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"THE FOURTH KIND" (2009) (Milla Jovovich, Elias Koteas) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Minor Moderate Extreme Extreme Heavy Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild Heavy Extreme None Moderate Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy None Extreme Heavy Extreme QUICK TAKE: Horror/Sci-fi: While attempting to help her patients strangely suffering from coincidental sleep issues and frightening dreams, a psychologist begins to believe both they and she are dealing with something of a far greater and more dangerous magnitude. PLOT: It's 2002 and Abigail Tyler is being interviewed for a Chapman University program by Olatunde Osunsanmi (OLATUNDE OSUNSANMI) regarding her reported odd occurrences from two years earlier in Nome, Alaska. We then see footage supposedly recorded from that time, as well as dramatic recreations of the events where actors play the parts of the real people. Two months after her husband's death, Abigail (MILLA JOVOVICH) is still coping with that loss and its effect both on her and her kids, Ronnie and his younger sister, Ashley (MIA McKENNA-BRUCE). As a working psychologist, she also continues seeing her clients, some of whom -- such as Scott (ENZO CILENTI) and Tommy (COREY JOHNSON) -- have reported similarly troubling occurrences at night. Under hypnosis, they report being awakened by sounds in the middle of the night, as well as an odd owl that simply stares at them. As Abigail continues digging deeper for answers, she realizes not only that the owl is something else entirely, but that she's also been visited by this being, and it's only through hypnosis with her shrink, Dr. Abel Campos (ELIAS KOTEAS), that everything starts coming together. But when a tape recording of her includes a language no one can recognize, Abigail contacts Dr. Awolowa Odusami (HAKEEM KAE-KAZIM), a specialist in ancient tongues. What he then reports, as well as her patients progressively loosing it -- including with deadly results that soon have Sheriff August (WILL PATTON) involved -- eventually cause Abigail and the others to realize they're dealing with something far bigger than any of them could have imagined. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into spooky horror films, ones about alien abductions, and/or are fans of anyone in the cast, they might be intrigued. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For violent/disturbing images, some terror, thematic elements and brief sexuality. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: MILLA JOVOVICH plays a widowed psychologist who lives and works in Nome, Alaska with her two kids. Haunted by her inability to remember all of the details of her husband's violent death, she tries to help various patients who have oddly similar and disturbing dreams, just like her. As she digs deeper into the mystery, she uncovers some potentially troubling and wild-sounding theories that only serve to make her seem more unstable in the eyes of Sheriff August. ELIAS KOTEAS plays her shrink who tries to help her with her own issues, but then gets drawn into the far greater alien abduction aspect. WILL PATTON plays the local sheriff who blames Abigail on a recent murder/suicide done by one of her patients and increasingly loses his patience (and sometimes his temper) toward her. He uses profanity. HAKEEM KAE-KAZIM plays an expert in the ancient Sumerian language who becomes Abigail and Abel's unlikely partner in investigating the phenomenon that's affecting Nome. ENZO CILENTI and COREY JOHNSON play two of Abigail's patients who are afflicted with similar sleep disorders stemming from oddly coincidental dreams. Under hypnosis, they recall terrifying events from their past. One of them ends up loosing it to the point that he murders his family before killing himself. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this horror/sci-fi film that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 4 "s" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. There's a brief flashback scene of a married couple having sex with brief, stylized views of her on top of him in bed (torso and up, no nudity, but sensual, with some related sounds). A flashback shows a family mass-murder and suicide from a distance and another, unrelated death, while other footage partially shows alien abductions and related struggling. Some of that has bloody results and those scenes, as well as ones where characters remember alien abductions (while under hypnosis, during which some channel odd voices and levitate) could be fairly unsettling, suspenseful and/or scary for viewers. Tense family material is present in various scenes (including that regarded to death and child abduction). Wine is briefly present, as are bad attitudes and some material that kids might want to imitate. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there's some of that from flashing police lights, while there's another bit of flashing lights later in the film. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, a great deal of bouncy and handheld camera footage occurs throughout the film. There are also several fly over shoots looking down, as well as a shot that spins around while looking down into a room. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Abigail has wine with dinner. BLOOD/GORE During hypnosis, Abigail talks about making love with her husband, and then of him being stabbed. We see quickly edited views of the attack, which make it hard to tell what's happening, but some blood is seen on his torso. Scott vomits after coming out of hypnosis. We briefly see a blistered area on Abigail's back. Scott has a bruise on his arm. We see a black and white photo of a suicide victim (with a hole in the temple area). DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Abigail has forgotten something about her son's sports event, with the boy angrily saying his father wouldn't have forgotten. As they talk about that, it's implied that Ashley doesn't know about her father (or perhaps the manner of his death). A man holds his wife at gunpoint and then shoots her (the impact is digitized to obscure it), shoots the kids off-camera, and then commits suicide via that same handgun (also digitized). Sheriff August blames that murder-suicide on Abigail having previously hypnotized the shooter during therapy. Sheriff August doesn't believe Abigail's story about what happened to her daughter, yells at her to tell the truth, and then smashes a piece of furniture into a wall mirror in frustration. The aliens, although never really seen, abduct various people. