The Fourth Kind [Blu-Ray]

In the opening scene of The Fourth Kind, a title that refers to the fourth close encounter, or alien abduction, with the first three being observation, physical effect and animate beings, Milla Jovovich announces herself as an actress, stating that she will be playing Dr. Abigail Tyler, a real-life psychiatrist. Cut to sepia toned archival footage of the supposed "real" Abbey Tyler and we learn of disappearances and strange occurrences in Nome, Alaska. Even the writer/director, Olatunde Osunsanmi, makes an appearance in this unconvincing framing device, interviewing the good doctor in between sequences of fuzzy archival footage and illogically staged psychiatric sessions with Milla and her various patients. Many Nome residents share the experience of waking up around three a.m., disoriented and distraught, but unclear as to why until hypnotized and asked to recount their experiences with a strange, smiling owl. Despite the entire ordeal coming off as a particularly messy and convoluted episode of Unsolved Mysteries, Osunsanmi has the good sense to depict strange occurrences with a quiet, building tension that effectively delivers occasional shocks. It's unfortunate that the pseudo-feminist build-up, wherein Milla suffers a Cassandra complex in pleading to male authority figures grounded in social order, inadvertently turns sexist — think Changeling if Angelina Jolie actually was crazy — but it could have been worse. The director's first film, WIthIN (an abysmal, claustrophobic spelunker horror that had the misfortune of coming out around the same time as the superlative The Descent), may very well be one of the worst movies ever made, and had the added bonus of devolving into seeming rape. This low-rent Blair Witch/Fire in the Sky hybrid is leaps and bounds beyond that tripe, marking a significant improvement for the filmmaker. It's just a shame that it's still unimaginative and prosaic fare. Included with the Blu-Ray are multiple deleted scenes, which are mostly extended and alternate takes of Milla wandering around her house, going through her dead husband's things.