The Forgotten

Columbia Pictures | Release Date: September 24, 2004

7.5	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 375 Ratings

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User Reviews

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PerineumJan 14, 2020

Julianne is captivating in this movie. If you're going to see this movie, she is one reason to see it. Her acting in the movie is infallible.

21 of 22 users found this helpful211

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Appendage7Jan 17, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. One of the NSA agents' name is Al Petalis. Petalis is Latin for petal (as in flower petal). Rose petals are traditionally a symbol for love and devotion and can also be a symbol of motherhood -- the two main themes of the movie… Expand

11 of 13 users found this helpful112

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ImpugnJan 12, 2020

I wanted Julianne Moore to do a thriller or horror movie for a long time. She finally did with "The Forgotten" & she nailed the role. I like the movie because the storyline is supernatural and the special effects are unlike any seen before inI wanted Julianne Moore to do a thriller or horror movie for a long time. She finally did with "The Forgotten" & she nailed the role. I like the movie because the storyline is supernatural and the special effects are unlike any seen before in a thriller. Also there is plenty of mystery to be untangled before the movie ends. The Forgotten is a great movie to watch if you want a movie that is well acted & totally different from the usual horror thriller, B+.… Expand

5 of 6 users found this helpful51

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TinaA.Jun 1, 2006

Are you people insane? This movie was amazing, and one of the best thrillers ever! Ms. Moore was spectacular!

1 of 2 users found this helpful

Kai82Sep 7, 2021

A masterpiece with a flaw that can ruin the experience. On one hand this is a fresh idea, has an intense, immersive and emotional story and a good cast of actors that enhance it. On the other hand it gets weaker towards the end and the twistA masterpiece with a flaw that can ruin the experience. On one hand this is a fresh idea, has an intense, immersive and emotional story and a good cast of actors that enhance it. On the other hand it gets weaker towards the end and the twist or reveal ruined this experience for many. It is one of these great stories that are awesome but they can not finish it properly. Even I who enjoyed it a lot and did not mind the twist that much will admit that it took me out of the immersion and decreased my rating. Think of it like an M Night Shyamalan movie were a lot depends on the twist. The movie itself has elements from a psychological thriller, horror movie and another genre I cant spoil. The story follows Telly Paretta who grieves about the loss of her son Sam who died 14 months ago in a plane crash. She still suffers and cant go on with her life. When she returns from work she finds Sam’s room redecorated and immediately (verbally) attacks her husband for this insensitivity. However her husband tells her they never had a son and it was all in her imagination. Strangely this seems to be correct for others too and she goes on the journey to find answers to this. Like I said it starts really strong. The suspense and atmosphere are amazing. It creates an immersion many other movies fail to archive. Sadly they lost momentum towards the end and the twist or reveal harms the overall experience. For me not that much to be fair but others hated that with passion. To be fair again while I have some ideas to improve the story with better twists I am not sure that it would work any better. So lets say it is good but has weaknesses too. Now lets continue with the actors. Telly Paretta is played by Julianne Moore who is an amazing actress. She fully delivers the full range of the role and I praise her for this good performance. Dominic West as Ash also delivers a good performance and has good chemistry with Julianne Moore. The rest of the cast is an addition and I don't mean this negatively. They enhance the story and are the vehicle for the main characters journey and character development. So in this regard I see no weaknesses or missteps. Visually they do a lot to deliver the atmosphere. Because this is done in a sneaky and intuitive way I did not recognize it until the later half of the movie. The soundtrack enhances this too. Overall I repeat my opening statement. This is a masterpiece with one potential weakness that can ruin the experience. Still I considered it a good experience, a fresh idea and something worth to discuss with friends. Would recommend to watch it but the warning is fair.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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BaskApr 24, 2021

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0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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Palindrome704Jun 30, 2021

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0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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MarkB.Nov 13, 2004

There just isn't enough space, here or elsewhere, to adequately praise Julianne Moore. In films like Safe, Far from Heaven and The Hours, she corners the market on portrayals of suburban wives and mothers whose outward security and There just isn't enough space, here or elsewhere, to adequately praise Julianne Moore. In films like Safe, Far from Heaven and The Hours, she corners the market on portrayals of suburban wives and mothers whose outward security and placidity eventually gives way to hidden fears and desires that polite society doesn't allow to be discussed much less dealt with. (It's interesting that the offscreen Moore seems to have such a happy, totally uncomplicated family life.) Though I'm sure its makers weren't ambitious enough to intend it to be, The Forgotten, a modest, trendily conspiracy-minded thriller, is an interesting addition to the above list of delineations of Moore's most recognizable screen character. She plays a mom whose beloved son almost literally disappears into thin air before the movie begins; other similarly afflicted parents she meets have not only taken their tragic losses in stride, but seem to have completely forgotten that their children ever even existed. Moore not only won't forget, but her behavior--which most of us would consider for the most part absolutely normal and understandable for a grieving parent who has been denied closure--is viewed by the others (and by society) as completely inappropriate and bizarre. There are definitely all sort of potentially provocative subtexts here, but writer Gerard DiPego (Phenomenon) and director Joseph Ruben don't take the opportunities. Although this movie could be described as "The 2004 M. Night Shyamalan Movie That M. Night DIDN'T Make", Ruben is no auteur like the brains behind The Village. A competent, workmanlike thriller director who, along with Jonathan Demme, John Waters, Joe Camp, Michael Schultz and Bob Clark (what a motley crew THAT is!) is one of the very few 2004 directors to have been working since the 1970s, Ruben is primarily interested in goosing you from behind and yelling "BOO!" And that he does very effectively; an out-of-nowhere shock that Steven Spielberg delivered so effectively in Jaws, but did once and only once, is repeated several times here. (Judging from the reaction of the audience I saw this with, I've no doubt that the theater ushers who clean up the spilled popcorn and drinks between showings really earned their pay with this one.) Maybe this is why (some Metacritic voters to the contrary) The Forgotten, despite its seemingly out-of-nowhere ending that really isn't, hasn't aroused the extreme anger among some moviegoers that Shyamalan's far more ambitious, accomplished and elegant The Village has. Through it all, Moore delivers yet another perfectly tuned characterization that beautifully portrays all the necessary emotional peaks and valleys of her character's journey without ever seeming false, over the top or straining for effect. All in all, with Moore, The Forgotten is more than the sum of its parts; without Moore, it would be far, far less.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful