The Watchers is a clumsy letdown. Each reveal loses steam, either through unearned drama or silly plot developments. There's unnecessary exposition, forced dialogue, unnatural emotions, and pointless threads. It attempts themes of guilt and identity, but they don't amount to anything because the writing is too awkward. The characters are strangely void of passion and their decisions are contrived. The acting has moments of vulnerability but mostly feels detached. Finally, its ending is a tacked-on fourth act that comes out of nowhere and adds nothing to the experience. Ultimately, all this undermines The Watchers' relatability, making it a story that gets progressively worse.
Technically, The Watchers has superficial pros and fundamental cons. Its dramatic tone often feels unearned, which becomes cringe. The imagery offers sequences of nice lighting and reflections, but also can be overly dark. Its editing fumbles the structure, burdening the momentum with a second climax. The sound provides distortions, genre elements, and tons of offscreens. Its music uses creepy diegetics and fitting, violin-driven scoring (but it's a bit generic). The production design adds a familiar setting, a notable building, and disappointing monsters. Its cast has minor fame and solid fit. The effects are entirely mediocre CGI. Consequently, The Watchers is lackluster.
Writing: 3/10
Direction: 4/10
Cinematography: 6/10
Acting: 5/10
Editing: 4/10
Sound: 8/10
Score/Soundtrack: 6/10
Production Design: 6/10
Casting: 5/10
Effects: 6/10
Overall Score: 5.3/10
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