The Mothman Prophecies on DVD

As fans of Mark Pellington's last movie, Arlington Road, we were somewhat intrigued and anxious to see his latest, The Mothman Prophecies.

Richard Gere plays John Klein, a Washington Post reporter whose wife dies shortly after a car accident (she actually dies of a tumor, but they don't notice it until after the crash). The thing he can't quite put his finger on, however, is just what it was she saw before they crashed.

Then one night two years later, John finds himself in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. He has no idea how he got there, why he's there, or how he could possibly have made it there as quickly as he did. As he puts it, he'd have to have been driving for at least six hours to make it there.

In Point Pleasant, he finds out that many of the townsfolk have reported strange incidents, many of them similar to that of John's late wife. They claim to have seen a man-like creature with red eyes and wings, which has been dubbed "The Mothman."

Naturally, he has to investigate.

He discovers that whoever or whatever this weird mothman-like thing is, it seems to be making predictions, or prophecies, to some great tragedies.

Other than that, we don't really want to say anything for fear of ruining the movie for you. But there is a nice twist ending that, unless you're familiar with the story, will catch you off guard.

Richard Gere is excellent in the lead. Will Patton also deserves kudos for his seriously creepy supporting role.

These days, it's hard to find a thriller that actually thrills, but The Mothman Prophecies does a good job. Pellington's direction is excellent, and he manages to effectively creep you out while moving the story along at the same time. Without Pellington and Gere, the film may not have been as good as it is.

Mothman is easily one of the most underrated films of the year. Any fans of Arlington Road, The Sixth Sense, or similar films will most likely enjoy The Mothman Prophecies.

Originally, Columbia Tristar announced a special edition of the DVD, with quite a generous helping of extras. Within days, however, they announced the disc would include nothing more than a music video and the trailer. Perhaps a second version will be coming; it hasn't yet been announced, but it seems inevitable, especially if this video does well.

Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, the picture on the disc ranges from average to very good. At some points it looks very grainy, and others looks quite exceptional. We must admit, though, that it's a dark movie that is supposedly based on true events, so the grainy picture actually adds to the eerie effect of the movie in some parts. It gives it a more "realistic" look, as though we were watching a documentary.

Side B of the disc features a Pan&Scan version of the film.

We found the audio a bit disappointing. There's a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, but it's rare that anything other than the front speakers are used. At the end (during the climax) there is some good use of surrounds, and a few sound effects here and there, but for the most part it's basically confined to the front channels.

As mentioned, the only extras are a music video (which was directed by Mark Pellington) and the theatrical trailer.

As with Arlington Road, we quite enjoyed the movie, so we're looking forward to a special edition which, given Columbia Tristar's track record, could be along in the next year or so.

The Mothman Prophecies, from Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment
119 minutes, anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) 16X9 enhanced, 1.33:1 full frame, 5.1 Dolby Digital
Starring Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Will Patton, Debra Messing and Alan Bates
Produced by Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Gary Goldstein
Screenplay by Richard Hatem
Directed by Mark Pellington

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