Shyamalan vs. AmenAbar- such an uneven fight...

Rating: Null/10 (9 September 2001)

There is no way you can walk out of a theater where you've just seen "The Others" without making an association with the simply brilliant "Sixth Sense". That's the first connection you make: Others-Sense.Soon enough, however(and thank God)you decide to go deeper into that primal thought and you realize the wide gap between the two movies. Indeed, "The Others" is a movie of medium if not high quality, but the images, thoughts, and feelings Shyamalan and his cast create are on a far greater level. "The Others" might have been more than just a fresh breath of air in a summer full of "chokers"(excluding a few truly good flicks), but it lacked four basic elements that made "The Sixth Sense" a classic: the cast, the suspense, the idea, and most of all- the timing.
Nicole Kidman is not a bad actress, but she can never achieve the impact Jodie Foster(think of Clarice Starling in 1940's England) or Julianne Moore(back to redheads) could've had on this film. Ms. Kidman's role is not shallow ,but she can't quite achieve the image of the distressed mother that Toni Collette creates. Moreso, "The Others" doesn't impress with a memorable cast(except for Alakina Mann- God bless this child) whereas the trio Willis-Collette-Osment leaves a wide mark on your mind.
Probably the most important question surrounding "The Others" was- is it scary???Well, if you are expecting a new exorcist, you're in for a disappointment, but on a whole basis, "The Others" does have its moments. The problem that AmenAbar and his cast fail to overcome is the slowness of the action- you can't have a masterpiece where one really good scene is followed by two extremely boring(I understand the "husband" episode is important, but did it have to go for soooo long- and with Christopher Eccleston???). That's basically "The Others"'s main problem- slow plotin which the really important points might be missed by the half paying attention viewer.
Anyway, I'm sorry I had to compare this movie with "The Sixth Sense", but that's the final problem AmenAbar has-time. This movie simply came out too late and it turns out there are "other" movies that belittle this one.