A very disappointing film.

Rating: Null/10 (7 August 2002)

I think by viewing the body of work that M. Night Shyamalan has produced so far you get the feeling that he simply doesn't TRUST the audience and he certainly doesn't think they are very intelligent.
He becomes less subtle and facile with each film, beating you over the head blatantly by demystifying each "symbol" almost as quickly as he introduces them. The movie is drawn out and padded in very unimaginative ways. So far it appears Mr. Shyamalan has picked up only the bad habits of "Hollywood" film making.
What starts out as nothing more than a very spirited and updated "50's sci-fi" movie (complete with "Day of the Triffids" denouement) simply becomes a series of predictable and very linear resolutions.
The cast is superb, and technically this film behaves like any other state of the art film currently being ground out of the Hollywood sausage factory.
Ultimately, M. Night Shyamalan, much like Richard Rodriquez, appears to have been seduced by the myth and all the "glitter and tinsel" that is Hollywood and seems to have forgotten how to just make a movie. Sad fact from the man who gave us "Praying With Anger"
This movie severely needs about 20 minutes to be cut out of it.