Destined to be misunderstood and wrongly despised

Rating: Null/10 (23 November 2000)

I went in to this one not knowing anything except what was in the trailer and that Jackson's character had a rare brittle-bone condition. When the plot began to take on its unique twists, I felt myself resisting it because it was stretching my suspension of disbelief. However, I let the movie do its work and followed it to the end. And I'm glad because it's one of the best films I've seen in a long time, particularly this year.
I think this is one of the best superhero movies ever made. (Oddly enough, I think the best one also came out this year- X MEN.) It takes a very unusual approach and fills it in with some sharp writing (though I wish some of Jackson's comic book stuff had been reworked) and great performances. The big twist ending felt a little bizarre at first, but once I thought about it on the way home, it actually added extra layers of meaning to the film. I wish Shyamalan hadn't done the freeze frame and title card thing (you'll see what I mean) because it cheeses up a really good ending. But that's my big quibble. If you watch the film with an open mind, you will find a film to love.
Don't let the comic book stuff distract you. This film goes far deeper than any comic book could hope to go. It deals with the bedrock of heroes and villains and the unbelievable in very cynical, realistic times. I have a feeling this film will bomb at the box office (I hope not) and be ridiculed and despised by the average mall crowd. That's too bad. We could use more expertly-crafted, well-written, and deeply-felt movies like this one.