M. Night Believes his Press

Rating: 4/10 (27 March 2010)

I loved the Sixth Sense. I had heard this movie had gotten mixed reviews and that some people loved it. Strong premise certainly- a man finds himself indestructible, and there's another man who is at the other extreme, and whose bones break constantly. A man looking for a hero- the reverse of himself. OK. We watched it with an open mind, expecting a decent movie. I have to say, this is the slowest, dullest movie I have seen in a long time. Not only is it dull, but it off the scale in terms of pretentiousness and self-importance. It's one of those movies where, if you think it's dull, then you're just not intelligent or you just "dont get it." The actors all seem to sleep through their roles here, like they're waiting for the ending to come, just like we were. Too many artists (in all media) with breakout successes follow it up with a second effort that is overblown and misses the point of what made them successful. Unbreakable is a perfect example. What a pointless mess, with the big M.Night twilight-zone "TWIST" at the end... hit me like, OK, yeah, I get it. Nothing NEAR the impact of the twist, and the conclusion, of the Sixth Sense. His next effort, Signs, is an underrated movie that gets better when you see it a second, third time. After that... M. Night's career just spiraled out of control. Most of them are formulaic and borderline-unwatchable. It's as if he is desperate to re-create the magic of his first movie, but clueless how to go about it. If he gets another chance- and anyone with the vision to create an amazing movie like The Sixth Sense should have as many chances as they'll give him- I hope he goes back to what made that movie great. Snappy pacing, great acting, intricate plot that rewards the audience consistently, ending that ties everything together and satisfies while shocking at the same time.