Lower Expectations Helped A Lot

Rating: 6/10 (20 May 2007)

I had the advantage of hearing nothing but bad things about this film before I saw it, so my expectations were low. Often times, I am pleasantly surprised after hearing all those negative remarks. I'd include this as another film "better than I expected, "but not good enough to watch a second time. The second half of the film, I was told, was extremely hokey but I found it okay, although I could see where people would say that.
However, I just watched it as a piece of entertainment, nothing else, and appreciated the sharp photography, too. In other words, I didn't read into anything with the story which so many others have seemed to do.
Mel Gibson plays Hollywood's favorite type of clergyman: the kind who has lost his faith. That is, until, the strange turn of events at the end of the movie.
Hey, it's an entertaining movie, with good suspense and very little offensive material. This is the typical M. Night Shyamaian movie, which means it does a good job of hooking you into the story but doesn't always give you a satisfying ending.