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The Watchers (film)

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The Watchers
Theatrical release poster
Directed byIshana Night Shyamalan
Written byIshana Night Shyamalan
Based onThe Watchers
by A. M. Shine
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyEli Arenson
Edited byJob ter Burg
Music byAbel Korzeniowski
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • June 7, 2024 (2024-06-07) (United States)
Running time
102 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$12.3 million[2][3]

The Watchers (titled The Watched in the United Kingdom and Ireland[1]) is a 2024 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan in her directorial debut, produced by M. Night Shyamalan, and based on the 2022 novel of the same name by A. M. Shine. It stars Dakota Fanning, Georgina Campbell, Olwen Fouere, and Oliver Finnegan.

Warner Bros. Pictures paid $30 million to acquire The Watchers, and released the film in the United States, United Kingdom and Ireland theatrically on June 7, 2024. The film received negative reviews from critics and has grossed over $12 million worldwide.

Plot[edit]

Mina, an American immigrant working in a pet shop in Galway, Ireland, struggles to come to terms with the death of her mother, which she inadvertently caused fifteen years prior, and is estranged from her twin sister Lucy. Mina’s boss tasks her with delivering a valuable parrot to a zoo in Belfast. En route, Mina's car breaks down stranding her in a vast forest. Lost, Mina names the parrot Darwin. Mina follows an old woman, Madeline, to a bunker-like building, nicknamed 'The Coop', and meets two other occupants, Ciara and Daniel. Madeline explains that mysterious entities called 'The Watchers' observe the group through the mirrored window of the Coop every night.

Madeline explains the rules to Mina: at night the Watchers kill anyone outside the Coop, and nobody must enter the Burrows, the subterranean tunnels where the Watchers retreat during the day because of their aversion to sunlight. The group has been stranded in the forest for several months without encountering a Watcher; Ciara's husband John left the Coop days ago, but has not returned. Mina bonds with Ciara and Daniel, but clashes with Madeline who follows the Watchers' rules obediently. At Mina’s urging, Daniel helps her explore a Burrow; she unearths several items, including an old bicycle and a camcorder. Mina narrowly escapes one of the watchers and they flee. That same night, John appears at the Coop but Madeline refuses to let him in. When "John" fails to verify himself to Ciara, he appears to be dragged away. The Watchers crack the mirror; and Madeline returns the items to the Burrow to appease them.

As winter falls, the group begin to turn hostile against one another. Daniel locks Mina and Madeline out of the Coop at night, forcing them to seek shelter in the forest. They witness the Watchers, humanoid creatures that imitate the Coop’s occupants, react angrily to Madeline and Mina’s absence. The pair get back into the Coop and Madeline explains that the Watchers are shapeshifting Fairies attempting to learn how to better mimic humans. The enraged Watchers attack the Coop. The group discovers and escapes through a hidden door leading to an underground study. Mina uncovers the video diaries of Professor Rory Kilmartin, the Coop’s creator. Kilmartin had come to the forest to study the creatures, and had even captured one of them and bonded with it. In his last entry, the despondent professor explains how to escape from the forest and requests that his research be destroyed; the video ends with him climbing back into the Coop to kill the captured Watcher and himself.

The next day, the group follows the professor’s advice, using Darwin to guide them to the river at the edge of the forest. On the way, Madeline shows them a stone marker, explaining that humans had warred against the Fairies, who were deprived of their wings, driven underground, and imprisoned in the forest. Upon reaching the professor’s boat, a Watcher mimicking John tricks Daniel and kills him; while Mina, Madeline and Ciara manage to escape.

Mina heads to the professor's university to destroy his notes; there, she learns that humans and fairies once lived in harmony, with some even mating and producing hybrid offspring that could withstand daylight. Mina visits Ciara at her home and shows her photographs revealing that Madeline was the professor's late wife—the Madeline they know from the coop is actually the captured Watcher.

Ciara is revealed to be a disguised Madeline when the real Ciara arrives at the house. Madeline rapidly changes her form; knocking out Ciara and attacking Mina. Madeline recounts that she was an outcast among the Watchers for her ability to walk during the day and plans to kill and replace Mina. Mina reveals Madeline’s status as a half-human hybrid, persuading her into letting go of her hatred towards humans, and that there may be others like her out there. Madeline sprouts wings, and departs.

Later, Mina reconciles with Lucy. Meanwhile, Madeline, in the form of a human child, keeps watch over Mina.

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

In February 2023, New Line Cinema announced it would produce The Watchers, written and directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan in her feature directorial debut.[4] That April, Dakota Fanning and Georgina Campbell joined the cast.[5][6] Principal photography took place in Dublin, Wicklow and Galway from July to September 2023.[7][8] In mid-July, production was granted an interim agreement to continue filming during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[7] The film was self-financed by Ishana's father, M. Night Shyamalan, and sold to Warner Bros. for $30 million.[9]

The topic of nepotism was raised throughout the film's press tour because of Ishana's industry connection.[10][11][12] In an interview, she said, "It's something that I consider and have considered every day in the process. I was very afraid of what those implications would be and if I would be judged. Having something to prove when you walk into a room and a space is never a bad thing and makes you work harder and makes you want it more."[10] In another interview, she said discussions around nepotism were "totally valid", that what was important was the "reaction to the privilege", and: "By nature of being born into this life and having a parent in the industry, there's definitely a sort of advantage stepping into the field, you just have that sense of being able to achieve it – I think as with any child pursuing their parent's field."[11]

Release[edit]

The Watchers was theatrically released in the United States, United Kingdom and Ireland on June 7, 2024, by Warner Bros. Pictures.[13] The release was briefly shifted to June 14 before returning to its original date.[4][14]

