The paranormal is a field that is usually treated with a high level of skepticism. The accepted notion on such a subject is that it is unrealistic, and should be looked upon with an up-turned nose and a goofy sense of humor. It's made quite silly to think that such things would exist.

Not so in The Men Who Stare at Goats. In the film, a sort of satire on military operations in Iraq, we follow Ewan McGregor's Bob Wilton, a journalist in Iraq trying to break through with a big story on the war. He meets George Clooney's Lyn Cassady, a self-proclaimed "Jedi Warrior" who claims to have psychic powers. He also claims to have been trained by the U.S. military to become a metaphysical soldier. The film starts out presenting this idea as very strange, but never comes right out and makes fun of it. Yes, we see men running into walls while trying to run through them, and we see others incorrectly guessing through telepathy the locations of missing persons, but it is never presented as absurd. Neither is it presented as a reality. Rather, we are meant to take it as a possibility.

George Clooney's Lyn Cassady is not made to be a fool. He is odd, yes, but this is only because he is someone who doesn't fit in. People take him to be a fool. They hear him claim to have psychic powers, and they laugh him off. In his experience, though, these things are very real. He has seen them occur, and he has even gone through them himself. Cassady becomes our entry point into the film's concept. He is never ostracized or criticized for his belief in the paranormal, or for his belief that he himself is a clairvoyant.

The filmmakers have fun with the material. As mentioned before, people run into walls and make mistakes in their mysticism. However, this is presented as another reality of paranormal activity. Once someone shows to have done it successfully, others less endowed will claim to have the same level of powers. Its humor revolves around those types of people, the ones who manage to find their way in and try to prove themselves, only to meet disastrous results.

The "psychic super-soldiers" are presented as a considerably serious thing. Within the film, they are used to discuss the military's ignorance of more peaceful and less inhumane tactics to fight wars. In the film's first act, we see the new psychic recruits being trained to reach their deepest humanity, and let go of their primal, animalistic tendencies. They are initially trained in the hope that their powers can help avoid bloodshed and death. Once a shift of power occurs, the military begins to train them to kill. In the end, it becomes about destroying the enemy, and not making peace that can help avoid such atrocities.

The Men Who Stare at Goats spends most of its runtime developing this idea. It is made clearly, and along with its sense of humor gives the film a backbone upon which it can stand. However, at its core, it is only a funny satire on military practices. The only characters who are really developed to an interesting degree are Cassady and Wilton, and even Wilton loses his most interesting aspects as the film progresses. Other characters become stock characters, and some that could have been interesting become mere caricatures.

The film really doesn't capitalize on the most interesting aspects of its characters. Bill Django, the head of the psychic operation played by Jeff Bridges, is a man influenced by the Vietnam War to find alternative ways of fighting, and comes back with a New Age sensibility. He is never looked upon as much more than just a wise hippie. Larry Hooper, a recruit played by Kevin Spacey, is a failed science fiction writer who tries to take charge of the psychic unit. He is simply portrayed as power-hungry and self-absorbed. We never really get a strong picture of how his past failures influenced the way he forces his climb in the organization. Even Wilton becomes a simple journalist character in the second act of the film, and simply runs around with Cassady asking questions, rather than getting really invested in the film's events.

The film is missing key character elements that give it a beating heart. It isn't exactly robotic, but it feels empty. As a result, the film comes out on a middle ground that separates itself from the audience, despite having at least one formed character in Cassady.

The film, technically, is fine. Its cinematography is laudable, and it has a few shots that stand out among the rest. The cast's performances serve the film well. The main problem is that the characters are lacking heart, and so the film ultimately lacks heart as well.

Another element working against the film is a sudden tonal shift it takes in its very last shot. The last shot of a film is the one that should wrap the film up and end it on a conclusive note that wraps up its themes and story. The final shot of The Men Who Stare at Goats takes its attempts to avoid putting its subject matter in an absurd light and throws it out the window, offering a giant, sudden tonal shift that should take the audience right out of the film. Instead of leaving the film on a note on which we can still take the material seriously, it leaves it with something farcical in nature.

The Men Who Stare at Goats is a noble attempt, if not a successful one, at making a statement about the military's primary flaws. It is successful in creating a sense of humor that doesn't degrade its subject, and brings up some good questions about alternatives to overt force. However, it is hollow at its center, and clumsy towards its end. It is a film that never really tries to help the audience fully connect.