Common Sense Observations

Movie Review of The Fourth Kind

The Fourth Kind is a very unusual movie, on several levels. From the sobering face-on prologue by model-turned-movie-star Milla Jovovich to the split screen synchronized dialog to the documentary-like camera work and presentation, The Fourth Kind is not your typical movie. It’s even hard to find the appropriate genre for The Fourth Kind. Science fiction, thriller, documentary, drama – take your pick – all or one.

The Fourth Kind is based on actual events that have taken place in Alaska. Over the past 50 years there has been a suspiciously disproportionate number of persons reported missing in Alaska. Just as disproportionate (and suspicious?) have been the number of visits to Alaska by the FBI. The Fourth Kind follows the personal life and professional career of a practicing psychologist in Nome, Alaska. This psychologist, Dr. Abigail Tyler, while concurrently treating several people with sleeping disorders, discovers an alarming set of very disturbing similarities in her patients. She begins to document the similarities on video tape, and ultimately resorts to hypnosis to get the patients to remember what they’ve experienced. Her selected therapy turns out to be disastrous for all concerned, including the good doctor.

Director of The Fourth Kind, Olatunde Osunsanmi, has created a modestly entertaining movie. But I don’t think entertaining audiences was really his objective. I think he wanted to provide information. I think he wanted to bring the concept of alien abduction into a new level of consciousness. I believe he, like many people, believe in alien abduction and he wants others to know how logical and well founded his belief is. I also got the impression that he’s trying to warn people – believers and non-believers alike – to an ominous alien presence on earth.

On the face Of it, The Fourth Kind is not a very scary movie at all. Not like The Omen, The Exorcist or Friday the 13^th. It does have a few suspenseful moments and a couple of scenes with some shock value, but viewers will surely not be frightened as they watch the screen. What’s frightening about The Fourth Kind is when the viewer starts to believe that alien abductions are common in Alaska – and so perhaps other places also. The Fourth Kind makes a very convincing, documented case for alien abductions. And the effects of these abductions are not pleasant at all. Some abductees, for example, are never seen or heard from again.

In case you were wondering how the title of The Fourth Kind came to be… A method of classifying alien encounters with humans was agreed upon in 1972. There are four separate classifications:

Encounters of the 1^st kind: a person sees a UFO or an alien.

Encounters of the 2^nd kind: a person finds evidence of a UFO or an alien.

Encounters of the 3^rd kind: a person makes contact with an alien.

Encounters of the 4^th kind: a person is abducted by an alien.

Milla Jovovich, Will Patton and Elias Koteas are the main stars of The Fourth Kind. I think all three actors are excellent. Oddly, I also think that all three of them are grossly underused. Milla Jovovich plays the psychologist, Will Patton plays the local sheriff and Elias Koteas portrays another psychologist who both treats and works with Milla’s character. They all did a great job with what they were handed to work with. All the character’s real names, by the way, were been changed for the film.

To enhance the documentary-like essence of the movie, original footage filmed by the actual psychologist, and others, is interjected throughout The Fourth Kind. I absolutely agree that this unusual technique helps to sell the director’s belief. But at the same time I also believe it detracted from the overall presentation’s entertainment value. It’s hard to track two conversations and two main characters on screen simultaneously.

I wouldn’t recommend dashing out to your local theater to watch The Fourth Kind. Of course, if you’re a UFO or alien abduction fanatic, go see it right now! I would suggest seeing this movie, perhaps when it is available on DVD. It’s a great discussion movie – so be sure to watch it with a few conversant friends.

Director of The Fourth Kind: Olatunde Osunsanmi. Stars of The Fourth Kind: Milla Jovovich, Will Patton, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Corey Johnson, Enzo Cilenti, Elias Koteas, Eric Loren, Mia McKenna-Bruce and Raphaël Coleman.

See The Fourth Kind movie trailer at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BENDh1sRPX0