NOW IN THEATERS! When I was younger, seeing the last name Shyamalan on a movie poster filled me with excitement because I knew it would be two hours spent on the edge of my seat. In the last decade or so, my overly optimistic expectation for an M. Night Shyamalan movie has wavered. This time, a new first name has tossed her hat into the filmmaking ring. Ishana Night Shyamalan (daughter of M. Night) launches her directorial debut with the feature film The Watchers.
Mina (Dakota Fanning) is a young woman who works at a pet shop in Ireland. The pet shop owner gives her a special request to deliver a unique bird to a forest near Belfast. Upon reaching the forest’s edge, her car breaks down, forcing her to set out on foot with birdcage in hand. With the sun quickly setting and no clear direction in the darkening forest, Mina backtracks toward her vehicle, but it’s gone. The ground trembles, a flock of angry birds flies overhead, and night creeps over the forest.
In a frightened state, Mina crosses paths with another woman who ushers her into a structure secured by a metal door. Mina is greeted by three people, Madeline (Olwen Fourere), Ciara (Georgina Campbell), and Daniel (Oliver Finnegan), who are also lost in the forest and have taken refuge in a structure they call “The Coop.” The others explain that “The Coop” is where they seek shelter after the sun sets every day.
While inside, creatures of the night they refer to as “The Watchers” come and gaze upon them through a one-way mirrored wall. Little else is known about “The Watchers” other than their avoidance of the sun, fascination with observing their prisoners, and the huge burrows in the forest floor where they retreat to each morning. Who are these creatures, what do they want, and will Mina or the others ever escape the forest?

“…lost in the forest and have taken refuge in a structure they call ‘The Coop.’”
The Watchers starts out as a creature horror, with Mina and the gang carefully following a set of rules to stay on the good side of “The Watchers.” The tension is tight, the mystery is intriguing, and the creatures are frightening. The cinematography is sharp with clever visual imagery, particularly of birds and their wings. The forest backdrop is lush and creepy, while the mirrored wall in “The Coop” provides some striking images. Dakota Fanning has matured as a leading lady, bringing depth to the lead character.
The film’s latter half strays away from horror and leans hard into fantasy elements. The movie describes the origins of the creatures and why they do what they do. This is where the movie started to lose me. Plot holes aside, it all makes sense but feels a bit silly in the end. It builds up to a surprise twist ending that isn’t as compelling as I had hoped it would be when it finally arrives.
Much like her father’s films, The Watchers relies immensely on the subversion of audience expectations. Movies like The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and The Village mastered the surprise twist ending, leaving audiences picking their jaws up off the floor. In recent years, that technique has become increasingly harder for Shyamalan or anyone else to replicate.
That brings us to the elephant in the room: How is Ishana Night Shyamalan as a director? Honestly, that’s hard to know. If you had not told me that M. Night’s daughter was the writer/director of The Watchers, I would have totally assumed he was the director. The movie carries the look, tone, and structure of an M. Night picture. With M. Night as the producer, it’s clear that Ishana was working closely under her father’s wing for her first feature film. Let’s hope she spreads her wings and stands on her own in future projects.
Ultimately, I liked the concept of The Watchers more than the final product. The movie is a mixed bag for me, with Fanning and the cast holding up a script that otherwise can’t deliver a strong final punch. Even though it doesn’t stick to the final landing, The Watchers is a fun watch with some cool ideas.