The Forgotten

Columbia Pictures | Release Date: September 24, 2004

7.5	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 375 Ratings

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Lopez17Aug 11, 2010

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,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 catcherâ… Expand

4 of 8 users found this helpful44

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WriteFilmLive21Dec 17, 2012

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. "The Forgotten" is, in short, a movie quite worth forgetting. The initial premise is intriguing - Julianne Moore plays a mother who lost her son in a plane crash, only to realize that the child was supposedly stillborn and she has invented 9 years of memories with him. Unfortunately, it doesn't take long at all before the film goes from interesting to bland and silly. At 91 minutes, the movie is astonishingly short for what it's trying to do, resulting in consistent overpacing - it feels you've only been watching 10 minutes before Moore's confronting the idea that her son never existed, and about 5 minutes later she's joined up with a father in a similar predicament and on the run from NSA agents. And just when this movie seems to strike the most basic level of boring, our characters come to the realization that their kids are still alive, and have really been . . . (sigh) . . . abducted by aliens. Really? Aliens? We went from an engaging psychological thriller to aliens? And of all the scientific research priorities such aliens would have upon discovering our species, the one they choose is kidnapping children to see if they can dissolve the parent-child bond? Is this a drama or a comedy? The main alien villain (who shows up about 5 minutes in and is a patently obvious "secret" antagonist right off) is probably the blandest and most nonchalant extraterrestrial ever put to film, whose one single freak-out moment is reserved for a cheap CGI face gimmick and a bunch of breaking glass (because, you know, yelling solves everything). And outside of Moore herself, the rest of the characters might as well be forgotten also, because they're about as memorable and deep as the aliens. Honestly, this film should have ended 20 minutes in - Moore finds out she's nuts, she's locked up, the end. Nice, neat, and a big time-saver. A shame her talents went toward such a lazily-written film.… Expand

2 of 17 users found this helpful215

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chelanoOct 7, 2011

Ok I will say off the bat that the whole concept to the movie is a little strange. You start to figure most of it out by the middle of the film. By the end, it comes clear and is a little off. The cast on the other hand were pretty good.Ok I will say off the bat that the whole concept to the movie is a little strange. You start to figure most of it out by the middle of the film. By the end, it comes clear and is a little off. The cast on the other hand were pretty good. Julianne Moore was pretty excellent as well as Dominic West who also had a big part. Side characters were also good like Gary Sinise and my personal favorite from the movie, Linus Roache. He basically played the bad guy and really had no emotion until later in the film. But having no emotion made him a very creepy character to watch. I really wished more out of this movie. I guess the story was just ok for me, but I did enjoy watching it. I keep feeling like they could of took a different direction and did better though.… Expand

2 of 24 users found this helpful222

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Critic2012Jun 10, 2012

The Forgotten begins with an intriguing premise: however, as the story develops, the audience realizes that the film may not be so psychological as it is supernatural. The film had lots of potential, but it didn't follow through.

2 of 25 users found this helpful223

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Sosmooth1982Dec 22, 2022

I thought this movie would have been a lot better then it was. It was a good story, but the movie just dragged on it was more boring then interesting.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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JackL.Nov 18, 2005

An average movie with alot of potentiel, had the ending been thought out with a bit more realism. Worth a rent if your into these kind of thriller's (like the sixth sense, etc.).

0 of 0 users found this helpful

eva3si0nApr 23, 2023

The Forgotten is a classic thriller from the early noughties. Julianne Moore's good acting is perhaps the only plus of the film. Everything else in the film is secondary and not expressive. A typical level B thriller to watch once. There isThe Forgotten is a classic thriller from the early noughties. Julianne Moore's good acting is perhaps the only plus of the film. Everything else in the film is secondary and not expressive. A typical level B thriller to watch once. There is no suspense as such, the plot almost does not keep the viewer tense, and the plot seems to oblige. Secondary characters do not affect the plot in any way. The film tries to partially compensate for all this mischief with a mystery, but it is also mediocre. The alternative ending is not much different from the classic ending. Don't waste your time on this mediocre film.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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