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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$2.9 million[2]

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.

The Watchers was theatrically released in the United States, United Kingdom, and Ireland by Warner Bros. Pictures on June 7, 2024. The film received generally unfavourable reviews from critics.

Plot[edit]

Mina, an American expat working in a pet shop in Ireland, struggles to come to terms with the death of her mother, becoming estranged from her twin sister in the process. Her boss asks her to deliver a valuable bird. En route Mina's car breaks down stranding her in a vast forest. After hearing unusual noises, she follows an old woman, Madeline, to a bunker-like building, nicknamed 'The Coop', and meets two other occupants, Ciara and Daniel. Madeline explains that a mysterious group called 'The Watchers' observe the group through the mirrored glass in the Coop every night.

The next day, Mina discovers she cannot leave the forest and Madeline explains the rules: at night the Watchers kill anyone outside the Coop, and nobody must enter the Burrows, a set of tunnels under the forest where the Watchers stay during the day because of their photophobia. The group have been stranded in the forest for several months, without encountering a Watcher yet. 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. Mina and Daniel explore one Burrow and retrieve several items, including an old bicycle and a camcorder; on glimpsing a Watcher burn itself in the sunlight, they flee. John appears at the Coop but Madeline refuses to let him in, insisting he is a Watcher. When "John" fails to verify himself to Ciara, he is attacked. The Watchers break part of the mirrored glass in the bunker; Madeline returns the retrieved items to the Burrow to appease the Watchers.

With winter falling, the group begin to turn on each other. 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 occupants, react angrily to Madeline and Mina being absent. The pair get back into the Coop and Madeline explains that 'the Watchers' are a race of ancient beings called 'Changelings' or 'Faeries' attempting to learn how to imitate humans. The Watchers, furious at Mina's repeatedly breaking the rules, try to get into the Coop. The group discovers a hidden door leading to another bunker under the Coop filled with supplies, including a computer with video diaries of a professor who created the Coop. He discovered the Watchers and wanted to study them, but soon found they were better at imitating him than expected; he captured one Watcher and started to bond with it. In the last diary entry, the despondent professor explains how to escape from the forest and requests that his university notes be destroyed; the video ends with him climbing back into the Coop to kill the captured Watcher and himself.

The next day, the group discover that the Coop has been ransacked and they decide to follow the professor's advice to escape, reaching a river and boat as night falls. A Watcher mimicking John tricks Daniel into helping him and the Watchers kill Daniel. Mina, Madeline and Ciara manage to escape the forest.

Mina heads to the professor's university to destroy his notes and there learns that the Watchers once lived in peace with humanity until a war broke out, forcing them underground. She also finds out about half-human half-Watcher hybrids, able to explore the world during the day. Mina visits Ciara at her home and shows her photos found in the office which reveal that Madeline was the professor's wife who died before he entered the forest, making Madeline the Watcher captured in the bunker by the professor.

Ciara reveals herself to be Madeline when the real Ciara arrives at the house. Madeline changes her form in a sequence into Ciara, Madeline, John and then Daniel; she knocks Ciara unconscious and attacks Mina, revealing that she always wanted to escape the forest and is now planning to imitate Mina. Mina realizes that Madeline is a half-Watcher hybrid and talks her into letting go of her anger towards humans. Madeline transforms into her true Watcher form and departs.

Later, Mina reconciles with her sister. 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.[3] That April, Dakota Fanning and Georgina Campbell joined the cast.[4][5] Principal photography took place in Dublin, Wicklow and Galway from July to September 2023.[6][7] In mid-July, production was granted an interim agreement to continue filming during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[6] The film was self-financed by Ishana's father, M. Night Shyamalan, and sold to Warner Bros. for $30 million.[8]

The topic of nepotism was raised throughout the film's press tour because of Ishana's industry connection.[9][10][11] 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."[9] 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."[10]

Release[edit]

The Watchers was theatrically released in the United States, United Kingdom and Ireland on June 7, 2024, by Warner Bros. Pictures. The release was briefly shifted to June 14 before returning to its original date.[3][12] The film was released on 6 June 2024 in Australia, Brazil, Italy and Mexico; and in South Africa, Spain and Türkiye on 7 June 2024.[2]

Reception[edit]

Box office[edit]

In the United States and Canada, The Watchers was released alongside Bad Boys: Ride or Die, and is projected to gross around $8–10 million from 3,350 theaters in its opening weekend.[13] The film made $1 million from its Thursday night previews (in 3,000 cinemas), and another $1.9 million from its first release day.[8][2]

Critical response[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 30% of 105 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5/10. 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."[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 48 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[15] 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.[8]

Several critics, including those for AwardsWatch, The Daily Beast, KCCI, Looper, and The Observer, negatively compared Ishana Shyamalan's style to her father's.[11][16][17][18][19] 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."[11] 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."[8] 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."[20]

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."[21] 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."[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 c "The Watchers (2024)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ a b c d D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 8, 2024). "Bad Boys: Ride Or Die Increases Opening Weekend Speed To $53M, Garfield Pounces On 2nd Place With $10M+ – Saturday AM Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ "The Watchers". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  15. ^ "The Watchers". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  16. ^ McQuade, Ryan (June 6, 2024). "The Watchers Review: Ishana Night Shyamalan's Feature Debut Falls Into Its Own Trap". AwardsWatch. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ Fudge, Damond (June 7, 2024). "Movie Review: The Watchers". KCCI. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  19. ^ Fox, Audrey (June 6, 2024). "The Watchers Review: Only Nepotism Could Have Gotten This Film Made". Looper. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ "The Watchers review: Ishana Night Shyamalan's wobbly horror baby steps". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  22. ^ "'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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