The Messengers - A Review

Cast:
Kristen Stewart - Jess Solomon
Dylan McDermott - Roy Solomon
Penelope Ann Miller - Denise Solomon
John Corbett - John Burwell

Synopsis: There is evidence to suggest that children are highly susceptible to paranormal phenomena. They see what adults cannot. They believe what adults deny. And they are trying to warn us.

Plot Outline: An ominous darkness invades a seemingly serene sunflower farm in North Dakota, and the Solomon family is torn apart by suspicion, mayhem and murder.

Review: The trailers for "The Messengers" don't do it justice - there's a lot more potential in this movie than appears in the Grudge- and The Omen-like snippets shown as teasers. The idea isn't bad. It's in living up to this potential that the film slips from an enjoyable, somewhat innocuous PG-13 fright fest (on par with Signs and The Twilight Zone) to a dead-end dragger with way too much buildup for the minimal reveal.

At the center of the story is Jess Solomon (Kristen Stewart), who moves with her mother, father and little brother from Chicago to the farmlands of North Dakota. As the parents (played by Dylan McDermott and Penelope Ann Miller) continually hint, Jess has some growing up to do - after being teased for what seems like decades, audiences finally learn that 6 months prior, Jess was tipsy when got into an accident with her brother in the car, which lead not only to obvious strife in the family but also to the family's savings being spent on medical bills for the toddler. His only remaining effect from the injuries is a reluctance to speak. How Original. That fact alone should tell you all you need to know about the big finale.


The family is moving to make a fresh start, and what better place than a rickety abandoned structure that despite being surrounded by sunny fields remains perpetually in shadow.


As the father, McDermott seems content to act as if the role of dad could be accomplished by simply directing the phrases "We've got to make this work," "That's what I'm talking about," and "I love you sport," to his wife, guy friend, and daughter, respectively. He is determined to deny all the signs of a family about to enter a horror movie, in favor of proving that he can do it - he can run the farm, he can hold the family together, he can be completely oblivious to every bad omen possible cliche.

By the time all the family secrets are revealed, however, hints about the family's "mistake" especially - have been hinted at so much that the satisfaction of finally being told is outweighed by both resentment for having been teased and (in "mistake's" case) distaste at the seriousness of the offense. This pattern of excessively long, drawn out teases followed by anticlimactic unveilings and ultimate disappointment is not, to put it diplomatically, limited to this one instance.


As Jess begins to experience haunting that only she and her little brother perceive, the film shows glimpses of promise. The intensity of the suspense and creepy images and the intensified trust issues between Jess and her parents lies a glimmer of a better film. The shock at realizing that walls torn apart, lamps broken and windows shattered reassemble miraculously before the mother and father return home is thrilling in a surreal, psychological way, bringing not only ghosts and ghouls to the table but dream-like mind games as well. Given this and a few moments of strategic misdirection, and it's refreshing to see a horror film that tries to get its shocks from plot twists rather than gore. But ultimately, these messengers show up empty-handed.


Parents should know that characters refer to driving under the influence, and the opening scenes depict a mother and daughter being beaten by an invisible force while a young son looks on in terror. There are moments of suspense and some frightening and disturbing images of ghosts. Most of the film's violence stems from the spirit world, but there are several instances of living characters directing violence at one another. Keeping the film well under the R-rating radar, however, the language is tame and sexual content limited to a bad pun on the Kama Sutra.


Families who see this film should talk about the importance of trust between parents and children. Jess tells a peer that when her parents asked her to pick up her brother and drive him home, she was afraid to tell them she had been drinking with friends (and thus made the incredible mistake of going to pick up her brother while still under the influence). Why does staying silent about having been drinking betray her parents' trust? Could Jess have trusted her parents to respect her honesty if she told them the truth about not being able to drive, even if it meant facing their disappointment in her decision to drink?


Families who enjoy this film might also enjoy Poltergeist and the classic television series The Twilight Zone -- the complete series) is now available on DVD. Families will also be interested in the work of M. Night Shyamalan, the director behind thrillers featuring children Signs and The Sixth Sense, and might also explore the previous work of Danny and Oxide Pang, twin brothers who only recently Americanized their angle after being active in the Hong Kong filmmaking world for nearly a decade.

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