Wow, what can I say. The best movie I've seen all year.

Rating: 10/10 (1 November 2001)

It was with some trepidation that I went to see the Others. Although I'd heard a lot of good things about it, I've just recently seen Jeepers Creepers, and had begun to fear that all of this years hallowe'en movies were going to suck. Over the first 45mins, I really thought I had made a mistake, little did I know that the film was slowly and cunningly drawing me deeper and deeper into the story. Although it is very slow to build, without this, it would have fallen flat on its face very quickly. You can't help but begin to feel for the characters and you also find yourself terrified of the house.
Not only does this film encourage you to second guess the events as they unfold, it is constantly revealing tiny snippets of plot which throw you straight off the scent. In fact, it is so clever that any more mention of the plot will spoil the entire film. Suffice to say that the Sixth Sense'll never know what hit it when this film opens.
Nicole Kidman was excellent. She really is a good actress, the nuances of her performance, and her interaction with her children and the servants is superb. Mrs Mills (can't remember the actresses name) was also great. The real revelation of the movies was the two young children. They gave great performances laced with terror, but with a humourous touch. Their childhood naivety conflicting with the things they have read and seen.
Recently, I've noticed a trend for the studios to reveal far too much of the story in the trailers for their films. For example, all of the funny parts of American Pie 2 were in the trailer, slightly dulling their impact in the film. Those of you who have seen the trailer for The Others may think that you've seen most of the plot and that it will have been spoiled. Don't be fooled, the trailer hardly scratches the surface of this wonderful piece of film-making.
Overall, I can hardly fault it. The acting is fantastic, the direction is superb. The lighting was uniformly excellent. But most of all, the plot and story were thrilling. Go see this film. But if anyone tries to talk to you about it, cover your ears and run away. You really want to enjoy it in all its glory.