Because my life isn’t busy enough, this past weekend I decided to catch a late showing of The Fourth Kind with my brother and friends and coworkers.
It was good, but not for the faint of heart.
Before I get into more of a review, let me say up front that this movie is NOT a sequel to Close Encounters of the Third Kind. There are no well-meaning, friendly-looking, spindle-limbed aliens implanting hypnotic suggestions into people’s minds.
Okay, there is a bit of the messing with peoples’ minds.
For those of you who like sci-fi movies, you should be forewarned that this is not Fire in the Sky, Independence Day, or even Aliens. It’s creepier, and sinister. If you liked The Ring then this movie is for you. It has more scare factor than The Sixth Sense, and Wil Smith never shows up to punch an alien in the head.
The Fourth Kind purports to tell the true story of a psychologist in Nome, Alaska, who seems to uncover evidence of alien abductions while treating patients. The movie is put together like a dramatized documentary, putting dramatized footage (with recognizable actors Milla Jovovich, Elias Koteas, and others) alongside actual footage of recorded events, interspersed with an interview with the psychologist herself. Often, the movie will show the real and dramatized versions side-by-side on the screen.
This claim to realism begins as soon as the movie starts, with actress Milla Jovovich actually introducing herself before the movie starts. I can’t claim the truthfulness of the claims of “true story” here, but if it isn’t then the filmmakers did an excellent job of making you believe that what you are watching actually happened.
Overall, the movie itself is predictable, and you’ll find yourself easily knowing what’s coming next. It won’t keep you from jumping in terror, though. And there are a few little creepy twists that might just keep you up at night.
SPOILER ALERT!
SPOILER ALERT!
SPOILER ALERT!
SPOILER ALERT!
SPOILER ALERT!
The next few paragraphs are going to discuss specific plot points and event sin the movie. If you plan on seeing the movie, and don’t like spoilers, stop reading now.
SPOILER ALERT!
SPOILER ALERT!
SPOILER ALERT!
SPOILER ALERT!
SPOILER ALERT!
There are a lot of Christians who believe that alien abductions are really demonic activity. This movie makes a strong case to support that view.
The “aliens” in The Fourth Kind speak ancient Sumerian through (except at the end)–and twist the bodies and minds–of those they “abduct.”
It is important to remember, at this point, that the movie claims to not just to be based on a true story, but to actually document it. But knowing movies, I see 3 possibilities:
- This movie is exactly what it appears to be: The true story of a mentally disturbed psychologist throws herself obsessively into her work after her husband’s suicide and uncovers evidence of violent abductions and possession of humans by rather vicious aliens. Actual recordings make a strong case for authenticity.
- This movie is almost what it appears to be: The true story of a mentally disturbed psychologist throws herself obsessively into her work after her husband’s suicide and uncovers evidence of—rather than aliens—a powerful and pervasive demonic possession of an entire region. Authenticity is supported by actual recordings.
- The Fourth Kind is a very well-made scary movie, with two sets of actors and incredible attention to detail. Aliens? Demons? Doesn’t matter, the movies is still creepy as anything.
In the movie, the people who experience the abductions recall their terrifying experiences while under hypnosis, and then the “aliens” speak through them. Anyone who has been involved in any kind of spiritual warfare against demonic possession will recognize these scenes: Human bodies twisting into unnatural positions, levitation, and foreign voices speaking through humans. Ancient Sumerian features prominently, although there is some English spoken by the aliens or demons late in the movie.
Any time “real footage” is used, the transition is clearly noted, so there’s no confusion between what is “real” and what is “dramatized”. Nearly everything that I would classify as special effects in this movie take place in the “real” footage. Grainy picture (reminiscent of VHS recordings and the type of dash cam recordings seen on the TV show Cops), EM interference, and the aforementioned levitations and inhuman voices.
If the story is real, it will undoubtedly result in Nome being the new hot spot for UFO hunters. Christians looking for a fight with the demonic will also likely begin taking pilgrimages to Nome to cast out the powers active in the area.
In either case, it will be interesting to follow the reaction to the film. If the “reality” has been faked, then there will be very little interest in trips to Nome.
To me, however, much of the movie is very reminiscent of instances of demonic possession. The voices (claimed to be aliens in the movie) speak in freakish tones using long-dead ancient languages, twist their human hosts into positions that actually cause bodily harm, and incite terror, despair, and hopelessness in their victims.
The time 3:33 also features prominently in the film. I’m not going to go into a full numerological study, but 333 is half of 666, which has strong numeric link to satan and the other fallen angels. One of the voices even claims to be God, which is a well-known trick of demons. This was either a very clever ploy by the movie makers, or evidence of true demonic activity.
The movie is frightening. More so because it is so good at convincing you that it’s true. It’s something that will stick with you for a while.
