The Watchers (2024) Review + Book Discussion 

the rug scene reallllly bothered me. I'm like "really? you've been here for months."

Immediately noticed that Billy the Puppet wasn't in his usual spot on the shelf and became convinced he was going to jump out at you from nowhere. Made for an appropriately tense viewing experience.

Watching this while in Ireland and living in the countryside in Ireland was a fun experience

reviews like this are such great counterweights to hot takes and really make me appreciate your honesty! on a purely selfish note i appreciate knowing what movies fall into the "by no means a masterpiece but a fine time with nothing that will wreck your day" bucket because that means i can go see it on a random day after work and not feel like i'm excluding my friends lol. looking forward to your horror icks!

I really enjoyed it. It wasn’t very scary at all, but the visuals were gorgeous and I really liked the plot and how mystical it turned out to be. Also, Dakota is one of my all time faves so seeing her back in horror was amazing. And I loved the climax in the house!

100% agree with you about both the film and the book just being okay. Definitely preferred the unsettling ending in the book though. Ishana has a lot of potential. I'd like to see her direct an original story

The first half of the movie, kept us glued to the chair and very interested to see what happens. We also didn't read the book. But then, when it got more into the folklore and reveled more and more...it got a little boring and it lost that mystery that the movie had and it shouldn't have happened.

I totally agree that this movie had a lot of potential. I feel like there were a lot of interesting symbols/themes (bird in a cage, humans destroying the environment, the parallels between the reality show and being watched in the coop) but they were underutilized and went nowhere. I also felt like some choices were silly like her walking into the forest yelling after her car broke down or them never looking under that rug. It was a fine movie but I hope her future projects come together better.

“i’m ok with some nepotism” LMAOOO 😂

I wasn't particularly mad or upset about the movie, but I left the cinema with just a lot of questions and a feeling of wanting more. I think part of what detracted from the viewing experience for me (SPOILERS) was that I didn't really feel threatened by the Watchers. I was curious, and wanted the main group to be able to escape, but the fact that they could walk around all day, and that Mina immediately broke almost every 'rule' without much happening, it meant I wasn't really on the edge of my seat tense. At one point Mina and Madeleine are out after dark, in the middle of the Watchers, and they just go unnoticed. Even the professor was able to capture one and hold it hostage, making them feel pretty easy to outsmart. If anything it was the forest that was the biggest threat, and I'm still not sure whether the disorientation and time changes had anything to do with the Watchers themselves, or if that was just magic in the forest in general.

I feel so stupid for not realizing it was based off the book 'The Watchers', lol. I gave that book 4/5 stars, I throughly enjoyed it and enjoyed the concept. I read it last year without knowing it was becoming a movie! Thank you for your insights. Sad to hear it wasn't fantastic, but also nice to have a movie that's just a decent movie. Not everything has to be life changing!

That lady with the white hair was also in Tarot lol

I never read the book but i really thought the twist had something to do with the main character as she would mimic her mom, her sister's recording etc. i thought maybe she would use this to 'distract' or convince a watcher that she too was a watcher, idk lol. The movie had great shots but i felt the story dragged a bit and as you said, felt rushed at the end. Also, i was rolling my eyes at the whole half human half faerie thing, "our kinds loved each other so don't kill me" and then madeleine gets her wings??? It was giving ghost redeems themself and now can pass into thr afterlife 😂

I liked that this movie didn’t rely too heavily on jump scares. The millions of plot twists were a little much but I thought the initial one was interesting.

I just watched it 2 days ago and personally I loved it, but not gonna lie, the internal hype of [Spoiler warning] the internal hype of FAERIE HORROR might have overrode all of my other thoughts lol

In Ireland this movie is called The Watched, for some reason.

I'm seated!! Been waiting for your review of this

I enjoyed this movie. I'm a fan of fantasy horror. It gave me Men, A Quiet Place, Bird Box vibes

can we also appreciate that the Shyamalan family is giving us original movies ?? lol . one of the things I admire M night is that he has never released franchises sequels. Here hoping for the bright future she has and hoping people can stop comparing her to her father

No more bird jump scares. Needs to be on a shirt.

