The Watchers

Directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan, The Watchers follows a young American (Dakota Fanning’s Mina) as she finds herself trapped within a mysterious forest alongside three strangers (Georgina Campbell’s Ciara, Olwen Fouéré’s Madeline, and Oliver Finnegan’s Daniel). It’s an intriguing premise that’s employed to periodically watchable yet ultimately disappointing effect by Shyamalan, and there’s little doubt that the movie, which runs a palpably overlong 102 minutes, fares best in its compelling, attention-grabbing opening stretch – with the viewer’s attention generally sustained by an agreeable mystery and raft of strong performances. And while the picture’s midsection has been peppered with a few stirring sequences, including and especially the characters’ discovery of a well-stocked bunker, The Watchers builds towards a rather anti-climactic third act that proves a serious test to one’s interest and ensures the film concludes on a decidedly lackluster note – which does, in the end, cement the whole thing’s place as a distressing misfire that feels like it could (and should) be better.

** out of ****