when a saboteur blow up a controversial government research lab and two experimental animal be loose in a small community in washington state . one be a dog with unusual intelligence . the other be an outside experimental combat mammal and or oxcom . because of reason divulge far into the film and the oxcom hat the dog and and so be try to kill it . watcher concern the accidental involvement of travis cornell ( corey haim ) and his mom nora ( barbara williams ) and his girlfriend tracey ( lala sloatman ) with the dog and oxcom and a two national security organization agent and lem johnson ( michael ironside ) and cliff ( blu mankuma ) and track them down . many comment be make about watcher be very different than the dean koontz book that serve a the launching pad for the film . this be true . but it should not affect your rating . if you want the book and read the book . judge the film on it own merit and not how closely it match the book . bill free and damian lee and who write the screenplay and be just as much artist a koontz be ( that not a quality comparison and just a statement that theyre all artist ) . so be director jon hess . their job a filmmaker isn not to slavishly follow the book a if it be a script . theyre adapt the book and a artist and to make a unique artwork . it base on the book . not identical to it . you have to loosen your preconception or expectation when you watch the film and because youre go to be experience an artwork that you be not already familiar with and even if you have read koontz novel . so and be watcher a good film . it pretty good and not excellent . good enough to earn a b and or an 8. hess begin thing on the right foot with one of the most beautifully filmed explosion i have see in awhile . unfortunately and he trip a bit immediately afterward a we listen to some very thick and jargonistic exposition . after that scene watcher threaten to become a clichéd 1980s film a we first meet travis and tracey . veer towards cliché be a tendency continually threaten . but it be only a skew . more often than not and hess be able to transcend well trodden territory with a number of interesting twist represent both travis and tracey be from single parent home and with their gender flip . both have unique and mature relationship with their parent . although this be a horror film and a major focus be a cute and intelligent canine and and it often feel as much like an adventure film a it do horror and a thriller and or sci fi and which be all genre it touch upon . hess introduce a large cast of character and some not enter until late in the game and yet the film be never confusing and no character feel a if they be leave in the dust all of the thread be nicely tie up in the end . the structure be also complex in that there be two major villain and the second become less obviously ill intentioned a the film progress and until a twist accompany by brutal violence make one antagonist clearer . soon after and hess give u a nice moment of doubt with the other antagonist . the big flaw in my eye be a dreaded and common one with horror film since at least the 1980s the attack scene be shot too darkly and too close and too out of focus and and theyre edit too choppily . it make it extremely difficult to tell what go on and which sap most of the tension from scene that should be a highlight . surely and part of hess motivation for the style and and this be the typical justification for this problem and be worry that the creature would come across a humorous and or or fake rather than frighten and suspenseful . in my view and present the audience with a dizzy blur isn not a satisfactory solution . we only get to see the creature costume or makeup clearly towards the end of the film . it be well do enough that good shot and edit attack scene would have bring the film up to at least a 9. regardless of the degree of correspondence between the novel and the film and watcher present a gripping story use smart and allure character . it be frequently a nail biter and the horror scene be more feral than you might expect and if not exactly gory ( although there be a fair amount of blood in a couple scene ) . watcher tend to be underrated because of misconception about the role of film when it come to adapt literature do not pass it up or summarily dismiss it base on a misconception .