I read the watchers a few years ago and my immediate reaction was "this would've been better as a movie" - it just felt like the visuals and reveals would be more impactful on screen, so i was really excited to hear it was getting adapted! i agree that the book was very okay and i'm disappointed the movie didn't quite deliver, but I'll still watch :)

Great video! You're really good at being clear in your narration while also sounding natural. Also, the part where the loud car goes by made me LOL

Hopping to hear your thoughts on “I saw the TV glow”. The first video of yours I ever watched was your opinion of “We’re all going to the world’s fair”.

Omg would leave to read your writing!!! Hopefully you release something in the future! ❤

Bird jump scares are such a specific thing but it happens so often 😅

I'm finally into horrors and going to the cinema to see them so listening now to your reviews is more exciting to me, I was watching them regardless because I like you and I miss your vlogs, but hearing your opinion on a thing I've seen myself is pretty cool 💖💖💖💖💖

Just watched it today and came running to see if you had reviewed it!

i literally just watched this last night so perfect timing!

Was looking for a comparison video thanks a lot!

I like the combination of book and movie reviews in this video. I wouldn't mind seeing this again, including with some older films/books.

Good review and cool video Sarah!👉🙂👈

I was anticipating this one for a similar reason, as well as the fact that I LOVE Dakota Fanning & always want to see her in more. She was for sure the stand out for me. I enjoyed the start & the build up to the last 30 or so minutes… but yeah it completely fell off the rails for me & tried to do too much at the end, in my opinion.

SPOILER A better way to have handled the trap door: when Mina arrives, the rest of the group have already discovered it, but because the metal edge is flush with the floor they haven't been able to lift it. Danny has wanted to bang on it to try to break through or something, but the others continually persuade him to not do so because it would either attract the watchers attention or possibly leave an opening for them to enter the coop. When it all hits the fan later, then everyone is united in banging on the metal to try to break through and the rest of the action would proceed as it did in the film.

As a historian, there are many stories like this through antiquity (in the bible and apocryphal texts) they are called The Watchers! Saw thia as much more than a fairy horror film. Actually felt closer to a spiritual successor to Signs.

The watchers in the tapestry in the professor's office in the movie looked kinda like greys. It felt like this movie was way too unsure what it wanted to expand on or not and had too many crumbs, like the fact the main character is a twin in a movie about changelings but that just isn't? Handled or addressed or used at all?

Hey Queen, you’ve gotten me back into horror recently and I think I’ve watched all of your videos recently. I just love you so much lmao

Nepotism THE MOVIE. Wasn’t good… she tried to copy the father instead of finding her own voice. Probably that is why it failed.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I do wish that there were more horror elements cause the little that we did get I did really enjoy. I loved the atmosphere, the imagery was beautiful and I liked the ending though I wish we got just a little bit more. I really liked the concept and I wish they would’ve just pushed the envelope a little bit more. I ended up giving it a 3/5 ⭐️

When it comes to horror, we all have our taste. I don't like to say there is a "bad" movie but more a movie I didn't enjoy. Last week I saw In a Violent Nature and I very much disliked it. Just wasn't my taste. The Watchers was so much more of what I enjoy and happy I went to see it.

I’ve been waiting on this from you!! Just so happened to come out while I’m on my lunch break. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!!

It would be sooo great if you could do another movie on being a RU-vidr. Your channel and personality are goals, I look up to and would love to hear more about your philosophy and strategy how you grew your channel.

Honestly, I'm SOOO excited for her next film❤ This wasn't the best but she definitely has ammmmazing potential as a director (even as a script writer)!!! I will definitely be following her career & I think she might shock us SO much in the future🎉❤🎉

unrelated but im obsessed with your shirt

hey sarah, have you seen/plan on seeing red rooms 2023? i just watched it last night after searching for it for ages, i thought it was sooooo good and would love to hear your thoughts!

