Based on real events that took place in the 1960s. John and Mary Klein are a happy couple who have just bought a new house. The excitement about their new home is short-lived. After a car accident, Mary ends up in the hospital with a head injury, but a CT scan shows that something is much worse with her. She eventually dies, leaving a devastated John.
What is the movie The Mothman Prophecies about
The Mothman is a thriller purportedly based on a true story. Richard Gere stars as Washington Post reporter John Klein, who inexplicably finds himself in a small West Virginia town where a series of strange events take place. He knocks on a nearby house for help, and the man who opened the door attacks him, telling him that Klein has already been here for three days in a row. But is it?
The reporter’s wife had died two years earlier in a mysterious car accident. Before her death, apparently delirious, she made strange drawings. Could these images have something to do with this city? There seems to be a connection between her death and the strange occurrences in Point Pleasant. The key to solving the mystery seems to be a large moth-like creature that periodically appears in places where people are about to die. Klein meets with several locals who claim to have seen the Mothman, and after a while, the creature begins to communicate with him. The creature warns people of impending tragedies (plane crashes, earthquakes), and Gear’s character thinks that this creature might even bring him together with his dead wife. A reporter receives a warning about an upcoming tragedy near Point Pleasant, but can he react in time to stop it? Should he at least try?
The film is very dark. Directing is great. The acting is amazing too. Gere is great in this movie. Laura Linney didn’t seem to be up to the task of playing the local cop, but by the end of the movie, she proved how truly talented she really is. Will Patton, a local who has had several run-ins with the Mothman, goes insane.
There are plenty of creepy moments in the movie, enough to give you goosebumps. Mothman relies more on motivation, character development, and atmosphere. Almost no one sees the monster, thereby increasing the suspense. Abnormal occurrences throughout the film create a disturbing atmosphere. Creepy images and surreal shooting techniques are combined. Sound is used very effectively: all sorts of bizarre trills made by the Mothman are heard.
The meaning of the film The Mothman Prophecies
“Mothman” is something like an oracle. He can see the bad things that are going to happen and he can even look at it from the other side. The film suggests that he is the cause of these tragedies, such as a fatal car accident in which the wife of a reporter died early.
The action of the film takes place in the present, and not in the 1960s, (according to the literary source). The creators of Mothman apparently decided to use some of the historical footage and then dramatize it in a way that would be cinematically appealing to today’s audience.
The film makes the audience feel overwhelmed. During the credits, a new age rock song plays, adding to the mood.
Movie ending explanation
John becomes obsessed with the “Mothman” as some messages and apparitions are reminiscent of Mary, and he makes an appointment with an expert, Alexander Lik. He explains what his mysterious essence is and does not advise John to participate in this, warning that attempts to prevent the predicted events are useless. John is aware that the governor is going to tour the chemical plant on the Ohio River the next day, and is convinced that the irreparable can happen there. Officer Mills and the governor do not heed his admonitions.
Then John receives a mysterious letter in which he is asked to wait in Georgetown for a call from his late wife Mary (at noon on Christmas Eve). While waiting for her call, he drives home. On Christmas Eve, Officer Mills calls John to convince him not to answer the phone from “Mary” and head back to Point Pleasant and have dinner with her and her family on Christmas Eve. She assures him that he shouldn’t be alone that night, and then cuts off the conversation. Despite the pain, in making his decision, John realizes that his obsession is isolating him and decides to go to Point Pleasant to take a vacation with Officer Mills.
When John gets to the Silver Bridge, traffic jams on the bridge are caused by broken traffic lights. Hearing the bolts and bridge piers being tightened, John realizes that the alleged tragedy on the Ohio River was not connected to the bridge, but to the power plant. When the bridge collapses, Officer Mills’ car ends up in the water. John, after jumping into the water, manages to pull her out of the river and drive her to safety. Two are in an ambulance, they are told that 36 people could not be saved.
The film ends with the statement that the full picture of the bridge collapse has never been established, and that, as a Mothman on other continents, he never returned to Point Pleasant.
