The Fourth Kind (2009) starring Milla Jovovich, Will Patton, Elias Koteas, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Corey Johnson, Enzo Cilenti directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi Movie Review

The Fourth Kind (2009)   2/52/52/52/52/5


Milla Jovovich in The Fourth Kind (2009)

Alienated

If you have not watched or read anything about "The Fourth Kind" and wish to enjoy it then don't read this or any movie review or anything about the movie because it is impossible to write about without discussing spoilers.

"The Fourth Kind" starts with Milla Jovovich introducing herself saying in this movie she will be playing the part of Abbey Tyler who had been a psychiatrist in Nome where many people have disappeared over the years. What follows on from this introduction is a split screen showing video footage of the real Abbey Tyler being interviewed in one screen with Jovovich playing the part in the next screen. We also get shown footage from police cameras, other video interviews, 911 calls and so on all interweaved with the real footage shown next to the dramatization.

Elias Koteas in The Fourth Kind (2009)

So that is the hook "The Fourth Kind" appears to be a dramatization of real events which relate to missing people and in particular alien abduction except it is a crock of lies. You see "The Fourth Kind" is fake, the whole story about the real Abbey Tyler is made up for this movie, the old video and recordings are all manufactured. Now in fairness it is an imaginative hook as it is like "Paranormal Activity" but a Hollywood dramatization of the fake video, taking the whole fake reality concept to another level.

The trouble is that when you discover this and to be frank it doesn't take a genius to work out it is manufactured right from the get go what you are left with is this sci-fi horror story about alien abductions and it is slow going. It spends so long building up all this dramatization of fake video footage that by the time things kick into gear there is a chance you will be dropping off. And when it does finally kick into gear and delivers action and horror it ends up fleeting, which is right in terms for the concept but disappointing when the concept is so see through.

The only good thing about "The Fourth Kind" is the acting and Milla Jovovich, Elias Koteas and Will Patton all put in decent performances. But to be honest none of the actors are taken out of their comfort zone and it is all very forgettable which in this sort of movie you need the acting to be as haunting as the story pertains to be.

What this all boils down to is that as a concept I like "The Fourth Kind", I like the idea of taking the fake video concept to another level. But the end result is mind numbingly boring and not convincing enough which is a pity.


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