I was so on edge while watching this movie that my wife was getting mad at me for fidgeting around in my seat. I am a huge fan of thriller movies, actually, the wife and I love to watch them together, and as soon as we saw the trailer for Watcher, we knew it was a movie for us. This is the first feature movie that director Chloe Okuno has done and what a way for her to start!
How to Download Watcher (2022)
Sometime after its theatrical release, you will be able to stream it or can download the film from a digital store. Click on the Download button at the end of this review to check the current availability. If you like Maika Monroe, check her out also in Independence Day: Resurgence.
The Movie Review
The movie is about a married couple called Julia and Francis. Francis has gotten a new job in Romania so he and Julia have to move there. Right from the opening scene, we see a strange man staring at Julia and it does make you feel quite uneasy. That right there is the premise of the movie and it is fantastic!
Julia suspects that this guy is a serial killer and things just get more and more intense as the movie goes on. Julia feels the guy stalking her and we get to see it in small and big ways and the way it is shot makes you feel just as uncomfortable as Julia does. While the whole being stalked by a potential serial killer thing would be enough to make this a compelling movie.
We also have another side to things. Julia is really struggling with her new life in Romania, people think that she is crazy and she is not all that happy at being here. So, when the stuff with this strange man does start to ramp up, you cannot help, but feel sorry for her and mad at the people who think she is imagining it all.
A huge part of the reason that Watcher succeeds the way it does is down to the amazing performance of Maika Monroe as Julia. Maika Monroe nails this role and it is an absolute breakout performance for her and I would not be shocked if this leads to much bigger things for her.
As well as the acting being great, what is going on behind the camera also makes for a very tense movie. Chloe Okuno directed the best part of the 2021 movie V/H/S94 so I was excited to see what she would do here. The way she makes you feel the same kind of terror and isolation that Julia does is just incredible and a huge part of what made this such a tense movie to watch for me.
I am not going to say that the plot of the movie is super original or hard to figure out because it is not. However, it still managed to keep me on edge and I so wanted Julia to be able to get out of this situation she was in. I liked how there were not just random twists thrown in for the sake of doing so. While it may not be hard to figure out, it is well told and makes sense and I would take that over a random twist any day.
If you enjoy thriller movies, Watcher is one that is well worth your time. I would go as far as to say that this is a hidden gem as it is a movie that I have not heard many people talk about. Yet, those who do talk about it tend to have nothing but very positive things to say about it as it is so entertaining.
