(Double) storytelling at the level of immaculate genius

Rating: 10/10 (20 February 2016)

The Shyamalan "not quite what it seems to be" film par excellence, and excellence is indeed on show here. There is a huge matter of import to be conveyed by the film, and every scene from start to finish contributes smoothly and richly to that overall effect, whether it be a subtle or overt one, eccentric, scary, engaging, humorous or deeply moving (and all of these states of mind and emotion are to be found in abundance). Furthermore, every cast member from youngest to oldest seems to display conviction, an unusual and tangible awareness that what they have to do in the film will help add up to something amazing.
A taut alien invasion story is told here in minimalist, no-waste fashion, at first hand through the experiences of small-town, Corn Belt America, and more globally through sparing use of the old TV broadcast dodge; but there is also a wider battle for the soul and spirit of the film's chief hero, Graham Hess, portrayed by Mel Gibson. Interestingly, then, it is not the Gibson performance that stands out most (fine though it is), but those of supporting cast Joaquin Phoenix (as Graham's live-in younger brother Merill), Shyamalan himself, Rory Culkin (as the son of the family), and my personal favourite, Cherry Jones as Officer Caroline Paski, who contributes far, far more than her number of lines might suggest.
Perhaps it matters little whether we can or cannot accept that the painful, stupid or trivial things all around us might add up to more than the sum of their parts. It is enough that someone is bold enough to produce a piece of true art in which that possibility is taken so fully and so beautifully to its logical limits. It is a fine and wondrous thing to behold.
It seems unlikely that anyone who wanted to has yet to see this film, and it is clear that not everybody "sees" it when they see it, as it were. Equally, there may be some people out there still labouring under the misapprehension that this is just sci fi (assuming of course that any sci fi is "just sci fi"). But given how any true science fiction fan will have to regard a plot twist about the alien's unpleasant experiences on Earth as ludicrous, that merely goes to demonstrate that alien invasion is not the film's primary purpose, and that nothing in this world can be quite perfect. Nevertheless, for this reviewer, this in some ways modest offering ought surely to rank as one of history's finest ever films. And yes, I really do mean it!