Posted: Aug 03, 2020 5:27 am
Not exactly SPOILERS, but some thematic hints.
In Signs, I think Shyamalan accidentally wrote a satire about the solipsism of personal faith. He's an inept philosopher, which can be gleaned in various places, like the opening monologue in The Happening, or the embarrassing part he wrote himself in Lady in the Water. If he'd had a co-writer for the more philosophical elements, a lot of the weaknesses in these movies might've been fixed. I'm not sure what it would take for Signs... If you make the danger more realistic, you're still left with the ridiculousness of thinking the universe intervenes to restore a man's mojo, but ignores earlier victims. Otoh, we don't really know if there were earlier victims - it's hinted, but not confirmed. A dog is butchered, but that's about it. You wouldn't gain or lose much by bolstering the sci-fi, because you'd still be left with lame moral philosophy.
In Lady in the Water, I think the internal logic is pretty coherent. It does hinge on Story's interpretation of the limits her people have placed on her. I don't know how one could portray that ambiguity/dilemma better (aside from performances, which I think were generally strong ). In fact, I like the ambiguity. It tells me that Story & her people are winging it. They're trying to navigate rules which aren't so much rules as habits inherited from an emotional/cultural encounter that's defined our two paths (theirs and ours) for countless generations. When you have that kind of falling out, it comes with deep-seated baggage, and if there's any scenario which would permit a sort of communication paralysis, it's exactly this one. We've forgotten our stories, and we have to make an effort to remember them or to replace them with worthy new ones - or we'll never reconcile with our past.
It was done better in The Neverending Story, which had an easier task (1 normie enters a fully defined fairy tale, vs an opaque fairy tale tries to subsume a world full of normies) - but I do admire the courage in this one. Also, again, great camera work, superb sound, etc. This, although it's not as re-watchable for me as Signs, is I think his most well-constructed movie overall. Not a popular opinion - but meh. And again, a co-writer might've bolstered the presentation of ideas.
Added: Unbreakable was fairly well constructed too, imo. A bit wordy in places, maybe. Might be second-most re-watchable for me, after Signs, which has a lot more character stuff going for it. I never fell for the gimmick in Sixth Sense, because Willis's performance felt off throughout. I'm sensitive to anomalous character interaction & setup - so in a way, I see dead people too. I certain dialogue moments in The Village, otherwise it's mostly unmet potential. William Hurt is great.
In Signs, I think Shyamalan accidentally wrote a satire about the solipsism of personal faith. He's an inept philosopher, which can be gleaned in various places, like the opening monologue in The Happening, or the embarrassing part he wrote himself in Lady in the Water. If he'd had a co-writer for the more philosophical elements, a lot of the weaknesses in these movies might've been fixed. I'm not sure what it would take for Signs... If you make the danger more realistic, you're still left with the ridiculousness of thinking the universe intervenes to restore a man's mojo, but ignores earlier victims. Otoh, we don't really know if there were earlier victims - it's hinted, but not confirmed. A dog is butchered, but that's about it. You wouldn't gain or lose much by bolstering the sci-fi, because you'd still be left with lame moral philosophy.
In Lady in the Water, I think the internal logic is pretty coherent. It does hinge on Story's interpretation of the limits her people have placed on her. I don't know how one could portray that ambiguity/dilemma better (aside from performances, which I think were generally strong ). In fact, I like the ambiguity. It tells me that Story & her people are winging it. They're trying to navigate rules which aren't so much rules as habits inherited from an emotional/cultural encounter that's defined our two paths (theirs and ours) for countless generations. When you have that kind of falling out, it comes with deep-seated baggage, and if there's any scenario which would permit a sort of communication paralysis, it's exactly this one. We've forgotten our stories, and we have to make an effort to remember them or to replace them with worthy new ones - or we'll never reconcile with our past.
It was done better in The Neverending Story, which had an easier task (1 normie enters a fully defined fairy tale, vs an opaque fairy tale tries to subsume a world full of normies) - but I do admire the courage in this one. Also, again, great camera work, superb sound, etc. This, although it's not as re-watchable for me as Signs, is I think his most well-constructed movie overall. Not a popular opinion - but meh. And again, a co-writer might've bolstered the presentation of ideas.
Added: Unbreakable was fairly well constructed too, imo. A bit wordy in places, maybe. Might be second-most re-watchable for me, after Signs, which has a lot more character stuff going for it. I never fell for the gimmick in Sixth Sense, because Willis's performance felt off throughout. I'm sensitive to anomalous character interaction & setup - so in a way, I see dead people too. I certain dialogue moments in The Village, otherwise it's mostly unmet potential. William Hurt is great.