The Forgotten (2004)

Good acting, and good buildup through most of the movie, but the ending completely ruined the whole thing for me. The foe, when finally revealed, is (as in so many sci-fi movies) trivialized and unbelievable. Their motivations were quickly passed over with a few lines of gobbledy-gook which propagate some of the most tediously common misconceptions about the most basic concepts of science."Experiments" don't fail; they produce outcomes. And you don't punish a researcher for an unexpected outcome - that's a success, because the experiment uncovered something that is not understood and which requires more research. On an emotional level, due in large part to the good acting, the movie worked really well. But the mood was just shattered by the "scary monster alien" trope at the end.

The Forgotten (2004): Dir: Joseph Ruben / Cast: Julianne Moore, Dominic West, Gary Sinise, Alfre Woodard, Anthony Edwards: Everything went well until about halfway through and victims began to flush into the sky by an unseen force. It regards the mark loved ones leave upon us and their memory. It stars Julianne Moore as a distressed woman who struggles with the loss of her son until her husband and shrink try to convince her that she never had a son. All records of her son have been vanquished leaving only a drunken father whose daughter died in the same plane crash to console in. Then comes a cat and mouse chase as Moore and Dominic West repeatedly escape death only to arrive at a laughable conclusion involving an alien experiment. This brought snickers and mockery from the audience. What director Joseph Ruben was getting at isn't known but he is backed by effective production values. Moore holds her own here investigating her loss and making strange discoveries. West also does well accompanying her in her search for answers. They manage to overcome the ridiculous ending that undoes everything. Gary Sinise as the shrink is obvious, and Alfre Woodard as a police woman is flat. Anthony Edwards plays her husband who claims she is as delusional as the screenwriter. What could have been a thriller examining parental emotion becomes a lame laugh fest best left forgotten. Score: 3 / 10

A psychiatrist talks to a woman that believes she once had a child, something that her doctor fully disagrees; that doesn't sound anything new for those who've seen enough thrillers and mysteries. However, such situation wasn't that utilized in movies when this one was released; in fact, I can only remember "The Sixth Sense" and one or another that dealt with supposedly dead people. Furthermore, this isn't the classic case in which everyone is dead or alive, on the contrary of the main character's situation, so "The Forgotten" proves to be original and innovative. Better than that, it involves aliens in a subtle way, delivering some unexpected SCARY scenes in the last minutes-- mainly when that weirdo guy SCREAMS something repeatedly at Telly. However, I strongly disliked the fact that nothing gets resolved or explained. We're given vague informations about the aliens that carry people away in order to complete a "test", but the lack of explanation made me ask myself if I waited so long for so few. If a better outcome was written, this movie would've been able to achieve the image of a great picture, which, sadly, it doesn't. For a good portrayal of the love between mother and son, I'd rather recommend you 2000's "Dancer in the Dark". If you prefer seeing a good drama involving afterlife discussions, "Passengers" isn't a let down in any aspect.

This is a suspenseful movie starring Julianne Moore as grieving mother Telly Paretta, who is struggling to cope with the loss of her 9 year-old son, Sam. When psychiatrist Dr. Jack Munce (Gary Sinise) and her husband, Jim Paretta (Anthony Edwards), tell her that she has made up the memories of a son she never had, she embarks on a mission to prove her sanity and that her son is real.The plot to the movie is cleverly devised, carefully delving into the mind of Telly, sending the audience to question her sanity, and telling of the probable cause other than insanity that mysterious out-of-this-world forces are causing her to forget her son, giving the audience the impression that there is more hidden suspense to be released. What results is a see-saw of confusion, hope and drama that I find are mind-boggling, but captivating. The lazy-day feel and sometimes dreary-looking atmosphere create an overall somber and serious mood of the entire film.I thought Gerald Di Pego's script for the movie is played out well, thanks to the descent acting, compelling plot and Joseph Ruben's direction. It's actually an enjoyable movie if you are able to put all the pieces together.Grade B