Suspension of disbelief required

Rating: Null/10 (31 January 2003)

There is an "IQ floor" below which viewers are simply not intellectually equipped to appreciate this movie. Required for enjoyment of The Blair Witch Project is what ee cummings called "the suspension of disbelief": i.e. you must disregard the fact that you know this movie is a product of the motion picture industry and view it as if you really believe that it is actually the recovered footage of missing film students. But, as I said, some lack the intellectual agility to accomplish such a feat, and, consequently, can not enjoy this movie as it was designed to be.
Another factor that contributes to the negative reviews is that modern American movie viewers have been spoiled by the non-stop razzle-dazzle of what are now all-too-common special effects. Yes, this movie begins slowly, which I think might be where the more impatient viewers are lost; they never give it a chance (Remember `Alien'? That movie started out so slowly, even the characters were asleep! And look how worth-while that wait was!).
But again, those who could manage to suspend their disbelief would be fascinated from the start by this pseudo-documentary, and horrified by the thought that what they're watching is authentic.