promo 1xbet gratuit aujourd'hui lors de l’enregistrement, le joueur peut recevoir un bonus 100% jusqu’à 130 €, ce qui augmente son solde et améliore ses possibilités dès le départ.