The Forgotten

Yeah sure I'll be in the minority a lot of people bash The Forgotten not me it's the perfect amount of weird! The kind of movie that makes me wanna say wtf in a good way; definitely some X-Files Esq. Julianne Moore did an extraordinary performance! Oh man the alternate ending is effed up the way it should've been.

This is better than average sci-fi, with a nice serving of mystery thrown in the pot as well. Add ingredients like good actress Julianne Moore (who is always hot), and a decent supporting cast, good special effects; and any parent who is sympathetic to having their child kidnapped (all of us?), and you have a guaranteed success. The pacing of this film is very interesting. It starts very slowly; and some may actually tune out before the plot unravels. Be patient. It does speed up. Better to have a film speed up in the middle until the end, rather than the other way around. There are enough duds that start off with a bang, and then leave us grasping for straws. This is not one of them. See it. And no, it is not really an X-Files or Twilight Zone episode; it can stand on its own.

Well, at least the movie has Julianne Moore. It also has a dozen plot holes and a handful of dangling threads. But there's Julianne Moore. There's a crackpot plot twist of "Twilight Zone" or "X Files" proportions. And then there's Julianne Moore. Okay, she's not the ONLY good thing in 'The Forgotten'. Without giving anything away (and be careful of reading reviews because to explain this movie is to spoil it), a significant member of the multi-cultural cast is whooshed away in a terrific GOTCHA moment. I usually hate those, but it worked like gangbusters this time. You knew something might happen, but not THAT. I haven't been as surprised by such a GOTCHA since Sam Jackson was torn apart by digi-sharks in 'Deep Blue Sea'.

A psychological drama is what we get in the first 30 minutes as Telly (Moore) struggles with the recent death of her young son, Sam. Her husband (Anthony Edwards) and her therapist (Gary Sinise) are trying to convince Telly that Sam never existed. She made him up. Hmmmm. Had 'The Forgotten' stayed on that track with one of the best actresses in Hollywood leading the way, I'd probably be saying nice things about the movie. For some reason, director Joseph Ruben and writer Gerald Di Pego decide to awkwardly cross genres and turn this into some sort of half-assed sci-fi encounter. Government conspiracy abounds with deceptive villains and their cheesy, villainous ambitions.

I've been vague because there are plenty of twists & turns that are best left unrevealed for those who want to see this flick. The mother/son story is poignant, but 'The Forgotten' doesn't want to be about such interesting stuff. Too bad. So Sinise gets to do nothing and Edwards does less. [He gave up 'ER' for wimpy supporting parts in B movies?] Dominic West---who's just as dull as the other men in this movie---co-stars as a father who apparently lost his daughter in the same Sam-killing plane crash. Or did he? Hmmmm. Hey, did I mention that Julianne Moore is good? A fine leading performance and one super-duper shock aren't enough to save this misguided pseudo-thriller. And let's not speak of that wuss-out ending...

Instead of going into a detailed review of this movie, I would just like to point out that the DVD of The Forgotten offers the possibility to view the Theatrical Release or the Extended Version which contains an alternate ending.

The Extended Version runs 8 minutes longer than the Theatrical version. Basically, the changes consist of 2 scenes that were cut off the Theatrical Release + the alternate ending. If you have not seen this movie yet, GIVE YOURSELF A FAVOR and watch the EXTENDED VERSION. The alternate ending is TOTALLY DIFFERENT and in my humble opinion a lot more in tune with the rest of the movie. I have not seen this movie in theaters and I decided to watch the Extended Version first. I'm glad I did! After the viewing, I decided to check the Theatrical Ending and I can totally understand why many people have talked negatively about the "Hollywood Ending" of The Forgotten. The Extended Version fixes that very well. I cannot understand why this was not the version showed in theaters.

All in all: good acting, good story - 8/10.

Screenwriter Gerald Di Pego comes up with an interesting new slant on a well-trodden movie idea: grieving woman is obsessed with the child she lost to a plane crash, and refuses to accept it when her husband, neighbor, and psychiatrist all tell her he never existed. Conspiracy thriller with science-fiction overtures steps a little bit into "Close Encounters" territory, but manages to hold the viewer with strong individual scenes and a lovely, matter-of-fact lead performance by Julianne Moore. However, the editing goes slack by the film's midsection, with Moore constantly on the run and Di Pego's script scrambling to explain itself whilst keeping the audience in suspense. It's a gambit which doesn't quite pay off. Supporting characters played by Anthony Edwards and Alfre Woodard are unceremoniously shafted, while the tepid final act (more running) leaves a bushel of unanswered questions and unrealized ideas behind. The chilly cinematography (grayish blues and whites) is artsy and distracting, and the overall result smacks of too many cooks. **1/2 from ****