Extremely disappointed.

Rating: Null/10 (12 August 2004)

This latest installment of Shymalan's horror flicks did not deliver on the goods that were advertised. The previews to this movie indicated fear, suspense and horror. I neither screamed, nor gasped, nor jumped from my seat. Instead, I snored, stared into space, and continually checked my watch in anticipation of the eleven o'clock news. I'm still wondering what the "twist" is that's been making all the headlines? I at no time believed the story to be in any time-frame from the beginning. There's parts to society that exist in this manner today. The Amish for instance. So really, if the time-line was the gimmick, it just didn't catch me. That's a whole lot of movie to depend on an incredibly weak "catch." Perhaps the twist was the identity of the adversary? The "...persons we're not to speak of..." Honestly, to say that was a "twist" would imply that it hasn't been done before. Did Shymalan ever see a single episode of Scooby-Doo? Because IT'S BEEN DONE BEFORE. Really, if you couldn't see it coming, it's probably because you were sleeping, or checking the text messages on your cell phone. I think success makes people stupid and haughty. And I seriously doubt Shymalan entertained the idea of letting anybody else read this script. Because if he had, probably 9 out of 10 writer's would have told him IT STINKS. Take it back, spend more time developing the story and re-think the ending. Movies don't always need a twist. To become stuck in that MOLD, would be similar to an entertainer never receiving a make-over in order to stay in touch with the buying audience. Like M.C. Hammer coming out in 2004 with the same baggy-pants, and gheri-curl, and doing the "running-man" dance like he did in 1988. Change is GOOD. The problem is, if you stake your entire reputation on movies with a twist, then your success will be soley judged on the twist. Not on your ability to direct, or film, or write, but on the single ability to make the twist work. And if they don't work, you've failed, and an entire story is ruined on the anticipation of a single aspect of the movie. In my mind, this movie was a failure. The twist was weak and uninteresting. I kept waiting for the real woods people to show up at the end, but alas, it was "A FARCE, ....a farce!" Deeply disappointed.