A big buildup...and nothing more.

Rating: 5/10 (5 February 2001)

Anybody got this far? If the user stats are a guide, then chances are you'll love this film. But I don't think it deserves the huge score, and the two people I saw it with agree.
It's slow for one thing. This didn't bother me - I'm patient and I enjoy character buildups and so on....if it all goes somewhere interesting. In this case the movie ends suddenly just at the point where it's starting to pick up speed, as if the idea-machine ran out of batteries.
All throughout the movie I was waiting in optimistic anticipation, enjoying the mental game, and waiting.....some interesting ideas were presented, such as the meaning of comic-book heroes in the modern world. The two main characters were interesting and mysterious.
But the movie gets all tangled up in a slow and somewhat aimless progression. Bruce Willis' character has a special power...but what is it exactly? Exactly what are his limits? Instead of developing one aspect, such as the 'unbreakable' concept, the story turns into a new spin on Steven King's 'Dead Zone', but not nearly as complete. By the end of the movie the story of Bruce Willis character's new existence has barely begun - and yet this is what I was waiting for the whole time! It ends with a couple of silly comments intended to tie things up, but it's all quite disappointing.
Had it been at least another 30 minutes longer it could have gone somewhere.
I gave the movie a 5/10 for good (albeit incomplete) character studies and some interesting ideas, but because the plot ended up disappointing and leaving a lot of ideas in the fetal stage I took off 5 points. If you into it expecting it not to deliver on its main ideas, then you may really enjoy it.
Sorry - it's really not nearly as good as everyone seems to be making it out to be. I preferred Sixth Sense....and The Dead Zone!