I had my doubts, they were there, especially since press wasn’t previewing The Forgotten until one night before it was released in theaters. Luckily, the movie wasn’t as bad as I expected. While it has its flaws there are some kick ass scenes that will give you the jumps, and by jumps I don’t mean those cat-out-of-the-bag cheap thrills, these are good.
The Forgotten seems like a film that should have had the name M. Night Shyamalan attached to it (fortunately it didn’t), as it follows the life of Telly Paretta (Moore) a mother grieving the death of her son who died in a plane crash 14 months prior, or did he?
As the memories of the past begin to fade and her psychiatrist (Sinise) tells her that her son never existed, he was only in her mind, Telly goes searching for some kind of answer, not willing to accept what she has heard. Her only chance to find the truth lies in speculation and a man she hardly knows.
This movie could have gone so badly as there are numerous cliche endings you can think of just by reading the above recap. Fortunately it goes a different direction, a direction that, while a bit of a stretch, works much better than I had anticipated.
The only setbacks the film suffers from are some holes in the storyline and some poorly written dialogue, not to mention the cameraman must have been hopped up on coffee because it is hard to find a steady shot in the whole picture. You can be rest assured though, you aren’t going into this movie for dialogue or camera work, this is a thriller and you want to jump, and you will.
Overall, the film works and is a fun watch with, quite possibly, the best car crash scene I have ever seen and some gripping special effects. Check this one out with your friends there are sure to be some screams coming from someone.
