overrated

Rating: Null/10 (11 March 2002)

I can't remember the last time a movie was so overrated. I didn't see THE SIXTH SENSE in the theater, but I finally had to rent it just so people would stop telling me, "You have to see it. It's an incredible movie." Well, one thing is incredible: that it was such a huge hit. The performances by Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment, while good and passable, weren't as "outstanding" as everyone said they were. Really, I thought the best acting in the entire movie was by Toni Collette, who played Osment's mom and did a terrific job. The film itself had some nice atmosphere and a decent score by James Newton Howard (far from his best, though), but that was about it. The "surprise" ending is telegraphed right from the opening scene. I knew the moment that scene ended what the "shock ending" would be, and I wasn't a bit surprised to see I was correct. If you want a good ghost story movie, you're better off renting the similar (but highly-superior) STIR OF ECHOES.