Last Updated on June 6, 2024 by
Mina is an American woman who works at a pet shop in Galway, Ireland, and Dakota Fanning plays her role. Mina is not happy with the life she has; she mostly vapes and appears to be grieving over her mother’s death. One day, Mina is given an important job: Transporting a rare bird to a zoo in Belfast.
While on a trip with her car, Mina gets lost in a particular forest and her car develops a mechanical problem. The cell phone was dead, and there was no radio signal at the place; therefore, she was trapped. With the rare bird in its fancy cage, Mina just managed to get to a place called the Coop before the setting of the sun.
At the Coop, she encounters three peculiar individuals. We have a main female character named Madeline, an old, creepy woman portrayed by a renowned Irish actress, Olwen Fouéré. There is Ciara, a dancer who appears to be rather spaced-out, portrayed by Georgina Campbell, who was in a far superior horror film called “Barbarian”. Also, we have Daniel, a young man with anger issues portrayed by Oliver Finnegan. These three have been living in the Coop for a long time and explain to Mina that it is impossible to escape the forest and that she must follow some rules to survive.
The one who has been there longer, says that there are some beings called “the watchers” in the forest. The group can go out during the day but must stay in a house known as “the coop” at night to avoid a terrible death.
But Mina still doesn’t like it when someone tells her what to do. She seeks to get out and, in the process, is forced to violate some of the procedures. Its curiosity and rebelliousness allow her to learn things that are hidden in the Coop and reveal what is happening there.
The movie always spends time to spell out what is going on with extensive descriptions even making it a routine occurrence to have expositions at least three or four times. At one point, the characters and the audience watch a series of explanatory videos, like training for a new job: Examining the narrative of ‘The Watchers. ’ Some of these lore drops are funny, especially when they disrupt the ‘un-spooky’ scene, yet, by doing so, Shyamalan remains faithful to the folkloric aspect of his movie a little too much and overlooks the humanity aspect of his characters.
Ireland is said to be the setting of the mysterious woods; Mina is the only American, making her feel out of place. At some point in the plot, Mina puts on a wig and goes to a bar to meet a man she wants to have sex with, which she does sometimes not elaborate on in the movie. Again, one does not know if this entails real enticement; nevertheless, any real romantic inclinations seem to have strayed far from this horror/fantasy flick. Also, Mina’s sister’s name is Lucy, but there is no convincing explanation for the link to Dracula.
Some comedic elements in “The Watchers” can be attributed to Shyamalan’s quirk – the strangest conversational topics are exacerbated in the film, recalling “Iron Man 2” despite the frequent references to a pet bird. This movie falls under the horror genre, it is one of those ‘told over a campfire’ moments before everyone passes out at dawn kind of creature features while incorporating humor about human concerns. Perhaps, PG-13 “The Watchers” is possible to delight sleepover viewers only since it is too mild even for the I Know What You Did Last Summer action atmosphere. But unlike the other Shyamalan films that explore the fabulous, it plays more like service than an aesthetic vision.
All in all, it is safe to say that “The Watchers” is far from perfect, and yet, it is possible to praise it for some of its quite memorable scenes. The mysterious forest was sufficiently creepy and the claustrophobic structure of the glass house added to the sense of the unknown. The notion of ‘watcher’ perched on trees, observing the proceedings lends an eerie touch, though at times it appears more fabricated.
However, the audience can find several similarities to their own life in Mina’s character, although the character itself is not developed enough. Her feeling of isolation and loss is real, more so to teenagers who may feel like they are in the same situation. The movie deals with such issues as survival, trust, and fear of the darkness, which can stimulate children’s interest.
The other characters are not very well rounded but they have different attitudes towards their predicament. Confusion of Ciara and Daniel as well as Madeline who seems to have accepted her fate makes the story very interesting. Their conversations, though often awkward, provide some insights into their character and personal histories.
On the visual side, “The Watchers” has its advantages. The contrast of having a warm glowing light inside the coop as opposed to the dark eerie forest on the outside of the coop visually appeals to the audience. Such contrast underlines the characters’ loneliness and helplessness and adds suspense behind the glass wall.
However, the flow of the movie can be sluggish at times featuring extended scenes of dialogue and narration which may cause some to doze off. The actual ‘spooky’ scenes could be rather silly but they do contain a few moments of suspense that may entertain the younger members of the audience.
In conclusion, “The Watchers” has both positive and negative aspects. It has an interesting concept and it has some nice shots but its biggest problems are the pacing and the characters. Some of the fans of M. Night Shyamalan may find the plot and narrative structure reminiscent of his previous works, but it seems to be missing something that made his previous movies more successful.
The Watchers Parents Guide Age Rating
The Watchers is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Rating (MPA) for violence, terror, and some thematic elements.
The Watchers have been rated PG-13, which means that they are fit for adolescents from the age of 13 years and above. It is argued that parents should think about whether their child may find certain scenes too scary before letting them view the film. The horror genre of the movie is not very gory but the overall theme of the movie along with elements of survival and fear could be a great test for the audience’s nerves, especially for those who are easily scared. Parents should sit and watch the movie with their teenagers to help them explain the meanings of certain aspects that teens may not understand or help them deal with scenes that may cause them distress
Violence & Gore: There is not much violence in the movie, but there are many suspenseful and frightening scenes mostly with characters running away from unknown creatures in a forest. There is more implied violence rather than graphic violence, despite this looming over the entire film. Few scenes depict the moderate level of violence involved like a character receiving injuries or getting threatened but these are not severe or explicit.
Language: There are occasional uses of mild swear words in the novel “The Watchers”. These cases are rare and not very severe, but the show does use some bad language and parents should be cautious.
Sexual Content: There are many short scenes implying the process of seduction, for instance when the main character, Mina, puts on a wig and goes to a bar. These scenes may suggest that there are flirtatious interactions between characters, however, there are no scenes with nudity or scenes portraying sexual intercourse. The sexual content is quite limited and not primary to the film.
Substance Use: There are some scenes in the film in which the characters are depicted as taking alcohol in a bar. This is the only instance of substance use portrayed within the film, and it is not exclusive to multiple scenes within the movie.
