It simply isn't a thriller. It's better.

Rating: 10/10 (30 November 2000)

Those expecting to see grueling segments of gore, and shocks to knock your pants off, listen up. This film is an utter success inandof the fact that M. Night Shyamalan has used his current celebrity to launch a film with a viable artistic intent into the public eye. The movie, based on the comic book form, takes an interesting stance on hypertextuality and the connection between film and comic book. A superhero story, Shyamalan abolishes the archetypal action and pacing of such in much the same way as he breaks free from the square frames on a comic's page. His visuals bringing Bruce Willis' superpower to the screen make it clear that he has a definitive purpose in the hypermediation of his film. Dialogue, details, and characters are beautifully engineered and performed with perfect understanding and symbolism from Shyamalan's artistic focal point. It is truly a beauty to behold. Those who criticise its slow sequences, take a step back and involve yourself with the comic-book-page coloration, slow pans in the stead of the white bars between pans, and incredible acting of the entire cast. Yes, it's better than the Sixth Sense. But don't expect a thriller. Shyamalan has broken free of the Hollywood standard of directing movies. It might be offensive to some critics that some sequences are slower, but the more slowly they pass, the more rich with Shymalan's directorial art they are. We can only hope that the critical ignorance of this film will not sway Shaymalan's motives in the future, and he will continue bringing his wonderful, viable artistic motives to his wide audience. It's beautiful. And yes, it has a twist ending.