From the Mind of Meegs

Wooo boy, did this movie suck.

Even though the drop-off since The Sixth Sense has been precipitous, M. Night Shyamalan was still on my list of actors/writers/directors whose movies I automatically want to see, in this case because I wanted to be there if/when he finally regains his form. Well, no more. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, or four, or...this is getting too depressing to think about. I've actually read several people suggesting that perhaps he meant to make a bad movie on purpose. That's how bad it is. Oddly enough, I didn't get that. And I submit that if you mean to make a bad movie, yet you fail to convey those intentions--thereby accruing a double failure--then that is perhaps the baddest of bad movies that you can make. So if the Shyamalan apologists think they're doing him a favor here, then they should think again.

Though this movie is a heroic failure in plot, characterization and dialogue, perhaps the most irksome thing is that it's difficult to fully articulate the various failures in each of these categories, so vacant of head and dead of heart is it. Usually, critiquing a movie is like looking at a painting and being able to remark upon a poor color choice, or an unfortunate use of perspective, etc. You can, at least in part, definitively pin down what is wrong and speculate on changes and adjustments that might have improved the final, finished product.

Critiquing this movie is like being shown a "painting" that is actually nothing more than a dull, lifeless gray canvas.  Such a state of affairs prevents one from offering any insightful commentary or constructive advice. You are left with little to say except, "Well, outside of the fact that there is absolutely nothing there..."

The movie is not even funny-bad. Instead, Brother #1 got the best laugh of the night. Once the credits began to roll with "Written, Produced and Directed by M. Night Shyamalan," he yelled at the screen, "You suck, M. Night Shyamalan!"

I got the second biggest laugh of the night.

Brother #2: "How would you sum up this movie in one word?"
Me: "Is 'crime against humanity' one word?"