The Watchers: A Tedious Adaptation of a Well-Received Novel (Blu-ray)

The Film:

Just two years ago, A.M. Shine released his novel "The Watchers" to decent public acclaim (if the reviews on Amazon are to be believed), with readers praising its suspense, mystery, and surprises. The very next year, it was announced that it was being adapted into a film by Ishana Night Shyamalan, daughter of filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan, marking her directorial debut. This no doubt put a fair amount of pressure on her as audiences would obviously be curious to see if she could live up to her father's early, well-received works, or if her attempt would fall more in line with the latter part of his career. With a well-liked novel as her starting point, it seemed as though she at least had a fair shot at delivering something that would be enjoyed just as well, but, as usual, that all comes down to how well it's adapted and brought to life on the screen.

Mina (Dakota Fanning) is an American who works at a pet shop in Ireland. She still struggles with having accidentally caused the death of her mother 15 years ago, an event that caused her to become estranged to her sister Lucy. When her boss asks her to deliver a parrot to a zoo in Belfast, her car breaks down in a forest in which she gets lost, eventually ending up in a bunker called "The Coop" with Madeline (Olwen Fouéré), Ciara (Georgina Campbell), and Daniel (Oliver Finnegan). They explain that mysterious creatures known as "The Watchers" observe them every night through a wall that can become a window and a mirror, and that there are rules they must live by (don't open the door at night, don't go near the burrows, etc.). Mina's thoughts immediately turn to escape, but being surrounded by a puzzling forest, filled with creatures that won't hesitate to kill her if caught outside after dark, makes that a rather difficult task.

On the outset, "The Watchers" appears to have one of those premises that seems like it would be pretty hard to mess up. You have a group of people trapped in the woods, being stalked by mysterious creatures, with specific rules that need to be followed. It's a formula that should've easily provided the suspense, mystery, and surprises that readers of the novel praised it for, but when it comes to Ishana Night Shyamalan's adaptation, it would appear that something major got lost in the transition from page to screen.

She does a fine job setting up the situation, but sadly all of those qualities that apparently made the book a real page-turner are lacking here. It ends up being yet another classic example of having a fascinating premise, but then not really knowing what to do with it, leading to a film that ends up being rather tedious in its execution, and ultimately very forgettable. Having never read the book, it's difficult to say what exactly went wrong, for as mentioned, it sounds like it should've made for a fun thriller, but it looks like it simply didn't make the transition very well, which does happen sometimes. A story can work much better on the page than it does in live-action, sometimes due to plot elements, and sometimes due to major differences in pacing (even at a brief 90-ish minutes, the film feels a little long & rather slow). This could simply be a case of a novel that was never meant to get the big screen treatment.

Whether that was the reason, or if it was simply adapted poorly, "The Watchers" ultimately doesn't work all that well in its efforts to engage us in the terrifying situation its characters are going through. Instead of a story that should've had us on the edge of our seats as these folks daringly try to escape from these terrible creatures, we end up with one that ends up testing our patience as we wait for something interesting to happen and draw us in. It's unfortunate that Ishana Night Shyamalan's career has started out this way, but hopefully she'll try again. Perhaps her sophomore effort will be the one that shows her true talent.

Video/Audio:

"The Watchers" comes to Blu-ray in a 1.85:1, 1080p High Definition transfer of excellent quality. This is yet another horror film that gets rather dark throughout, taking place in the middle of a forest and other dimly-lit locations, but the picture always remain perfectly sharp & clear. The Dolby Atmos-TrueHD soundtrack is likewise fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in great quality. Overall, Warner Bros. has done a fine job in both areas for the film's home debut.

Special Features:

Welcome to the Show: The Making of The Watchers (9 Minutes)

Creating the Watchers (5 Minutes)

Constructing the Coop (6 Minutes)

Ainriochtan and the Irish Fairy Folklore (4 Minutes)

Lair of Love (9 Minutes)

The Blu-ray comes with a selection of featurettes that take you behind the scenes, delving into areas such as how the project came about, the designing of the creatures & the main set, and the folklore behind the story. Ignoring the rather pointless "Lair of Love" footage (the reality show they watch in the film), it's a decent collection for anyone looking to learn about the making of the film.

Conclusion:

Ishana Night Shymalan's adaptation of A.M. Shine's "The Watchers" features an intriguing premise, but in its transition to the screen, all of the tension, suspense, and excitement that made the novel a popular read were sadly left behind, making the film rather tedious in its execution, and ultimately very forgettable.

Score: 2.5/5

Now available on Blu-ray.

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