Tense thriller, let down by lashings of cheese

Rating: 5/10 (5 August 2002)

** Possible spoilers **
A father (ex-priest) who has lost his faith after losing his wife, but eventually regains it. My, how ORIGINAL ;) (and yes, that WAS sarcasm). Robert Rodriquez threw out the same plot device in his vastly superior "From Dusk Til Dawn", but whereas he at least handled the situation in an extremely tongue in cheek manner, Shyamalan's serious portrayal of the situation is, quite frankly, cheesy.
This is unfortunate, as the movie does have several good points - it is extremely well directed, well acted, and the interplay between the humor and suspense inherent within the situation is extremely effective. The fact that the alien invasion is basically handled as a "non-event" does not bother me - I believe it is an extremely interesting way of looking at the situation.
However, these points fail to redeem this movie. Once again, I feel that I have been a victim of Hollywood's ceaseless attempts to ram their half-baked moral cliche's where they are unwanted.
(Note to self : never again expect Mel Gibson to appear in something which doesn't involving a concerned father looking after his children, and struggling with his own personal demons - further note to self, steer clear of ANYTHING involving Mel Gibson if diabetes is a problem - lethal injection of saccharine could result)
A very average 5/10 I'm afraid