a good thriller and a good story

Rating: 8/10 (26 July 2008)

This is a message film, a bit like The Village in its moral tone but on a different subject. I can't say a lot without giving away the trademark Shyamalan plot twist, but this film is different from his earlier works in that it is shorter, and within the first half hour he pretty much gives you all the explanation you're going to get, and the rest is just playing out the situation to its conclusion. Wahlberg, Deschanel, and Leguizamo do a good job, and the child actors as well.
It is similar to War of the Worlds, the H.G. Wells book (not the recent special effects filled film), in that the world is falling apart and nobody can find out how to fight or hide from what is happening, but in this case the enemy is far less conventional than invading Martians, and that is one of the things I like about Shyamalan's films. They are very original. For one person to write and direct six halfway original films in a row is, in itself, fairly amazing. Each is a good story, well told, and this is no exception.
There's a certain percentage of moviegoers that just hate the type of movies Shyamalan does, although they continue to see them and complain about them, but there was nothing wrong with this movie. Some people don't like it when they can't figure out the twist, when the bad guys aren't easily recognized and impaled at the end, or worse yet, when there are no traditional character villains at all, such as in a couple of his earlier films.
They are frightening, and this film has a horror movie feel to it most of the time, albeit a PG-13 treatment of one. If you like interesting plots and being scared and surprised, check this film out.