1. MarkB.

   7

   There just isn't enough space, here or elsewhere, to adequately praise Julianne Moore. In films like Safe, Far from Heaven and The Hours, she corners the market on portrayals of suburban wives and mothers whose outward security and placidity eventually gives way to hidden fears and desires that polite society doesn't allow to be discussed much less dealt with. (It's interesting that the offscreen Moore seems to have such a happy, totally uncomplicated family life.) Though I'm sure its makers weren't ambitious enough to intend it to be, The Forgotten, a modest, trendily conspiracy-minded thriller, is an interesting addition to the above list of delineations of Moore's most recognizable screen character. She plays a mom whose beloved son almost literally disappears into thin air before the movie begins; other similarly afflicted parents she meets have not only taken their tragic losses in stride, but seem to have completely forgotten that their children ever even existed. Moore not only won't forget, but her behavior--which most of us would consider for the most part absolutely normal and understandable for a grieving parent who has been denied closure--is viewed by the others (and by society) as completely inappropriate and bizarre. There are definitely all sort of potentially provocative subtexts here, but writer Gerard DiPego (Phenomenon) and director Joseph Ruben don't take the opportunities. Although this movie could be described as "The 2004 M. Night Shyamalan Movie That M. Night DIDN'T Make", Ruben is no auteur like the brains behind The Village. A competent, workmanlike thriller director who, along with Jonathan Demme, John Waters, Joe Camp, Michael Schultz and Bob Clark (what a motley crew THAT is!) is one of the very few 2004 directors to have been working since the 1970s, Ruben is primarily interested in goosing you from behind and yelling "BOO!" And that he does very effectively; an out-of-nowhere shock that Steven Spielberg delivered so effectively in Jaws, but did once and only once, is repeated several times here. (Judging from the reaction of the audience I saw this with, I've no doubt that the theater ushers who clean up the spilled popcorn and drinks between showings really earned their pay with this one.) Maybe this is why (some Metacritic voters to the contrary) The Forgotten, despite its seemingly out-of-nowhere ending that really isn't, hasn't aroused the extreme anger among some moviegoers that Shyamalan's far more ambitious, accomplished and elegant The Village has. Through it all, Moore delivers yet another perfectly tuned characterization that beautifully portrays all the necessary emotional peaks and valleys of her character's journey without ever seeming false, over the top or straining for effect. All in all, with Moore, The Forgotten is more than the sum of its parts; without Moore, it would be far, far less.… Expand

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2. Lopez17

   5

   What if someone told you that your child never existed that it was all just apart of your imagination that you dreamed up a happy life, with a happy little boy/girl. Then one day you wake up and that child is suddenly forgotten pictures, videos, friends everyone who knew your child suddenly has forgotten that he/she ever existed. Joseph Ruben's "The Forgotten" explores themes relating to the above statement, Ruben's film tells the story of a grieving mother named Telly Paretta (Julianne Moore) who fourteen months ago lost her nine-year-old son Sam in a plane crash and every day she goes to her and looks at his precious baseball cap and catcher’s mitt. One day she wakes up and finds that a photo of her, Sam and her husband Jim (Anthony Edwards) been replaced with a photo of just her and Jim, and then home movies of Sam are suddenly blank. Soon her Husband, Her psychiatrist (Gary Sinise), her neighbors soon have no recollection of there ever being a Sam Paretta. Telly soon sets out to find if her son really existed or if it all was just an illusion. Joseph Ruben's "The Forgottenâ€� is a well thought out but poorly executed Sci-Fi mystery with a premise that at times is so ludicrous you can barely take this film seriously. it at times feels like a poorly constructed Twilight Zone episode all it is missing is Rod Sterling creepy prologue monologue and a black and white opening with the Twilight zone theme. I felt lost at times and at others I felt like this film was trying to be the new "Matrix", so to speak, it had that type of feel to it like it was ripping off two great sci-Fi titans and that just pulled me even further from the story the film was trying to tell. Don't get me wrong I liked the ideas the film has and I also like the premise of the film but it felt distant, emotionless and bland I felt nothing for the characters and the fact they lost there children; it was like the film was trying, on purpose. To make you distance yourself from the characters and from the situation at hand. That is where this film fails. It strings you along for a 1hr. 31mis until this big twist ending that is not so much of a stretch to figure out “The Forgotten" is a SyFy channel T.V. movie with little to nothing to offer. There times in this movie that you will feel for the characters and then there are times that you just want the characters to be forgotten, this film to be forgotten and in all ways this film is a very forgettable ride that offers nothing more beyond the standard thrills and no chills. Even though it has a very believable victim (Julianne Moore), Moore cannot save the film from the hell that is underwhelming Science Fiction. However, the credit must be given where it is due, she does try her hardest but she fails to deliver when her true talent is needed. “The Forgottenâ€� works to entertain but only for a little while. Julianne Moore is a fantastic actress she has done some fine films that are instantly recognizable; "Boogie Nights"(1997), "The Hours""(2002),â€� Far from Heaven"(2002). However, here I feel like she took this film solely for the gig as if she did not have any other better films to do. I liked her in this but I felt like she was not trying, as if she was being held back by something. In any case, Moore fails to impress or even convince us of her grief for her lost son it is just her for 1 hr. 31min of her running around yelling at people and screaming, "Where is my son?â€� "Do you know my son?â€�Do you remember my son?" it becomes too repetitive and annoying for any audience member to take seriously. Moore has done better, much better and while there are some times she is good in this film those moments are not frequent enough for a persuasive performance. Moore falls flat on her face. The rest of the cast including Christopher Kovaleski, Jessica Hecht, Dominic West, Gary Sinise and Linus Roache they all deliver poor performances (Roache being the exception) in a film that blows your mind with its blandness and poor execution. "The Forgotten" has the perfect title to describe this films dull and contrived story as soon as it's over and you move on to something else you complete forget that you ever saw this film and when you see a glimpse of it and remember your thankful that you forgot in the first place. It's not good entertainment, hell it's not entertainment at all it's just people running from other people and a twist ending you figure out in the first twenty minutes of the film, "The Forgotten" is ultimately forgettable.… Expand

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3. Alexander_Fred

   3

   The Forgotten starts off splendidly leaving questions unanswered so that suspense builds. Then, we discover the source of the missing children and the entire story crumbles. This film had the capacity to be a great mystery and psychological thriller with great themes of love, morality, and family, but ultimately, it becomes inane, far fetched, and a laughable farce.… Expand

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