Review of The Fourth Kind

I had tremendously high hopes for this movie, especially based upon the trailers and viewer reviews. However, the use of gimmicky "true video footage," along with what were represented as "actual audio recordings" gave it the feel of a "Blair Witch Project" on studio steroids. The use of cheap, theatrical scare tactics, including sudden movements and loud noises, diminished rather than enhanced what little tension the film managed to achieve. But, the worse transgression was the use of an actress (I know I've seen her before, but I can't recall her name) to portray the "real" Abbey Tyler in what were supposed to be actual video recordings. So, what you end up with is an actress (Milla Jojovic) acting as the real Abbey Tyler who is then played by another actress. Sorry, but it just doesn't work. Sadly, there are wasted in this production some excellent acting performances by the aforementioned Miss Jojovic, Will Patton (always excellent),and Elias Koteas (Law & Order). I am a sucker for this type of film, but in this case I feel more like I was duped.