I’ve not read this review, because I don’t like to go into an M. Night Shyamalan film with someone else’s ideas for what makes a good movie and what makes a bad one floating around in my head while I watch a movie. Especially an M. Night film. I always go into one of his movies almost completely blind. And you know what? He’s never disappointed me.
Updated
We all know that the media generally believes that after the Sixth Sense, M. Night has only floundered, and has yet to even match himself. As a direct result of this, the general public feels that this is a consensus of how most people must feel, and therefore “it must be true,and I don’t want to be an outcast, so I’ll just go along with them.”
Going into the movies blind helps a lot. For one thing, comparing each of his films to one another, you do see trends, but that’s about as far as it goes. Yes, he is one man and his vision will stay consistent. But most reviews of his films don’t delve into the themes of the movie, and because of this, they are missing out on an experience that they could be having with a different attitude going into it.
I recommend reading my own reviews after you’ve seen the movie as well,and seeing how my views jive with your own, and if you can see what I’m talking about. Anyway, here’s Quint’s introduction to a review that says, in my opinion, far too much, judging by its’ length alone.
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with AICN’s, and very possibly the world’s, first review of M. Night Shyamalan’s LADY IN THE WATER from a recent test screening. Keep in mind this comes from the very first screening with the film still in its longest form (2 1/2 hours according to the reviewer) and will certainly be trimmed and tweaked until its release in June. The spy didn’t give a spy name, so I’ve dubbed him Walter Kornbluth. Enjoy the review, but beware of spoilers. There’s no major twist-like reveal, but you will certainly know more about the movie than you might want to if you like to keep the mystery alive. Enjoy!
If you dare, read it here.
Update: Review removed:
Ahoy, squirts. Quint here. I know you’re missing the big review of LADY IN THE WATER, but the author requested we remove it. It appears the film wasn’t screened at a test screening, but a personal “friends and family” screening. The review might be putting unwanted pressure on the reviewer… whatever the reason, the author sent us a request to remove the review. I decided not to delete the whole thread, so all the talkbacks remain.