For the first time, my hat comes off to Shyamalan

Rating: 7/10 (13 February 2008)

I can't be claimed to be a fan of M. Night Shyamalan. Not by any stretch of the imagination. I've only watched one of his films(Signs), but what I hear about the others doesn't particularly help my view. But I must admit, this film did keep my interest throughout. The version I watched had been edited for content, and was about an hour and a half, not the two hours or so that IMDb lists. My interest in this stems solely from my being a long-time fan of comic books, and the media of them. That was the only reason I gave this a chance. I am not disappointed. Be aware that you shouldn't expect a comic book film... or an action piece based on comics. This is still M. Night, and from what I understand, his work is about the build-up, the atmosphere, and the twist in the end. On that, I can't help but be impressed, in fact by all three. The film has something of an undertone of comic books, without ever losing seriousness, as so often happens when the silver screen has such projected onto it. M. achieves that masterfully. Lighting, cinematography, editing, all top-notch. The acting hardly possesses any flaws. The writing is solid, though a few scenes and lines came off silly. The ambiguity and depth herein is commendable. The humor is a fitting dry wit. The film is disturbing at times. The references to both comics and comic book films are great. The twist, I found to be breathtaking. I won't claim that I got everything about this movie, but I was definitely intrigued. Pacing is deliberate. I recommend this to comic fans mature enough to appreciate a film that deals with the medium without colorful costumes or grand-scale fights... there are more of us than some might think. 7/10