Do You Remember the Film You Fell Out of Love With M. Night Shyamalan?

Is Will Smith happy to see us
or is it just standard muscle calibration?

For me, it was Signs.  I put off the breakup, but, when it happened, it was short, but it got ugly.  M. Night Shyamalan now has another film coming out next year.  Remember when he got Oscar-nominated for directing The Sixth Sense?  I saw that film in the theatre two or three times.  The first time, my jaw dropped during "the big reveal."  I had never been quite so floored during a film before.  Have you?  The second viewing's sole purpose was to watch in amazement at how I missed all of the clues sitting right in front of me.  By the time I got to it for a third time, I realized that the movie didn't really hold up as a whole, though I remained impressed for having been duped. Naturally, high expectations rode on Shyamalan's follow-up Unbreakable.  Everyone wanted to see if he could fool audiences again.  I forget what the surprise in the climax was (which prompts me to want to watch it again).  However, despite being wowed, I do recall finding the overall movie a solid effort.  I loved the sound-effects involved with Mr. Glass.  (Hmmn, now my memory seems to be recalling the end.)  I thought perhaps Shyamalan had potential in the long-run.  Critics were way too harsh.  Unfortunately, the director felt the need to continually top himself.

poll by twiigs.com

Fans began to fall off, but there was still a strong contingent that maintained that he was back in form with Signs.  I remember that scene where he cast himself as the guy sitting in the truck who wasn't all there, talking about I don't know what, and thinking to myself, are you kidding me?  I caught it on video and was bored the whole time, except for an image of an alien on the rooftop, but mostly waited for that goody that awaited at the end.  When it turned out to be a rule Billy Peltzer broke in Gremlins, I laughed.  Again: are you kidding me?  This was the movie that was considered a come-back, that grossed over $200?  Some were swearing by that film just as much as Sense.  Huh?

Is the twist related to the planet?

You couldn't knock him for being inconsistent, though.  He kept coming out with a piece of caca every two years, like clockwork ... The Village, Lady in the Water, The Happening.  He was like Woody Allen, only Allen puts out every year and, and though he has had his lulls, I don't believe he has made five certifiable bombs in a row.  With each new Shyamalan movie came an even stupider premise.  I gave up after Water.  When I saw the trailer to The Last Airbender, it appeared that maybe he was finally branching off, but the tone and style just didn't appear to be my bag.  Did I miss anything?  I couldn't believe that studios gave him $150M to make it, but, then, Lady aside, every single last one of his films have turned a profit one way or another. This is befuddling considering that he hasn't risen above the 50% RT mark since Signs.  Are people just stubborn and holding out with hope?

Sometimes I know I can be hard on filmmakers and set my expectations too high, but it seemed that Shyamalan had backed into the corner and "typecasted" himself as the directer who must throw audiences for a loop at the end of every new movie.  And he trusts his talent and creativity way too much.  All of his scripts are penned by him.  Except After Earth isn't his, entirely.  Stephen Gaghan has stepped in.  He won an Oscar for Traffic and his last motion picture credit was Syriana.  But, Earth stars Will Smith and his son Jaden.  I've only seen the younger Smith in The Karate Kid remake, where he wasn't bad.  And his father is a true action hero and movie star, but I just don't buy his acting.  Nor, do I trust his business sense (or that of his management).  Two of his last films, Seven Pounds and Hitchcock, were so inexplicably incoherent, it was unbelievable that adults were behind these ventures (and getting paid).  Therefore, the prospect of Smith teaming up with Shyamalan sounds like a recipe for disaster of WTF-proportions.

There are some intriguing, if not self-inflated visuals in the trailer, while the movie itself has an I Am Legend vibe.  I like the concept: it appears the two have crash-landed on earth and the planet has "evolved to kill humans."  (I'm sure that will go over well with those who don't believe man contributes to climate change.)  Most of the scenes show the younger Smith trying to survive attacks.  And there are some great quotes, "But if we are going to survive this, you must realize that fear is not real.  It is a product of thoughts you create.  Do not misunderstand me.  Danger is very real.  But, fear is a choice."  Perhaps what we have are a bunch of fearless filmmakers who are doing what they think is right.  If we do, are they?  I guess we have to wait and see.

[Image via Rope of Silicon]