Knock on Wood

A week after seeing it, I was compelled to write a review of Ishana Night Shyamalan’s The Watchers. A film staying with my long after I watch it isn’t a new experience, but typically, the phenomenon happens with works of art that speak to me personally or change the way I look at the potential of film as a whole. The Watchers did neither of those things, and yet I am fascinated by it.

I’m not interested in a conversation about whether or not the somewhat derisively-named “nepo babies” should be granted the opportunities that automatically give them a place in a struggling industry, because the point is, they’re there. Some try harder than others to achieve the leadership positions that many seek, and it’s clear that Ishana Night Shyamalan has the talent to back up her family name. This is the sort of movie that interests me in a director’s trajectory, more so than it draws me into the text of the film itself.

Interestingly titled The Watched in European markets, Shyamalan’s debut is clearly inspired by her father’s thriller and horror work, but forges a path all its own by way of presentation. It’s primarily set in an expansive forest in Ireland with a mythic reputation – nobody who goes in ever comes out. Mina (Coraline’s Dakota Fanning) is one of the lonely souls attracted to the forest, and when she finds herself stranded, she joins a group of lost souls who must stay inside a mysteriously furnished compound, complete with a massive one-way mirror – which gives the film its most astonishing, and perhaps simplest, camera trick whenever the characters are standing in front of it – to avoid being taken by creatures known only as “the Watchers.” Among Mina’s companions are Ciara (Barbarian’s Georgina Campbell), Daniel (Outlander’s Oliver Finnegan), and the enigmatic Madeline (The Northman’s Olwen Fouéré). Together, they must survive the forest and solve the mystery of the Watchers before it’s too late.

Shyamalan herself adapted A. M. Shine’s 2022 novel, which is where the film falls apart. Unfortunately, the screenplay is the backbone of most movies, and no matter how good the directing is, if there’s not a strong foundation, the quality of the finished product will suffer. It’s not that the script is markedly bad, but Shyamalan’s dialogue choices and focus points leave a lot to be desired. A genuinely fantastic, metatextual story about the innate horror of humanity (the premise of which naturally lends itself to a commentary on surveillance, voyeurism, and our instinctive, stilted methods of connection in the modern world) is overshadowed by a small group of issues that are glaring but, at the same time, very fixable. In fact, the third act (by far the messiest) could easily be streamlined by spreading out the expositional lore and moving the introduction of crucial information to the middle – the signature Shyamalan twist, which is very good in theory but teased to the point of obviousness in the first two acts, might hit harder with a restructuring. I appreciate the endeavor to give the epilogue its own narrative propulsion, but it doesn’t quite work as the conclusion to The Watchers.

Usually, I wouldn’t do this, but for The Watchers in particular I have to go out of my way to applaud the marketing. The first trailer not only emphasized the brilliance and simplicity of the premise, but only showed footage from the one or two scenes that best showcase the film’s mystery and visual style. That initial teaser was all I needed to get onboard, and it softens the blow of the film’s disappointment – upon further reflection, there was no way it could have lived up to that first trailer. But I will say, those four months of anticipation were very exciting.

Shyamalan’s visual flair is well-defined, and she knows how to elevate tension in a way that rarely feels ham-fisted or forced. I truly believe she has a great movie in her, and once she’s mastered the art of screenwriting, she will be a true creative force to be reckoned with. Her potential is unmatched by many of her peers (after all, she’s only about 24 years old), and she already has a hefty amount of experience under her belt, especially if you bundle The Watchers with her work on Apple TV+’s Servant. The Watchers is a solid debut feature, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

The Watchers is playing in theaters now.