Mothman

Basically this is really bad. No one needs to see this. Unless you are in love with Jewel Staite. Who? My thoughts exactly. But she's pretty and a pleasure to look at... and there are girls in bikinis in the first 10 minutes. There is one very brief scary part (about two seconds worth) and one almost scary part (about half a second) and that's about it... truly next to zero creepy factor, lame CGI and mediocre acting. Bottomline: this movie sucks. I know I should stay away from Made-for-Syfy Channel TV movies but they call to me every now and then so I can see what a truly crappy movie is.

3.2 / 10 stars

--Zoooma, a Kat Pirate Screener

Some movies, even made-for-TV movies, are better than you'd expect. This is not one of them.

The plot could work, if the writing was even decent. The actors really did seem to be doing the best job they could, given a horrible script. The setting and costumes were fine and believable (there are mountains and no-name hotels in West Virginia, and normal young adults will wear jeans and tank tops around town).

This is one of those movies that is the acting equivalent of flipping burgers or cleaning hotel rooms. It's honest work, and the actors did the best they could in the context, but it's a job you hope will be pushed off a resume by better work. Even the TV-movie-only actors deserve better resume content than this mess. Fortunately, some of the cast (such as Firefly's Jewel Staite) have had enough quality work for this thing to only be a place-holder in the long run...One of those jobs you pick up to pay the rent when work is slow, or for some extra cash. Otherwise, this is a horribly mediocre movie and is best for background noise during a weekend afternoon nap.

Mothman starts out... essentially it's like another one of those ridiculously common ghost movies. Characters become targeted, some die mysteriously and survivors must discover how to survive.

The monster itself tends to emerge from whatever reflective surfaces are available to murder victims.

The protagonist is visiting and reporting on the town. Killing her first wouldn't raise any suspicions so naturally the monster goes around killing the permanent citizens first.

But things reach their lowest when the monster starts rampaging, ignoring the previously-established rules completely. This scene doesn't make sense in the context of the previous events and is likely caused by a rewrite. Another problem is the main cast; many were murdered without making any impression.

The film has a brief moment of promise, introducing a fair premise. Some teens accidentally cause a child's death, and conspire to cover up their dark secret. These guys live in Point Pleasant, WV, home of you-know-who. So the monster will dole out punishment?

The wheels come off quickly. Fast forward several years. A big city reporter, one of the teens visits town, and she is immediately invited to toast the kid she once helped kill (a reunion of all the killers). What? Toast somebody you killed? No comment is possible for such a ludicrous plot device. So let's just pretend the movie didn't do this, and move on.

Enter the stock village idiot. This was the best character, and decently acted (cliches and all). It was cool to listen to his insane ramblings explaining the creature's motives, its weird red eyes, its obsession with mirrors, and his own back story. Best of all was his habit of often firing a shot gun, especially since this guy was blind.

Pop quiz: when learning your presence in a town is causing the deaths, does she: A) Leave town, or B) Stay and fight? Take a wild guess. Using guns. Always works against legendary monsters, right?

But the last 20 minutes are beyond moronic. It's as if the original running time was too short, so a lame "twist" was hastily inserted to explain the profoundly stupid new ending they tacked on. A new director was found at the local pre-school playground, to shot the extra footage. "We thought you were dead!" "Yeah, so did I." Who wrote this, and have they been committed yet?

The Mothman already has more than a few skeptics on whether it exists or not. This movie won't help his status much.

Swimming in a West Virginia river, six mature-looking teenagers tease (Jared's) younger brother Alex Hardee (as Jamie). They tell him the scary story of the legendary "Mothman" monster. During a strange water game, the cast pulls each other's legs down in the water. Somebody suffers a mishap and the swimmers, led by Jewel Staite (as Katharine Grant), decide to make the death seem like an accident. It already was an accident, and their repeated head-bashing only makes it look worse. However, nobody seems to notice. The kid's not dead, either; you can see him breathing. Maybe that's why the resuscitation attempt was so half-hearted...

Ten years later, Ms. Staite returns to town. A Washington DC reporter, she has been assigned to write a story on the legendary "Mothman" monster of Point Pleasant...

Staite meets the old gang after almost killing one of them in another accident. Quickly, supernatural stuff begins to happen. Probably, the monster is out to punish the cast for making an accidental drowning look like an accident. There is also a parallel incident involving blind resident Jerry Leggio (as Frank Waverly). The leading man is Connor Fox (as Derek Carpenter). The cast is attractive and the special effects are serviceable. Director Sheldon Wilson uses the red eye symbolism well and keeps the cameras steady. Unfortunately, as we get more of the Mothman and the murders, it looks sillier. The story never really makes any sense.

*** Mothman (4/24/10) ~ Sheldon Wilson ~ Jewel Staite, Connor Fox, Matty Ferraro, Jerry Leggio