By Ulises Araiza ’11
THE ROUNDUP

“The Fourth Kind” may seem like just another PG-13 thriller movie, but it can leave viewers questioning the supernatural.

There is something strange going on in the quaint town of Nome, Alaska. Dr. Abigail Emily Tyler has made it her mission to try and figure out what is wrong, but the truth ends up costing her more than she would have ever expected.

The movie is supposedly based off actual audio and visual recordings, as well as an extensive account by Dr. Abigail Emily Tyler, who is played by actress Milla Jovovich. The film includes clips of Dr. Tyler as herself being interviewed by director Olatunde Osunsanmi as well as in clips of “paranormal experiences.”

Several of Dr. Tyler’s patients report seeing a white owl at night that does not seem to go away. When the same patients are placed under hypnosis, the owl they once saw is no longer an owl, rather something out of this world.

As Dr. Tyler ventures further and further into the unknown, she is visited by the supernatural beings, and believes she was even abducted by them after hearing a recording of herself screaming, and finding scratch marks on the floor of her room which were presumably made when the “aliens” dragged her out.

Not only do the aliens abduct people, but they also communicate in Sumerian, the oldest language known to man, as well as claim to be God.

In general, “The Fourth Kind” was a good movie with a clear plot and mission, and Osunsanmi presents Dr. Tyler’s story with careful evidence.

However after doing some searching, I discovered that in reality the film is only loosely based off of real occurrences, and there is no real evidence of the events that transpired throughout the film.

So then who is the real Dr. Tyler? Googling her name did not bring up any substantial results; in fact it is likely that Dr. Tyler is herself an actress.

By marketing “The Fourth Kind” as based off of true events, there is an even greater sense of fear that is created in the audience, but knowing the “true events” are for the most part fabricated takes away much of the initial fear and originality.

Despite the film’s plot being fabricated, “The Fourth Kind” can still make one wonder what else is out there in the universe and if perhaps whoever is out there may already be here on Earth.

I give “The Fourth Kind” 3 out of 5 stars, but in the end you decide what you want to believe.