Whatever magic M. Night Shyamalan used to capture "The Sixth Sense" seems lost almost as, nowadays, his films are met with more precarity than curiosity. Sure, "Unbreakable" was unique enough to stand on its own; but it's no secret as to why "Signs", "The Village", "Lady in the Water", and the God awful train wreck that was "The Happening" has made a lot of people question whether Shyamalan will ever be anything more than just a "one-trick pony".
Which is sad when you really think about it. For a person to be as talented as he is, the ugly stigma that's been given to him is the "Shyamalan twist" and it's damn near impossible to ignore whenever you watch one of his movies. You're always going to question when that ONE moment is going to come (a' la "The Sixth Sense") but, with "Devil", that moment never does. And, for that, I think it's a sign towards a step in the right direction. Either that, or redemption.
Nevertheless, it's not to say that this film doesn't have its fair share of twists and turns. Shyamalan's unique take on the supernatural is something I've marveled at for quite some time now and I think it's the one thing that keeps people interested in his films. No other filmmaker is as masterful when it comes to this particular brand of art and this is why "Devil" works in so many ways.
For instance, take the simple premise of five strangers being trapped in an elevator. The emotional weight of the film is dependent upon the audience to be intrigued as to which of the characters is more than they appear to be and, indeed, this is done as elegantly as it possibly could. Every word and/or action by each character can easily be looked at with an ulterior motive and, up until the final reveal, the action both inside and out of the elevator is crafted well enough to tie the story all together.
The only question, however, is will it be enough to pull people in to see it. M. Night's name being attached to any project would bring a lot of skepticism to it (think "The Last Airbender", for example) but the fact that this was NOT directed by Shyamalan should be dually noted. It was only produced by him and I think it was smart on his part to allow someone else to interpret his vision for a change.
Ultimately, "Devil" will not jump start an otherwise stale, horror movie genre; but one thing it will do is help in re-establishing the M. Night Shyamalan brand. This, by far, is his most complete work to date since "Unbreakable" and just like that film, this, too, is nothing more than a good ol' battle between good and evil. Just with a little bit of "faith" thrown in.
Which is sad when you really think about it. For a person to be as talented as he is, the ugly stigma that's been given to him is the "Shyamalan twist" and it's damn near impossible to ignore whenever you watch one of his movies. You're always going to question when that ONE moment is going to come (a' la "The Sixth Sense") but, with "Devil", that moment never does. And, for that, I think it's a sign towards a step in the right direction. Either that, or redemption.
Nevertheless, it's not to say that this film doesn't have its fair share of twists and turns. Shyamalan's unique take on the supernatural is something I've marveled at for quite some time now and I think it's the one thing that keeps people interested in his films. No other filmmaker is as masterful when it comes to this particular brand of art and this is why "Devil" works in so many ways.
For instance, take the simple premise of five strangers being trapped in an elevator. The emotional weight of the film is dependent upon the audience to be intrigued as to which of the characters is more than they appear to be and, indeed, this is done as elegantly as it possibly could. Every word and/or action by each character can easily be looked at with an ulterior motive and, up until the final reveal, the action both inside and out of the elevator is crafted well enough to tie the story all together.
The only question, however, is will it be enough to pull people in to see it. M. Night's name being attached to any project would bring a lot of skepticism to it (think "The Last Airbender", for example) but the fact that this was NOT directed by Shyamalan should be dually noted. It was only produced by him and I think it was smart on his part to allow someone else to interpret his vision for a change.
Ultimately, "Devil" will not jump start an otherwise stale, horror movie genre; but one thing it will do is help in re-establishing the M. Night Shyamalan brand. This, by far, is his most complete work to date since "Unbreakable" and just like that film, this, too, is nothing more than a good ol' battle between good and evil. Just with a little bit of "faith" thrown in.
Rating: 3 inkblots out of 5
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