The Fourth Kind goes to great lengths to convince you that everything in the film has actually happened. The commercials for the film claim it to be a true story, and the movie opens with Milla Jovovich vouching for the truth of the story. No "based on a true story". Milla Jovovich suddenly appears at the beginning of the story amid a spinning camera to inform you, in an all too familiar PSA style, that "Hi, I'm Milla Jovovich, I'm an actor portraying a psychologist". Long story short, her and the director inform you that what you are about to watch is "real" and "serious".
Then the movie plays, and you get shots of the Milla playing her character sharing split screen with the "real" archive footage. The archive footage works for a while, until the story decides to kick in and the footage gets more bizarre. In a method used more conservatively by shows like The X-Files, and films like paranormal activity, the camera cuts out during any action and you get "VHS blur" that obscures the entire screen. The entire screen is obscured for upwards of 30 seconds at a time, and it becomes obvious that they are abusing this effect to avoid using actual special effects.
Actual on-screen special effects are poorly done. They are obviously computer edited, and what's worse is that they consist of effects easily available in consumer level products like Adobe After-effects and Sony Vegas.
The sheriff who works against Milla throughout the film is a terrible actor. Enough said. Milla herself looks more like an owl than the owl aliens her clients report seeing. The film also adds lots of nonsensical morals and metaphors that are completely pointless. I won't spoil anything, but the aliens at one point say "I am... I am ______", blank being the most obvious thing they could say. Of course, this metaphorical plot line is dropped instantly, just to make sure this film has no depth.
And then after several scenes of what is supposed to be Milla Jovovich's character in real life (who looks more like a crack addict than an abductee) the film abruptly ends. We get another PSA scene where Milla Jovovich gives you facts about FBI visits to the town from the film completely taken out of context, (She implies the visits related to abduction, when in fact they related to drinking and exposure to elements related incidents) and then proceeds to inform you that made-up missing little girl was never found.
What would truly be an emotional ending is, however, in no way emotional the second you learn that the film and all the characters were completely fabricated. There is no evidence that any of the characters exist. No one in Nome remembers any of these events. Nome's sheriff which the film informs you couldn't be reached for comment, was in fact reached for comment, in which he reinforced that the movie was nonsense and truly a stain on the town that would hurt tourism.
In the end, it's a truly week film that's only shining grace is that it is a true story.
The only problem being that it isn't.
The worst part of the entire film however, is when the credits roll and the film offers no disclaimer to inform you that it was fictional. The film effectively lies to you. The end.
Then the movie plays, and you get shots of the Milla playing her character sharing split screen with the "real" archive footage. The archive footage works for a while, until the story decides to kick in and the footage gets more bizarre. In a method used more conservatively by shows like The X-Files, and films like paranormal activity, the camera cuts out during any action and you get "VHS blur" that obscures the entire screen. The entire screen is obscured for upwards of 30 seconds at a time, and it becomes obvious that they are abusing this effect to avoid using actual special effects.
Actual on-screen special effects are poorly done. They are obviously computer edited, and what's worse is that they consist of effects easily available in consumer level products like Adobe After-effects and Sony Vegas.
The sheriff who works against Milla throughout the film is a terrible actor. Enough said. Milla herself looks more like an owl than the owl aliens her clients report seeing. The film also adds lots of nonsensical morals and metaphors that are completely pointless. I won't spoil anything, but the aliens at one point say "I am... I am ______", blank being the most obvious thing they could say. Of course, this metaphorical plot line is dropped instantly, just to make sure this film has no depth.
And then after several scenes of what is supposed to be Milla Jovovich's character in real life (who looks more like a crack addict than an abductee) the film abruptly ends. We get another PSA scene where Milla Jovovich gives you facts about FBI visits to the town from the film completely taken out of context, (She implies the visits related to abduction, when in fact they related to drinking and exposure to elements related incidents) and then proceeds to inform you that made-up missing little girl was never found.
What would truly be an emotional ending is, however, in no way emotional the second you learn that the film and all the characters were completely fabricated. There is no evidence that any of the characters exist. No one in Nome remembers any of these events. Nome's sheriff which the film informs you couldn't be reached for comment, was in fact reached for comment, in which he reinforced that the movie was nonsense and truly a stain on the town that would hurt tourism.
In the end, it's a truly week film that's only shining grace is that it is a true story.
The only problem being that it isn't.
The worst part of the entire film however, is when the credits roll and the film offers no disclaimer to inform you that it was fictional. The film effectively lies to you. The end.