Are you a believer of the unexplained – specifically aliens and UFOs? If so, you'll probably enjoy The Fourth Kind a lot. If you're a skeptic and can't open your mind to the idea of someone or something else being "out there", this movie will drive you nuts and you'll pick it apart. Personally, I'm more of a believer and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Set in October of 2000 in Nome, Alaska, it's based on a supposedly true story around psychologist Dr. Abigail Tyler and her findings that many of her patients are experiencing similar occurrences in the middle of the night where they wake up and see an owl hovering over their bed. Upon further investigation and a strange encounter herself, Dr. Tyler starts to wonder if they have been visited by aliens.

Using archive video footage of the "real" people and events mixed with dramatized scenes, director Olatunde Osunsanmi has successfully created a unique movie experience. When he could have easily crossed over into the arena of an A&E abduction show, he kept control of it all and made a smart, creepy movie that plays on our fear of the unknown. From the hair-raising screaming and scenes of utter silence, along with what is implied but not shown, this is one of the eeriest films to come along in a while.

The film opens with actress Milla Jovovich (who plays Dr. Abigail Tyler in the dramatized scenes) talking directly into the camera as herself. She explains to the viewer that the film's story is based on true events and that they will be using footage that some might find extremely disturbing. She ends with a simple statement saying "what you believe is up to you", and walks off screen. It sounds gimmicky but is an excellent set-up and stays with you for the rest of the film.

A lot of The Fourth Kind works thanks to Jovovich's portrayal of Dr. Tyler. It's hard to imagine this is the same actress who has been slumming it in the Resident Evil franchise for most of the last decade. There's no question she's a beautiful woman but here her acting abilities outshine her looks for once. She comes across as a real person and I bought her in her role as a mother and doctor. I hope we get to see more of this side of her.

The big downfall of The Fourth Kind is that it's coming out a week after Halloween when everyone is tired of scary movies. This deserves to be seen in the theatre and, unlike Paranormal Activity which this will no doubt be compared to, I could actually watch The Fourth Kind more than once and still enjoy it.

*** out of 5 stars

Rated PG-13
Cast: Milla Jovovich, Elias Koteas, Will Patton
Directed by: Olatunde Osunsanmi
Official Site IMDb

brian.mckechnie@citynews.rogers.com

ALSO OPENING THIS WEEK: The Box, The Men Who Stare At Goats, Disney's A Christmas Carol, Inside Hana's Suitcase, When We Were Boys

 

Top image: Milla Jovovich in The Fourth Kind. Courtesy Maple Pictures.