M. Night Shyamalan has gone off the deep end. Someone called him “the new Spielberg,” but I think he’s the new Lucas, even though the current Lucas is still bedeviling us. Based on “Signs,” MNS has bought so completely into his own shtick that he’s given himself a pivotal role in his own movie, and provided us with a stilted, jokey, story-free parody of his own style.
I liked “The Sixth Sense,” and loved “Unbreakable” much more than most people did. But while those movies, especially “Unbreakable,” were understated and weird in ways you felt in your bones rather than in your brain, this one is just….nothing. I guess MNS would say his movie is about regaining faith, but looked at just on that basis, it’s laughable. Mel Gibson is forced to recite Mike Brady-level speeches to his frightened clan. The scares are the cheapest kind, mostly involving dogs barking. The jokiness pops up throughout, destroying whatever mood has been built up. It just feels dead, unlike “Unbreakable,” which crackles with life.
I hope M. Night can get back on the horse next time. I really want him to.