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed here and under "Violence" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to viewers, especially younger ones and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. During hypnosis, Abigail talks about making love with her husband, and then of him being stabbed. We see quickly edited views of the attack, which make it hard to tell what's happening, but some blood is seen on his torso. One of Abigail's patients discusses, under hypnosis, an owl outside the window, and another later says the same thing. While under hypnosis, a patient discusses something being outside the door, followed by the sound of the door opening, all of which causes the man to panic (in the present, seen in the "real" as well as recreated footage). It eventually gets so bad that he scrambles off the sofa and ends up accidentally breaking a lamp and table in his attempt to escape. We hear audio from a 911 call along with the sounds of gunshots and a wife's plea for her husband to stop. Abigail is then called to the scene where one of her patients has his family held hostage at gunpoint and fires several shots through the window. As Abigail tries to talk the man down over the phone, Sheriff August arranges for a sniper to take out the man (who's seen through the window and from a distance). That man is holding his wife and then shoots her (the impact is digitized to obscure it), shoots the kids off-camera, and then commits suicide via that same handgun (also digitized). During more hypnosis, Scott nervously talks about something being at the door, ends up convulsing in the present, and then gets up and vomits. He says that the intruders are not from here, and communicated both verbally and telepathically. Abigail's assistant freaks out after having listened to Abigail's dictation on a tape recorder (from when Abigail was alone at home). She says she can't listen to that again, so Abigail and Abel listen. We first hear Abigail talking (as heard before in the actual scene) and then silence, followed by the sound of the door opening and then Abigail screaming in a horrific way, mixed with a garbled voice speaking in an unrecognizable language. We then see a hypnosis-induced flashback of that night, with the sound of breaking glass, followed by outside light seemingly probing the house. We then see a blister on Abigail's back, followed by struggling (shot and edited in a way to prevent one from really seeing what's occurring). Abigail then comments on seeing marks in the floor and realizes those are from her fingernails, what with her having been dragged out of the room while clawing the floor. Abigail receives a frantic call from Scott's wife pleading for help, so she, Abel and Dr. Odusami arrive there to find Scott in bed. Abigail then hypnotizes him to recall what happened. He then suddenly bolts upright and actually levitates off the bed in a seated position. His mouth opens ultra wide and a weird, ancient voice comes out. During this, the video recording goes awry, meaning our image of all of that ends up distorted. Sheriff August later reports that Scott is paralyzed from that due to a broken back. A cop, assigned to watch Abigail's house, wakes up after nodding off at night. He thinks he sees something, and thus gets out of the car (as seen through his dashboard camera). The signal from that camera suddenly distorts, and that might startle some viewers. That distortion continues as the man goes toward the house. He calls for help, with Sheriff August and others than arriving to find Abigail distraught and frantic, and saying a beam of light took Ashley. Sheriff August doesn't believe that, yells at her to tell the truth, and then smashes a piece of furniture into a wall mirror in frustration. Abel hypnotizes Abigail into remembering what occurred. She comments on the alien smiling and her not liking that, followed by a flashback showing her point of view as the bedroom door opens at night, blurry figures come in, and that's followed by struggling and then some sort of multi-bladed device being inserted into her from behind (we don't see the impact, just her reaction). We then see footage of Abigail on the sofa under hypnosis and she suddenly levitates off that, her mouth opens wide, and Sumerian voices flow from that. During this, the tape distorts like before, with only glimpses of what's occurring, while onscreen text shows snippets of the translated language being channeled through her, including one saying, "I am God." We then hear that Abigail, Abel and Dr. Odusami were apparently abducted by aliens. GUNS/WEAPONS We hear audio from a 911 call along with the sounds of gunshots and a wife's plea for her husband to stop. Abigail is then called to the scene where one of her patients has his family held hostage at gunpoint and fires several shots through the window. As Abigail tries to talk the man down over the phone, Sheriff August arranges for a sniper to take out the man (who's seen through the window and from a distance). That man is holding his wife and then shoots her (the impact is digitized to obscure it), shoots the kids off-camera, and then commits suicide via that same handgun (also digitized). IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Bullsh*t," "Holy sh*t," "That's horse sh*t," "What a jerk," "What the hell /is that supposed to mean/are you talking about/was that/is going on here?" and "You know damn well." The film might inspire some kids to pretend that they've been abducted by aliens and/or are channeling odd voices, etc. JUMP SCENES The sudden stabbing of Abigail's husband (in a flashback and via hypnosis) might startle some viewers. While hypnotized, Scott suddenly bolts upright in bed with a jolt. A cop, assigned to watch Abigail's house, wakes up after nodding off at night. He thinks he sees something, and thus gets out of the car (as seen through his dashboard camera). The signal from that camera suddenly distorts, and that might startle some viewers. During hypnosis, Abigail suddenly reacts and levitates off the sofa, with bizarre sounds emanating from her, etc. