The Sixth Sense - Review

I have never seen an M. Night Shyamalan movie before this one. All I knew about him was that he is known for his major twists in his stories and that he has had a horrible track record after this film. However, since Halloween is right around the corner, I decided to give this horror/psychological thriller a shot. Keep in mind that I knew the twist going in. The twist is so well-known that it is widely talked about in pop culture and I had it spoiled years ago. I still went into with an open mind, but was still thinking to myself, "Okay, how did people not see the twist coming from the first five minutes of the movie?!" Even without knowing the twist I'm sure I would have been able to guess it. The good news is that even with the twist ruined, the acting alone kept me invested. Lots of people see Bruce Willis is this tough guy action star, but this movie tells me that he tries to win Oscars every year. He is really fantastic here. The one who steals the show though is Haley Joel Osment. It seems to me like he was "the kid" in so many 90's films and this movie showcases why films cast him so much. He truly is spectacular here. Whenever I see a kid on screen try to cry or act scared, it comes across as extremely cringeworthy, but he sells every single scene he is in. Also, while this movie may not have that much going on in it and some people may think this is a boring movie if they are in the "half-watching" state (you know the state of mind where the movie is on in the background while they check their Instagram?), if you focus on the film, you'll feel that something just isn't right about the situations and environment these characters are living in. That really draws me in and makes me want to keep watching. The kind of moment where you sit back and think to yourself, "Okay... something is odd here. I don't know what... but I can tell something is going to happen and it's going to hit the fan. I just don't know when, where, how, or what..." That's the magic of intrigue ladies and gentlemen. Not many filmmakers can do that with having very little in terms of events happening on screen. M. Night Shyamalan was able to do that here and create a dark, twisted story.