I was pretty drunk when I saw the movie because Jeremy told ue to get shit faced and then watched the movie,lol But from what I gather she got the wings back because the gods or whoever took the wings away from them saw that she was talked into understand that there is good in her because there is human in her. Sounds to me like she got the wings back because in the end it turned out that she is capable of love and because of it she is worthy of having the ability to fly, be her true self.

This one is just like Knock at the cabin of last year. The concept the trailers are so interesting, made my expectations so high and then it’s just came out to be some average okay movie…. I really hate that feeling of being let down.

was waiting for this review lol

I don't know if it's just me reading too many folktales or watching too many horror content related to skin walkers, wendigoo, I never felt the tone shifting in the final act.

I was so excited for this movie but unfortunately it was pretty disappointing 😢. There was a lack of character background story. This made me not care if they died or not. The scenes were lacking tension and felt rushed. If the movie was a bit longer it maybe could’ve been better. Although the book has its shortcomings, it still made me scared at certain moments wondering what would happen next. Unfortunately this didnt properly translate in the movie.

I saw someone once say that they read the book AFTER seeing the movie so you don't have any prior expectations or disappointments and instead may get new information or context that wasn't in the movie and I've found that since I started doing that too I've enjoyed adaptations MUCH more

I did not read the book, so I enjoy it so much more than you did! I found it unique and fun

I wish they had advertised this differently and I had done some research cause this wasn't at all what I thought it was about.

I really liked the movie, more than I thought I would. The lore is so interesting, I’ve watched a couple movies about fae/changelings. I was not expecting the twist & I loved that!! I look forward to more work from Mrs. Shahmaylan (sp) also the bird was the standout of the movie 😂😂😂

I feel like this was a beautifully shot movie that just didn't have the right script

Ooh...Georgina Campbell (Barbarian) is in this! 😀🎉

omfg so excited for your horror movie icks video

I love the "why are we still doin em? why are we still doin em in twenty twenty fourrrrr?" 😂

i haven't seen the movie yet but recently read the book in preparation. i was vibing with it! even with the over explanations i thought it was weird and i had no idea where it was going. but after the twist i couldn't figure out what the point of anything was?! the entire situation could have been avoided with a tiny bit of thought?!

"Purple Prose" is the phrase I think you're looking for in the writing.

FIRST 🖤🖤🖤

That was my biggest issue over all with the film, the ending seemed rushed and didn’t provide enough context for the motivation to move forward to the closure we get for multiple parties. Other than that it was well enough as you said

I’m always shocked when people say they weren’t impressed with the novel. I’m a lit snob and I thought it was great. I’m dragging my feet on the movie.

I was so pumped for this one! I agree, though it was just okay. My friends and I left the theatre and immediately started discussing plot holes.

I'm stopping a quarter way in. I'm going to see this tomorrow. I adore Dakota Fanning and M. Night. Super pleased his daughter has jumped in and looking forward to see what she brings to film. I know I will return with lots to say, lol. 💕 Follow up, I loved this movie so much. I have zero complaints. The visuals were beautifully done.

I liked the concept. And the directing is good. The actual story and plot is just really bad. I love seeing some dark Fae and want more of it in horror. Unfortunately, this plot is not well crafted, with each event just happening to get from A to B rather than B feeling like a natural progression of A. I liked the plot beats, but as a whole, it is less than the sum of its parts.

Well... I really liked it, especially the ending 🙂

I really enjoyed it it’s definitely going in my top horror for this year I really loved it a whole lot I want to see a sequel that is from to pov of the actual the watchers and what goes on in the burrows and what goes on during the day and what they actually do at night times then go back and do some prequels this can turn into a 20 movie series alone

Owen is bringing something new to the horror genre. The Final Woman. She just needs the right script and direction.

The book was better and that’s saying a lot because I wasn’t all that geeked about the book. I gave it 2 stars. Too much purple prose for me and ended into nowhere. The last line of the book I was hoping they would do in the movie, but alas, didn’t happen. Thank you for reviewing both. I prefer to read the book before watching the movie and it’s nice to see someone else do the same :)

I agree both the movie and the book are just fine the book has that creepy folklore horror vibe while the movie had some gorgeous scenery

I haven’t seen it yet but I was okay with the nepotism, idk he’s just such a unique film maker that I’m excited to see there’s another generation

This might be a dumb question if you've stated already but are you planning on reviewing Long Legs?