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of ominous and suspenseful music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 4 "s" words, 5 hells, 1 damn, 5 uses each of "G-damn" and "Oh my God," 2 uses of "Oh God" and 1 use each of "Christ" and "Oh Jesus." SEX/NUDITY During hypnosis, Abigail talks about making love with her husband, and we see brief, stylized views of her on top of him in bed (torso and up, no nudity, but sensual, with some related sounds). SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES During hypnosis, Abigail talks about making love with her husband, and then of him being stabbed. We see quickly edited views of the attack, which make it hard to tell what's happening, but some blood is seen on his torso. She's then upset that she can't remember all of the details regarding that. We hear that Abigail's daughter suddenly went blind following her father's death. Abigail has forgotten something about her son's sports event, with the boy angrily saying his father wouldn't have forgotten. As they talk about that, it's implied that Ashley doesn't know about her father (or perhaps the manner of his death). Ashley hears an audio tape playback of her father and thinks it's really him, with Abigail having to explain it isn't. We hear audio from a 911 call along with the sounds of gunshots and a wife's plea for her husband to stop. Abigail is then called to the scene where one of her patients has his family held hostage at gunpoint and fires several shots through the window. As Abigail tries to talk the man down over the phone, Sheriff August arranges for a sniper to take out the man (who's seen through the window and from a distance). That man is holding his wife and then shoots her (the impact is digitized to obscure it), shoots the kids off-camera, and then commits suicide via that same handgun (also digitized). Scott's wife worries about him. After finding Abigail distraught and panicked from a beam of light supposedly taking her daughter away, Sheriff August doesn't believe any of that and states he's taking Ronnie from her custody, thus leaving her even more upset. A woman is informed that her husband committed suicide in the past. Abigail reports that her daughter is still missing two years after supposedly being abducted by aliens. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The film claiming that parts of it are real. The notion of extraterrestrial alien abductions. We hear that Abigail's daughter suddenly went blind following her father's death. Abigail comments that there are more murders and disappearances in Nome than anywhere else in Alaska. Abigail says eleven million people have reported UFOS since the 1930s. Dr. Odusami points out that ancient Sumerian art (from around 4,000 B.C.) showed images that look like rockets and men in spacesuits, etc. VIOLENCE During hypnosis, Abigail talks about making love with her husband, and then of him being stabbed. We see quickly edited views of the attack, which make it hard to tell what's happening, but some blood is seen on his torso. While under hypnosis, a patient discusses something being outside the door, followed by the sound of the door opening, all of which causes the man to panic (in the present, seen in the "real" as well as recreated footage). It eventually gets so bad that he scrambles off the sofa and ends up accidentally breaking a lamp and table in his attempt to escape. We hear audio from a 911 call along with the sounds of gunshots and a wife's plea for her husband to stop. Abigail is then called to the scene where one of her patients has his family held hostage at gunpoint and fires several shots through the window. As Abigail tries to talk the man down over the phone, Sheriff August arranges for a sniper to take out the man (who's seen through the window and from a distance). That man is holding his wife and then shoots her (the impact is digitized to obscure it), shoots the kids off-camera, and then commits suicide via that same handgun (also digitized). In a flashback, we struggling apparently between Abigail and aliens that are after her (shot and edited in a way to prevent one from really seeing what's occurring). Abigail then comments on seeing marks in the floor and realizes those are from her fingernails, what with her having been dragged out of the room while clawing the floor. Abigail receives a frantic call from Scott's wife pleading for help, so she, Abel and Dr. Odusami arrive there to find Scott in bed. Abigail then hypnotizes him to recall what happened. He then suddenly bolts upright and actually levitates off the bed in a seated position. His mouth opens ultra wide and a weird, ancient voice comes out. During this, the video recording goes awry, meaning our image of all of that ends up distorted. Sheriff August later reports that Scott is paralyzed from that due to a broken back. Sheriff August doesn't believe Abigail's story about what happened to her daughter, yells at her to tell the truth, and then smashes a piece of furniture into a wall mirror in frustration. Abel hypnotizes Abigail into remembering what occurred and that's followed by a flashback of struggling and then some sort of multi-bladed device being inserted into her from behind (we don't see the impact, just her reaction). We see a quick flashback image from the above scene where the husband shoots the wife (seen from a distance through a window with the impact digitized). Reviewed October 22, 2009 / Posted November 6, 2009

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