Review of The Forgotten

Seeing a movie like The Forgotten unfold is like watching someone you admire make a fatal mistake. At first they seem happy and are doing the right thing. Then, all of a sudden, they start to spiral out of control until they finally meet their untimely demise. Joseph Ruben's direction starts out tight and effective, but loosens and loses steam as the film wears on. The problem is, the film isn't even that long, so there's not a lot of room for error at all. Unfortunately, by the end of the film, most people will be left wondering "why did they do that?" Julianne Moore is good as usual, as well as the rest of the cast assembled here, including Lee Tergesen, Alfre Woodard, Anthony Edwards, Gary Sinise and Dominic West. But the problem is not the performances. It's the plotting and script that ultimately do this sci-fi/thriller hybrid in. The climax of the film takes such a left turn that it makes the sudden change in From Dusk Till Dawn look like a random scene from The Straight Story. It's not that you're not expecting what ultimately happens, because it's actually pretty obvious if you pay attention. It's the way they go about giving you the payoff that dooms the movie. With head-scratching resolutions and a pointless ending, The Forgotten makes you wish they had tried harder to move the story along and compel the audience a bit more. It's a movie that you really want to like, but just can't for lack of evidence. It might be worth a rent if you're into Julianne Moore or movies of this genre. Otherwise, you'll be left just as unexpectedly disappointed as I was. Look for your cinematic chills elsewhere.