The Fall of M. Night Shyamalan

Once upon a time, M. Night Shyamalan was one hell of a storyteller. He began his directorial career marvelously with the supernatural thriller The Sixth Sense, followed by a unique kind of comic-book movie, Unbreakable, and the fantastically original sci-fi drama, Signs.
His fourth film, The Village, was the beginning of his rapid decline. It was his worst-reviewed movie at the time of its release in 2004, and moviegoers began labeling him as a "one-trick pony," in response to most of his movies having twist endings. I, for one, enjoyed The Village. It was scary, intense, and delivered A-List performances from the whole cast.

I don't know what to make of Lady in the Water, Shyamalan's fifth film released in 2006. Dubbed "a new kind of bedtime story," it garnered horrible reviews. It was here that I began doubting Shyamalan's talent. Had he lost it all? Or were his first three movies the result of luck? Lady in the Water wasn't that great, but it also wasn't terrible. It was muddled by too large of a cast, too convoluted a story, and a less-than-admirable marketing campaign, but it had some very moving moments, thanks to the always excellent Paul Giamatti.

The Happening was Shyamalan's first R-rated project. It was a goofy, campy B-movie that I can honestly say I somewhat enjoyed. It topped Lady in the Water and The Village with bad reviews, yet I couldn't help but appreciate Shyamalan just having fun. I enjoyed it for all the wrong reasons, and I don't really care. It gave me hope that maybe old M. Night still had it in him.

And then there was The Last Airbender. Ohhhhh boy, The Last Airbender. If you want me to provide a synopsis, I won't. Go here. I quite honestly cannot express without expletives how terrible this movie was. There were no good parts, no funny moments. It was two hours of frying pans to the head, one big bathroom break of a movie that left me feeling disgusted. I exited the theater wondering how The Last Airbender, based off a popular television show, actually made it to the cineplex. Don't they have advanced screenings or something, to critique movies before they're released to ensure they're fit for the theater? The critics at the showing for The Last Airbender were either tripping on LSD or dead. I was angry I spent any money seeing it, and if anyone reading this feels like they should give it a chance, don't. The acting is absolutely dead-pan, the plot makes no sense, and the special effects are lifeless. If you want further proof that it is quite possibly one of the most disappointing films ever made, check out the TomatoMeter. And there's going to be a sequel!

M. Night Shyamalan was at one time my favorite director. I loved Signs, Unbreakable and The Sixth Sense. They were bold, challenging films that required intellect to enjoy. I don't know what happened. Somewhere after those 3, something in Shyamalan's brain turned off. It was as if his imagination said "F*ck it" and blasted out ridiculous ideas one after the other. Redemption will be a long, tumultuous road for this man, and with another Airbender film on the way, it looks like it won't come any time soon.

However, the light at the end of the tunnel is not completely distinguished. There are three (planned) films being released in the next few years under the supervision of Shyamalan entitled "The Night Chronicles." The first of the three, called "Devil", looks promising. Here's the Wiki page. Let's all hope it isn't another God-awful piece of trash.