Night Lite

Rating: Null/10 (12 August 2002)

M. Night Shyamalan seems like such a great guy. He had the guts to reject his parent's vocation and instead of going to medical school he decided to make movies. I was completely taken by surprise with "The Sixth Sense" and I loved "Unbreakable." I so wanted to love this movie. I wanted to have it pull me in and keep me in its clutches for 106 minutes. But there was something missing. I fear that Mr. Shyamalan had wanted to pay homage to Alfred Hitchcock and Steven Spielberg but just didn't have the goods.
There were a number of holes in the somewhat interesting plot. Mel Gibson, who was doing his best Bruce Willis impression, is an ex-priest and farmer, who doesn't seem to like farmwork. Was he a priest first and a farmer second? Or did he take up the cloth because farming was too dirty for him? Okay, never mind that. I'll accept it. He had corn.

He loses his faith when his wife is killed in an auto accident. I'm not a devout Catholic, but his faith must have been quite watered down for this to make him question his maker. If his wife were murdered or he lost a child, that would make for some real soul searching, but an auto accident should not shake the very foundation of a priest's devotion. But okay. I'll accept it. He lost his faith.
The real problem with the film was that the family's dilemma was too isolated from the rest of the world when it was meant to encapsulate what was occurring internationally. The television news coverage was insufficient to create the kind of panic, that the townspeople experienced in say "Jaws" or "The Birds." Therefore the danger level was never elevated. There was never a growing sense of doom. And the crop circles themselves were virtually dropped after the initial viewing. Not much was explained or examined except to say that they were possibly a navigational tool. We were then expected to believe that these alien creatures were so sophisticated as to create these intricate circles in cornfields around the world, but they can't open a locked pantry door.
I enjoyed Joaquin Phoenix, and both the children were refreshingly unselfconscious. There were some really nicely done, creepy scenes, one with a pet dog, and the alien was a shocking and interesting creation. The ending was satisfying and had the now trademark Night twist. But I must say that I had trouble with Mel Gibson. I didn't buy him as a priest and his low wattage performance bothered me. If they wanted Bruce Willis then why not hire Bruce Willis? For a big, strong farmer type, (he wore a flannel shirt and everything) Mel seemed awfully wimpy and weepy. And are we expected to believe that he didn't own a gun? Don't all farmers have guns?
Mr. Shyamalan is definitely someone to watch. I've loved his past work. It's great that he aims to please an audience rather than feed his vanity. This one is not up to par, but then again, maybe I've misread the signs.