Overview: This forest isn’t charted on any map. Every car breaks down at its treeline. Mina’s is no different. Left stranded, she is forced into the dark woodland only to find a woman shouting, urging Mina to run to a concrete bunker.

As the door slams behind her, the building is besieged by screams. Mina finds herself in a room with a wall of glass, and an electric light that activates at nightfall, when the Watchers come above ground.

These creatures emerge to observe their captive humans and terrible things happen to anyone who doesn’t reach the bunker in time.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the highly-anticipated The Watchers (4K Ultra HD + Digital) in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this August 27th, 2024.

For my money, this The Watchers (4K Ultra HD + Digital) sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is The Watchers presented to us as a one-disc with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265, Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10, Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 and Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

As for the audio, well we get the choice of: English: Dolby Atmos and English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit).

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the story to hand, well, the film is the debut by Ishana Night Shyamalan, daughter of the renowned M. Night Shyamalan, and thus comes with high expectations given her cinematic heritage. As a first effort, the movie shows Ishana’s potential, particularly in her direction, which highlights her ability to create a visually compelling and tense atmosphere.

However, while the concept of the film is intriguing, the execution leaves much to be desired, and I found myself wanting more depth and a more satisfying conclusion.

The characters in The Watchers feel flat, and the dialogue often comes across as forced and unnatural. This made it hard for me to connect with the characters or care about their journeys. Despite these issues, the film does have its moments, indicating Ishana’s promise as a filmmaker.

With stronger character development and a tighter narrative in future projects, she could definitely establish her own unique voice in the film industry.

The deeper story line is that we are presented with a rather monosyllabic American Mina (Dakota Fanning) who works in an animal shop in Galway. One day she receives the order to bring a certain parapet (a Schelm) to a zoo in Belfast.

On the way she finds herself in the forest of Connemara. Not everything is right there. This she senses. And unlike the naive Ciara (Georgina Campbell) and the inexperienced Daniel (Oliver Finnegan), Mina, who is plagued by a dark family secret, finds it easier to rebel against the soon-to-be-imposed hostile living conditions and more!

In conclusion, in capturing unique shots using excellent camera work it is these shots that help immerse you in the film. I still highly recommend that you buy this 4K movie, if nothing else then to see what Ishyana Night Shyamalan does with her time behind the camera, and what I hope she does in the future, because much like her father, she has my attention now.

Special Features:
Featurette: Welcome to the Show - The Making of The Watchers
Featurette: Creating The Watchers
Featurette: Constructing the Coop
Featurette: Ainriochtán and the Irish Fairy Folklore
Deleted Scene – Lair of Love

The Watchers stars Dakota Fanning (Ripley, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Georgina Campbell (Barbarian, Suspicion), Olwen Fouéré (The Northman, The Tourist) and Oliver Finnegan (Creeped Out, Outlander). The film is produced by M. Night Shyamalan, Ashwin Rajan and Nimitt Mankad. The executive producers are Jo Homewood and Stephen Dembitzer.

On June 28, The Watchers will be available for early Premium Digital Ownership at home for $24.99 and for 48-hour rental via PVOD for $19.99 SRP on participating digital platforms where you purchase movies, including Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Fandango At Home, and more.

On August 27th, The Watchers will be available to own on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD. The Watchers will also continue to be available to own in high definition and standard definition from participating digital retailers.