The Sixth Sense
Two-Disc Vista SeriesTrailer A while back I had a
M. Night Shyamalan Marathon, but I purposely withheld
The Sixth Sense from the rotation knowing full well that I was saving it for Halloween week and with good reason. I think the movie is brilliant film making in all phases from writing, direction, editing, music and of course the incredible acting. We all know now that
The Sixth Sense has become both a blessing and a curse of
M. Night. Realistically, how is anyone suppose to follow up a masterpiece like this, especially a feature debut? I always compare both this movie and
Citizen Kane because both
M. Night and
Orson Wells spent their entire career trying to top their debuts and they just couldn't be done. Yes, I know technically
Sixth Sense isn't his debut, but it was the movie that launched his career as well as defined it and his "debut" was sitting on the shelf for years before it got a release.
For me, the story is good, but it's the exceptional acting by
Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Donnie Wahlberg and boy wonder
Haley Joel Osment who steals the entire movie. Still one of the best acting roles for any kid at that age and it still floors me every time I watch the movie. There are a handful of fantastic scenes peppered throughout the film. It's hard to pick a fave, but it seems the ones I liked the best are the ones involving
Cole (Osment) and his
Mother (Collette). The crown jewel of course is the moment he decides to finally tell her his secrets and mentions his Grandma, which always leaves me teary-eyed. I know it's coming and I still can't brace myself for the emotional wallop. If anyone doesn't feel anything during this climatic scene, then you're a frickin' robot!
I think....actually, I know why
The Sixth Sense works so well and the rest of
M. Night's movie fails so miserably. In
The Sixth Sense, it's ALL ABOUT CHARACTERS. Everything else that has come since then has been all about EVENTS. In the end, it will always be Characters>Events. With characters, we are able to sympathize and feel and care what happens to them. In events, not so much. If
M. Night would just go back to doing something character oriented, I think he can save his sinking ship and that's why I would like him to try his hand a doing guest-direction on a TV series. Lower budget means he won't be able to use the Special FX crutch and will have to make due with telling interesting, character-driven stories. Anyway, I love this movie and highly recommend the
Vista Series DVD as a
Buy.