a well crafted film

Rating: 8/10 (3 August 2004)

The film was well written, well shot, finely acted with a good script and a healthy dose of tension, suspense and misdirection. There are a lot of complaints about this movie, but I think that maybe that is due to people's expectations being different from the actual product. I went in genuinely hoping for a monster movie, but was happy with what it turned out to be, despite the disappointment. Once the hype dies down I feel that people will recognize this film for what it is; a well made and entertaining film that suffered from over hyping and the ire of over demanding fanboys. Some may see this as a low point in M. Night's filmography, and it may well be, however if this is his worst film it still stands far and away above the majority of the Hollywood tripe we are spoon-fed these days. I give this movie a solid 75%.