Why you think this movie is bad and why you are wrong (HEAVY SPOILERS)

Rating: Null/10 (12 August 2004)

I'll try my best to keep this brief.
As I have gathered from others that I talk to and as read in various other reviews outside of this site, the general feeling on this film seems to lay along the lines of either "bad" or "disappointed". A majority of us have grown accustomed to M.Night's work: we know he uses a certain style of suspense as well as a fondness for a certain "twist" ending.
From those I have spoken with, it seems their main complaint(s) is(are) that the ending is predictable and/or the movie is not scary at all.
And for the most part, they are correct. This is generally not a scary film.
However, regardless of what you think, this movie still remains as one of the better films to come out this summer.
As is the norm with his films, Shyamalan's unique form of direction presents this movie in his own trademark way. Particularly in the very well done "violent scene". He makes you feel emotion beyond the typical ones usually tapped among other movies. What makes this movie "bad" in many's eyes is that we have become so used to the story teller's style that some sit brooding throughout waiting on "the twist". In this fashion, yes, the ending is predictable. But unlike some of his previous work, the point of this film isn't necessarily to gasp and be surprised in the ending as it is to be surprised in the actions of the characters within and your own views on them depending on the impact of the change once it is confirmed.
What really made me appreciate this film wasn't the "twist" ending but the depiction of what this type of situation views from the inside out. When I think of a village like this, I think of a cult. But the way in which the story is told, whether you "knew" the ending or not, holds the viewer within the village until the change comes.
Think now. For the majority of the film you sat involved within a very different community as well as a very different type of love story. You may have known the truth about the creatures (or thought you did) or even about the village itself, but regardless...the focus of the film itself seemed more upon the love story. Yet when the truth was revealed (or confirmed) it was at that point the viewer really evaluated the situation. You began to see things from a different angle, from the outside, as you normally (probably) would have. I believe you'll find few film/film makers who are capable of the same.
My best suggestion for you if you did not like this film is to try to watch a movie for what it is regardless of expectations. No, it is not The Sixth Sense. And that is exactly it.