Reception[edit]

Box office[edit]

As of June 11, 2024, The Watchers has grossed $7.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $4.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $12.3 million.[2][3]

In the United States and Canada, The Watchers was released alongside Bad Boys: Ride or Die, and was projected to gross around $8–10 million from 3,350 theaters in its opening weekend.[15] The film made $2.9 million on its first day (including $1 million from Thursday night previews). It went on to debut to $7 million, finishing in fourth.[9]

Critical response[edit]

The film received negative reviews.[16] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 30% of 122 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "Heavy on eerie mood but undone by an obtuse script, The Watchers can only hold the gaze for so long before tedium sets in."[17] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 44 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[18] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C–" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it a 51% overall positive score.[9]

Several critics negatively compared Shyamalan's style to her father's.[a] Dylan Roth of The Observer commended the Shyamalan family for "never obscuring the nepotism at play" during the press tour, but wrote, "The Watchers did not convince me of much. Worse, it is precisely what I'm sure the young director hoped it wouldn't be — a pale imitation of her father's patented style."[12] RelishMix, which analyzes activity across social media platforms to summarize the public's general responses to a film's marketing, said it received 9% more attention than "first installment horror norms" but that "negative convo on The Watchers is limited to those turned off by M. Night Shyamalan's involvement as a producer after being dissatisfied with many of his past cinematic ventures."[9] In a similarly negative but contrasting review, Bob Strauss of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "There's an inelegant blend of Celtic folklore thriller ... [and] contemporary horror movie tropes that renders the result unsatisfying for fans of either genre. And yet, Shyamalan proves herself a proficient director throughout most of this slog."[23]

In a mixed review for AV Club, Katie Rife concluded, "The Watchers is clearly a first film, with the promise and the problems that come with it."[24] Michael Phillips' review for Chicago Tribune was generally positive, writing, "The director works well with cinematographer Eli Arenson to envelop the chamber-sized ensemble in various shades of dread, or comfort."[25]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Multiple references:[12][19][20][21][22]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "The Watched (15)". BBFC. May 28, 2024. Archived from the original on June 2, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "The Watchers (2024)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "The Watchers". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  4. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 14, 2023). "Ishana Night Shyamalan Making Feature Directorial Debut With New Line Thriller 'The Watchers'; Summer 2024 Release Set". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 14, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  5. ^ Grobar, Matt (April 26, 2023). "Dakota Fanning Boards Ishana Night Shyamalan's Supernatural Thriller 'The Watchers' For New Line". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  6. ^ Kit, Borys (April 28, 2023). "'Barbarian' Breakout Georgina Campbell Joins Dakota Fanning in New Line Supernatural Thriller 'The Watchers' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Kay, Jeremy (July 19, 2023). "Sam Raimi horror, The Watchers among new indie shoots approved by SAG-AFTRA". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  8. ^ Rajput, Priyanca (September 5, 2023). "Ishana Shyamalan's debut feature The Watchers wraps in Dublin". KFTV.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 9, 2024). "Sony Puts Summer Back On Track As Will Smith & Martin Lawrence's 'Bad Boys: Ride Or Die' Clocks $56M Opening – Sunday AM Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Singh, Katherine (June 7, 2024). "Ishana Night Shyamalan Is Very Aware You Know Just Who Her Dad Is". Refinery29. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Battison, Jess (June 7, 2024). "Ishana Night Shyamalan admits she has an 'advantage' by being a 'nepo baby'". UNILAD. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Roth, Dylan (June 7, 2024). "The Watchers Review: The Shyamalan Dynasty Gets Off To A Slow Start". The Observer. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  13. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 9, 2024). "Sony Puts Summer Back On Track As Will Smith & Martin Lawrence's 'Bad Boys: Ride Or Die' Clocks $56M Opening – Sunday AM Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  14. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 28, 2024). "'The Watchers': Ishana Night Shyamalan Horror Movie Moves To Father's Day Weekend". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 29, 2024. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  15. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Tartaglione, Nancy (June 5, 2024). "'Bad Boys: Ride Or Die' Hopes To Avoid Speed Bump At Sluggish Summer Box Office With $75M+ Global Opening – Preview". Deadline. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  16. ^ Murphy, J. Kim (June 8, 2024). "Box Office: 'Bad Boys: Ride or Die' Buddies Up to $21.6 Million Opening Day". Variety. Retrieved June 11, 2024. Directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan in her feature debut, the PG-13 film was self-financed before being sold to the studio. Reviews are negative and audiences don't like it much either, with Cinema Score notching a 'C-' grade.
  17. ^ "The Watchers". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  18. ^ "The Watchers". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  19. ^ McQuade, Ryan (June 6, 2024). "The Watchers Review: Ishana Night Shyamalan's Feature Debut Falls Into Its Own Trap". AwardsWatch. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  20. ^ Schager, Nick (June 6, 2024). "Shyamalan's The Watchers Big Twist: Not All Nepo Babies Are Good Directors". The Daily Beast. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  21. ^ Fudge, Damond (June 7, 2024). "Movie Review: The Watchers". KCCI. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  22. ^ Fox, Audrey (June 6, 2024). "The Watchers Review: Only Nepotism Could Have Gotten This Film Made". Looper. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  23. ^ Strauss, Bob (June 6, 2024). "Review: The Watchers blends folklore with horror movie tropes for a pedestrian attempt at scares". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  24. ^ "The Watchers review: Ishana Night Shyamalan's wobbly horror baby steps". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  25. ^ "'The Watchers' review: With a dark story set in Ireland, new Shyamalan comes out to play". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 9, 2024.

External links[edit]

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