Surprisingly good story and not very horror.

Rating: 8/10 (1 August 2015)

If I were to sum up this movie in one word, it would be: unexpected. The twist at the end is by its very definition unexpected, though I'd read about the ending beforehand so it didn't really surprise me. However, the movie also unexpectedly well thought out, breaking from the precedent set by other horror movies, and is surprisingly un-scary. It really isn't a horror movie at all, but rather a drama with the horror elements as a bonus. It's kind of like the more intense and high-octane scenes in Interstellar, where they aren't what makes the movie great but are just kind of an added bonus. At it's core, the movie is about two people helping each other deal with a problem that no one else knows about and about redemption. I'm sure there are a lot of dead people in real life (is that a paradox?) who wish they had another shot to make things right.
The story moves at a nice pace and presents the exposition and state of affairs at the beginning of the movie well. Everything that needs to be addressed is addressed, but in a plausible manner without unrealistic expositional dialogue. There are subplots with Cole having to tell his mom about his gift and Malcolm dealing with his strained relationship with his wife, and they weave nicely into the main plot line of Malcolm helping Cole find a solution to his being a ghost seer or whatever you want to call it. His ability is kind of like the inverse of The Lovely Bones, where a dead person helps the living and in this film a living person helps the dead. I've heard that the ghost seeing plot basis is a very old concept in cinema (which is probably what people will start saying about retired hit-man movies in a few years). Whether or not that's true, I still felt like the story here was strong enough that I don't care how recycled it is.
The characters are the brightest spot of the movie. They may not be the most memorable, but they are very well written, scripted, and acted. Cole isn't very relatable given his plight, but he is easy to sympathize with and comes off as pretty convincing in his description of the ghosts that he encounters. He's realistically scripted. Not too cute like a clueless little kid, but not way too intelligent like kids are in a lot of kids movies. Malcolm clearly takes pride in his work and cares about his his patients, which makes him a likable protagonist. Besides that, he clearly wants to retain a positive relationship with his wife Anna, who doesn't have much screen time but is kind of important. Cole's mom does her best to raise him alone, but seems to be under a lot of stress the whole movie, though we never quite learn why. Anna is a fairly static character, but has a lot of personality and provides a bit of an Achilles heel for Malcolm.
It's impressive it's execution, but not mind-blowing. There aren't any great special effects, but the directing, lighting, and shooting are great. The script and acting, again, are top notch in a very subtle and simple way.
For perspective viewers, I'll just say that you're in for a good story, quality execution, and some good characters, but nothing scary, and nothing flashy. Watch it in one sitting if you can and make sure you're in a distraction free environment because there is a lot of quiet dialogue. There's a little gore, but nothing too disturbing unless you typically get skittish over blood. I'd recommend it to pretty much anyone and hope that they keep in mind that the Sixth Sense is not a horror movie. Overall Rating: 8.4/10.