All the elements were there, so...

Rating: 5/10 (13 October 2001)

All the elements were there to make me love this film.
So why have I been bored while watching at it?
Pretty impressive scenery, very good scenography, interesting story, rather slow but it generally dooesn't bother me, th.. Wait a minute! I got it! The music!
The music... exactly like in the Sixth Sense: average, pretentious, oversweet and cliché music, ruining every scene where it's played. Big Hollywood syrup music. Aaaaah. To please the masses. Bingo.
The problem, Mister Shyamalan, is it's a very dangerous thing to try to please the masses AND the more demanding people. Your movies clearly try to make the joint, and maybe you thought that because the Sixth Sense had such a success, you found the magic mix. Bad news, you found nothing at all. While the way you write and shoot is really nice and demonstrates a real talent, the final toppings are pompous and empty. I think you should try to find a trustable film editor, a good and clever producer, and listen to them a little... and what about trying something else than this stupid music with your best scenes? Why are you ruining your own work with such bad decisions as drowning it in deep into a "Sound of Music" feeling??
Take a look (one more time) at the following pictures (that I'm sure you like a lot), think about it and come back with something really grand. I'm sure you can.
Jacob's Ladder Dead Ringers Gattaca Blade Runner Eat, drink, man, woman Shangaï triad The Shining The Tenant
We need filmmakers with your kind of talent, but we need them to fully express it, not in this lukewarm 50/50 way...