Here we have Mothman Lite, right down to the insect in the title. `The Mothman Prophecies' is a chilling supernatural thriller where a man obsessed with the drawings of his dead wife finds his way to a town where people are getting messages from the unknown. `Dragonfly' is a syrupy tale about a despondent man obsessed with the drawings of children claiming to be in contact with his dead wife that lead him to the unknown. A coincidence? I doubt it.
The films are different as night and day. Mothman is a true supernatural thriller, replete with suspense, fright and eerie messages from the other side. Dragonfly attempts to be a transcendent romance with love so strong that death cannot contain it. There is nothing remotely spooky about it. Most of the film concentrates on Joe's (Kevin Costner) inability to cope with the death of his wife.
The film drags, with Joe traversing the same emotional ground again and again. We keep having scenes repeated over and over between Joe and the children who contacted his wife, and Joe puling to Mrs. Belmont (Kathy Bates) who keeps trying to talk some sense into him. The final scenes in Venezuela border on goofy, but to the writers' credit at least the ending wasn't totally predictable.
Kevin Costner gives us his standard depressed nice-guy rendition only a bit whinier than usual. Kathy Bates is feisty as always as his stalwart friend. Linda Hunt is intense in her role as the nun who believes in near death experiences.
This film is far too sappy to be a thriller and misses the romantic interaction of films like `Ghost' and `Always' in its attempt to be transcendent. It fails to distinguish itself in any meaningful way and slides aimlessly into mediocrity. I rated it 5/10. If you want a thriller, see Mothman.
The films are different as night and day. Mothman is a true supernatural thriller, replete with suspense, fright and eerie messages from the other side. Dragonfly attempts to be a transcendent romance with love so strong that death cannot contain it. There is nothing remotely spooky about it. Most of the film concentrates on Joe's (Kevin Costner) inability to cope with the death of his wife.
The film drags, with Joe traversing the same emotional ground again and again. We keep having scenes repeated over and over between Joe and the children who contacted his wife, and Joe puling to Mrs. Belmont (Kathy Bates) who keeps trying to talk some sense into him. The final scenes in Venezuela border on goofy, but to the writers' credit at least the ending wasn't totally predictable.
Kevin Costner gives us his standard depressed nice-guy rendition only a bit whinier than usual. Kathy Bates is feisty as always as his stalwart friend. Linda Hunt is intense in her role as the nun who believes in near death experiences.
This film is far too sappy to be a thriller and misses the romantic interaction of films like `Ghost' and `Always' in its attempt to be transcendent. It fails to distinguish itself in any meaningful way and slides aimlessly into mediocrity. I rated it 5/10. If you want a thriller, see Mothman.