The Forgotten

Yeah sure I'll be in the minority a lot of people bash The Forgotten not me it's the perfect amount of weird! The kind of movie that makes me wanna say wtf in a good way; definitely some X-Files Esq. Julianne Moore did an extraordinary performance! Oh man the alternate ending is effed up the way it should've been.

This is better than average sci-fi, with a nice serving of mystery thrown in the pot as well. Add ingredients like good actress Julianne Moore (who is always hot), and a decent supporting cast, good special effects; and any parent who is sympathetic to having their child kidnapped (all of us?), and you have a guaranteed success. The pacing of this film is very interesting. It starts very slowly; and some may actually tune out before the plot unravels. Be patient. It does speed up. Better to have a film speed up in the middle until the end, rather than the other way around. There are enough duds that start off with a bang, and then leave us grasping for straws. This is not one of them. See it. And no, it is not really an X-Files or Twilight Zone episode; it can stand on its own.

It has been over a year since Telly Pretta's son died in a plane crash; she is in therapy and daily lingers over his pictures and possessions. When the pictures start to disappear she gets angry at her husband for hiding them but her husband doesn't know what she is talking about while her doctor starts to consider putting her in hospital because she is not getting over this fictional "son" that she claims she had. Telly's memories are so strong and she knows she isn't crazy – a belief only confirmed when she meets another person who can't remember the daughter he lost in the same crash. As they dig for proof they find so much more than they ever suspected they would.

From the trailer for this movie things looked good (apart from ruining the most impacting moment of the film) and I decided to give it a go. The film is a strange mix because bits of it are so intriguing and gripping but then other bits are rather unsatisfying and it cannot keep the urgent tone up consistently. It is a bit annoying but something about the second half niggles – is it because it is all a bit too neat? Is it because it keeps suggesting bigger things that we never get into? Or is it just because the first half had such a simple and interesting idea that opening it out was never going to be able to match the first half? I'm not sure but the film only sporadically hits the right note and will suddenly (very suddenly) show us how big this thing is and how high the stakes are – but then seconds later we're back into a slower scene that almost feels like a step back. That said, the central premise and the bit of the story we get told is still interesting and the urgent moments are enough to keep it going.

The direction is good; drab colours are an obvious contrast with the bright colours of the memories but generally Ruben helps keep the tension up. The effects are good and they make the "big" moments really surprising and impacting. Moore is convincing throughout and she manages to give her usual high quality. The support cast is cluttered with names, which I assume was meant to be a load of red herrings; most of them are OK but have very little time although a cast including Edwards, Roache, Sinise, Woodard and a few others is probably worth a look.

Overall this is an OK film but not as good as the basic plot summary suggests. A good trailer will have you asking questions and interested before the film comes out, but it needs the film to answer these and still have us feel the same. I enjoyed the film and all, but by the end I was left with none of the intrigue and interest that I had had at the start and it is unlikely I'd ever chose to watch it again.

Telly Paretta (Julianne Moore) is tormented by the memory of her 8 year old son after he died in a plane crash. Her therapist (Gary Sinise) is convinced that she is delusional and inventing these memories, but she is on a mission to find evidence that he did.

Julianne Moore is typically convincing in the role, and she sells the frustration of her situation really well. The story is very intriguing and incorporates some seamless visuals that are used sparingly and too dramatic effect.

Unfortunately the ending is little bit too Hollywood for me, but there is salvation in the alternate DVD ending, it's not perfect but certainly better.

6/10 - 7/10 with the alternate ending

Telly Paretta is seeing a shrink as therapy for losing her son in a plane crash, only she never had a son but is convinced she had. All the people in her life don't remember Sam including her husband. When she confronts the alcoholic fathers of another child from the flight they set out to discover the truth and the truth is "out there".

Part X-Files and part Lifetime movie of the week, "The Forgotten" seems to really channel Chris Carter's hit TV show, look it even has a redhead. The story is interesting and Julianne Moore's performance is sincere but you can't help but think that something is missing. The clever twist is good but they could have easily expanded the storyline and made it more "something".

Good but not great, "The Forgotten" seems to lack its own identity due to the derivative nature of the storyline which needed a bit of assistance from Fox Mulder.