didn't turn out to be working for De Niro's character? It might be a clishee, but it would've made the story run more smoothly. Maybe even render the whole forced "OMG, HE's psychic" plot point unnecessary.
shareThere are easily a half dozen routes the story could have taken besides the one it did. It would not have made this movie any less silly.
It seemed the filmmakers wanted us believing this was an alternate reality where people still used open reel tape decks, drove 1980's Pontiacs and took grey haired Criss Angel types seriously enough to warrant front page headlines.
The entire story is built on a foundation that the world is full of brain dead lemmings who have been convinced by a sideshow carney act like the Silver character that he has this monstrous psychic power. They needed this Matheson person to debunk him?
My main issue wasn't how the story played out (and the girlfriend as spy would have been fun), but that the whole thing was played so straight.
Yeah, this movie exists in an alternate dimension completely lacking skepticism. There were what, five people on that talk show, and only one didn't believe the stage magician was, like, totally for reals? :P
Then there was the scene where De Niro levitated. He didn't even have to pass anything over his head to prove there were no wires, because this movie takes place in a world where no one knows you can use wires to make it look like stuff can fly.
It's a shame. I was really digging the early debunking phase. But as soon as it turned into Evil Uri Geller vs. The Scarecrow, the movie resorted to tired horror cliches that were ultimately quite pointless. (Nothing was at stake: either De Niro could make their hearts explode any time and no one could stop him, or he was a fraud and no one was in any danger to begin with.)
And that ending montage -- ugh. Don't get me started.
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