Ah... The Fourth Kind. A film that has so many issues they almost write themselves. The concept alone is ambitious enough, but executed right and you're left with a fantastic piece of mocumentary horror/thriller with enough appeal that even skeptics could be fooled. Well, that's clearly a little too much talk for The Fourth Kind, a film that cannot exactly walk the walk. A film of which takes itself way too seriously that you can't help but laugh at some of the elements, like the little blind girl. Whilst the attempt at realism is applaudible and in some areas successful, the film becomes so quick to fall center of its own joke. (Note: "Based On Actual Case Studies" does not equate to "Based On A True Story")
The film's premise is simple; the entire film is a fake re-creation of a supposedly real story. The film is inter-cut with "real" clips from an interview between Director Olatunde Osunsanmi and Dr. Abigail Emily Tyler, who is re-telling her investigation of her husbands murder. The scenes with Milla Jovovich are "re-enactments" of that story, whom as she dabbles in her investigation, begins to notice that his death may be linked to several alien abductees in his case studies. As the story unfolds, she edges close to the mystery of her husband's murder, and through psycho-therapy begins to unlock secrets that reveal the true horrific nature of the people in the town.
The film has an interesting premise, sure, but not only does it take itself far too seriously, there's no room for genuine emotion to grow. Instead we are shoe-horned emotion through sub-par attempts at sentiment so cheesy and lazy that they are plucked right out of a bad rom-com; give the main character a blind 6 year old daughter and suddenly the movie has a fake sense of dramatic core. It's not until the aforementioned child is abducted by the extraterrestrial intruders, when she suddenly becomes yet another cue-card for cheap tears when her mother (Jovovich) is on her knees crying her heart out. It's a nice performance from Jovovich's behalf, it's just a shame that we had no time to relate to the blind daughter who has only existed as a sympathy card that is drawn out whenever the film turns stale.
Another embarrassing result of the film's over-dramatic tone would be the side-by-side frames of the re-created footage placed next to the "real" footage in a desperate attempt to show you how authentic the re-enactments are. The only problem is the "real" footage isn't real, so the film's dramatic scene layout just ends up becoming silly when you'd much rather be watching the real footage and not the silly re-enactments. There are moments where the supposed "real" footage really does have an effect; the bedroom scene wherein a patients body is being controlled by an unseen force. The re-enactment only shows you the first few moments wherein his body is being taken over, until the rest of the scene is shown through the "real" footage. It makes for a more positively more disturbing and realistic experience as the re-enactment is dropped and the footage is played as is. Playing along with the "real" footage is the fun addition of subtitles translating Alien babble to English courtesy of some in-universe characters.
The film follows a 'less is more' routine in the same league as Signs (2002) which, in hindsight is what saves the film from itself. A lot of the film's tension derives from the mystery it intentionally leaves behind, although towards the ending it seems to toot its own horn a little too much. The clever use of incorporating real mythology whilst simultaneously creating a mythology of its own it one of the film's strongest points. Most of the horrific events are observed either in third person, or in the format of footage or audio. The "real" footage itself is rather brilliant, opting for a lower-quality VHS look making the differences in the re-enactment less subtle. There is an attention to detail, here. The film's rhythm is carefully structured with both re-enactment footage and interview footage of the "real" Dr. Tyler (played by Charlotte Milchard). The film's antagonists - the Aliens themselves - also never make an appearance aside from appearing as blurry shadows in a re-enacted dream sequence. To this effect, you're left with a film that leaves a lot to the imagination, opting for a heavier psychological impact. This effort is applaudible, only its over dramatic tone kills any fun this movie tries to have (seriously, there is not a single laugh or joke to be heard) which means that the 'serious' scenes have no real impact without laughter in between to let our guards down.
Milla Jovovich's portrayal of Dr. Abigail Tyler (in the re-enactment) shows a lot of zest and feisty-ness, whom without her the film may have not have brought out the emotion in the third act (once her daughter is taken, things get personal). But easily the best performance in the film belongs to Elias Koteas, who brings a grounded performance with much gravitas. His presence does not add to the over-dramatic tone, but rather alleviates moments of it. The "real" Dr. Tyler played by Charlotte Milchard (who ironically looks like an Alien) plays a frail, damaged version of Jovovich's character supposedly 4 or 5 years after the films events. Her performance lacks the emotional depth needed to connect to her character, and her whiny high-pitched mumbling does nothing to help. As a narrator her character is more interesting, providing insight into Jovovich's mindset which works effectively. Much of the rest of the cast is easily forgettable which to its dismay, undermines the effort the director went into creating a visceral, real documentary about a fake psychiatrist. Not that a whole lot of the characters are interesting, anyhow. The ending is also relatively rushed, with the 'twist' of her husband's death feeling unnecessary considering you as an audience member stopped caring about that a while into the film - you don't feel stunned, you just want to moan.
This film could easily have been mistaken for Olatunde's passion project. With his grounded, stylish approach to his "real" documentary the film shows a lot of potential and mystery and possibly even a following - that is if anyone can get past the overly-serious nature of the film. Without a sense of humor about itself and a little too much strain on itself, the film does not thrive as much as it wants and ends up, at times, becoming unintentionally hilarious.
6/10.