Where did you get that shirt?

I'm pretty sure you're saying Ciara which is pronounced Kee-ra. Also spoilers But when you said a woman got lost in a forest in the west it immediately told me that it was faeries

did anyone else imagine madeleine as sue sylvester while reading the book?

I love the aesthetics of the film. The film is not even scary. But I enjoy the solemness and the Nordic atmosphere of the movie

I read the book and I loved it! I never read the book and then saw the movie so this was really fun to experience but I’ve been going crazy since cause everything you said in this review is how I feel and it’s just crazy to me cause I really loved the book and the ending in the book I was not ready for that in the movie like I was so excited and then that happened ): but I honestly feel like this would’ve done better in a tv show cause there’s just so much more that happens and it’s he book was so scary!

I loved the book so much. It is one of my all time favorites! The twist was absolutely amazing. I don't think I'll watch the movie. I loved the book too much.

They have been in the woods for nearly a year and the guys got short hair and clean shaven 🤔 how the hell did the bunker get built if there is no electricity and the creatures kill people at nite 🤔

I only listened to the audio book, and while I finished it, the writing and lazy plot devices were an indication that I should not watch the movie. Your comment about the "flowery" pose was so spot on. My wtf moment was when Mina left the bunker to get her bird. It was supposed to be a fast-paced, suspenseful moment, and the writing describing it made me forget that. It was describing mostly irrelevant topics, and the pretentions adjectives were too much. The professors bunker was just way too convenient and took me out of it. Same with the chase scene with Madeline at Cieras house. Nothing ended up happening, and it didn't make sense plot wise. I know Madeleine was paranoid about Ciera snitching, but it just felt a bit contrived for me. In the movie, you mention that Madeleine was half/half...that just does not work as well as what happens in the book for at least 3 different reasons. I mean this with much respect, but I haven't enjoyed an M Night Shamalan since the 90s. After seeing how The Watchers was lukewarm at best, I don't have an interest in seeing any of his daughter's films.

It was ok 🎉❤

i feel like so many people didn’t like this which I can understand but i enjoyed it. it was a little boring at times but the twist at the end was unexpected.

Agreed, both book and movie had a lot of potentially not ended up being disappointing and even boring at times.

The bird completely destroyed Chekov's Gun concept.

you're being very kind with your review. The movie treats you like if you were a child. It explains every little detail and recurs multiple times into the "telling and not showing" exposition. Its not scary at all, I wouldn't even call it horror, it tries to be, but its a drama with a little bit of suspense. The only thing that I liked about it was seeing Galway on the big screen since I live here, other than that, the movie is shit.

I have the same Ghostface shirt!

Don’t worry, if you don’t want to know what happens to Olwen’s character in TCM - just watch Tarot.

This was quite the mixed bag for me. I really liked the first two acts, I thought the mystery and thrills were very engaging. Unfortunately the 3rd act really went down hill for me. The reveal and “twist” just didn’t work for me.

i just realized spookyastronauts and possessedbyhorror are different persons 😭😭😭

Yeah that's why we have to be careful for these movies that looks good in the trailer but the movie it self changed it. We have to be careful because we could jinks it. Horror movies are consider to be the hardest movie to impress the audience like lets be real.

Yeah kinda figured...

Film bagus sekali

The creatures where slender man without clothes.

I'm sorry but I can't remember a time where I have been this underwhelmed by a Movie and that's saying something. It felt like I watched two separate movies but both didn't hit the mark. It was strange.

I miss your cooking videos!

This is the greatest movie of all time of all mankind and infinity of space if aliens watch this film they will be amazed and thrilled of how amazing it is such a masterpiece amazing and immaculate cant believe how amazing this film is

SUPERFULOUS! 😂

The face in the thumbnail says it all😂

Feels like a shayamalan calling card at this point. Fabulous, fascinating premise, half the time not great execution.

Are Mina and her sister Lucy the watcher too?