The Wasteland Reviewer

The Watchers (2024) Written Review

The entertainment industry is all in the family for the Shyamalan’s, isn’t it? M. Night Shyamalan’s two daughters have begun to make quite the names for themselves. Ishana has gotten her feet wet by directing episodes of her father’s show Servant over on Apple TV+. But now she is taking her own swing at the big screen. A.M. Shine’s novel makes for an interesting debut with The Watchers drawing upon plenty of Irish folklore and plenty of mystery and twists and turns. This honestly sounds like something M. Night might do on his own. But this is indeed Ishana’s debut and there was plenty of potential to start. 

Does Ishana capture the sensibilities for horror and thrills like her father? The biggest strength of The Watchers is certainly the atmosphere. There is plenty of tension and suspense throughout the film (especially in the first half). The sense of mystery to what is going on matched with the eerie setting (deep in the Irish woods) and the impeccable framing and lighting makes for such an unnerving experience. The way Shyamalan leverages the darkness as well as the unknown outside this strange “fishbowl” is effective in conveying a sense of fear and dread. There are a few moments that deliver chills thanks to the production design. There are a few structures that draw upon the Irish folklore (the basis of the film) that are just so eerie. The slow reveal of what these “Watchers” look like as well makes for some bone-chilling elements. 

How about the story? Shyamalan’s adaptation is best when the mystery is in front of you. The watching space and the mystery of the creatures outside are the bread and butter of the film. The issue is when that focus is surpassed halfway through the film, the narrative struggles to keep the same level of tension. Even (what seems to be) the climax of the film feels so rushed and honestly anticlimactic. Then the film shifts into its final act when all the steam of the premise is gone, and the film feels like it is sluggishly dragging to the finish. In quite the Shyamalan fashion, there are some big twists in the film. The main one feels so obviously telegraphed that it can never have the impact it needs to stick the landing. So much of the film’s mystery is overexplained in numerous giant exposition dumps that feel so clunky and make for awkward and unsatisfying sequences throughout the film. The pieces were there but they just felt like they lacked execution 

Do the characters help improve the experience at least? Dakota Fanning’s Mina is our protagonist who the film gives some trauma to work with that reinforces the struggles of the film. Fanning is a talented actress but something about her performance feels a bit too disconnected and vacant. Ciara and Daniel are two more of the subjects in the watch space, but their characters are too one dimensional to really connect with. Georgina Campbell is a charismatic performer but gets little to work with and unfortunately, her character can be whittled down to just being sad because her husband was taken. Oliver Finnegan cannot do much with such an over-the-top and grating character either. Then you have veteran actress Olwen Fouere who pops up in plenty of roles like this. Madeleine is full of knowledge compared to the rest and she is saddled with explaining so much. There are some potentially interesting things for Fouere to do through the film but too much of her role is bogged down by all too frequent exposition dumps. 

Is The Watchers a triumphant debut for Ishana Night Shyamalan? Unfortunately, her first feature outing is underwhelming. The Irish Folklore that is incorporated is quite interesting and has plenty of potential. The clunking incorporation of it does the film no favors. The reveals that are peppered throughout the film just lack the necessary impact that this film is looking for. You can see them coming a mile away. The character work is a bit lacking, and the narrative is too bold in its scope and ideas as the execution did not rise to that occasion. There are strong elements here and something to look forward to in Ishana’s future efforts, but this sluggish and clunky attempt was not the big breakout that many were hoping for.