M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter, Ishana Night Shyamalan, has stepped into the director’s chair for the first time with her debut film The Watchers. Much like her father’s works, the movie begins with great promise but fails to maintain its momentum as the narrative unfolds.
The film is an adaptation of A.M. Shine’s novel and launches with a compelling scenario. Mina, a 28-year-old artist portrayed by Dakota Fanning, gets stranded in an eerie Irish forest. The opening scenes are reminiscent of classic horror setups with shadowy visuals and threatening atmospheres. As Mina navigates the forest, she encounters a group of strangers trapped alongside her in an isolated cabin known as The Coop.
Each night they face mysterious creatures dubbed The Watchers, who observe them through a two-way mirror. The film attempts to explore themes of voyeurism and entrapment, drawing parallels with Mina’s personal struggles.
The Struggles of Balancing Exposition and Suspense
Though Ishana employs excellent mood-setting skills honed from working on her father’s Apple TV+ series Servant, she falters under the weight of heavy exposition. At numerous points, the narrative grinds to a halt as characters dive into long-winded recounts of legends and personal histories—a fact emphasized by one critic who noted:at too many points in the film…the action grinds to a halt so an actor can read off a long explanation of a fable or legend
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An Uneven Blend of Mystery and Clarity
Much like M. Night Shyamalan’s films, The Watchers aims high but sometimes stumbles over its own ambitions. While the initial setup is spooky and engaging, the story becomes bogged down by its need to over-explain itself. This excessive detail transforms the suspenseful atmosphere into something more plodding.
A Solid Cast Hampered by Script Constraints
Dakota Fanning delivers a solid performance despite the script’s limitations. Her portrayal of Mina is both compelling and expressive, yet she is not adequately supported by the dialogue she’s given.Fanning…is expressive and compelling here despite what the screenplay is giving her
, one reviewer pointed out.
A Family Legacy with New Directions
Ishana carves her path distinct from her father by steering clear of his well-known narrative quirks.The Watchers is more straightforward than twisty, and she keeps the gimmickry to a minimum
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This approach is refreshing but highlights another issue—while familiar motifs abound, they often don’t coalesce into something profound or deeply engaging. Symbols such as doppelgangers and mimicry proliferate but fail to lead to truly satisfying revelations.
Building Suspense and Leaning Into Lore
Ishana relies heavily on sound design and brief glimpses of foreboding figures to build tension. However, as the narrative progresses towards its climax, it becomes bogged down by lore and mythology.Mythology and lore are referenced, expanded upon, and further revisited to dispiriting degrees, transforming what was an entertainingly spooky puzzle box into a slog about legendary (poor-looking CGI) monsters
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A Deft Debut With Room for Growth
In summary, The Watchers illustrates Ishana Night Shyamalan’s potential but also her need for growth. As she stated in an interview,‘The best training ground I could have had…With those 30-minute episodes, I got to exercise both my structural dialogue skills in writing and then also learned how to do as much visual storytelling.’
Her unique approach to visual storytelling in The Watchers shows promise but falls short in cohesive execution.
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