MovieChat Forums > M. Night Shyamalan Discussion > The Visit has me rethinking

The Visit has me rethinking

posted 9 years ago by jmoconnell
4 replies | jump to latest

I have long been a booster of Shyamalan and I enjoyed The Visit. I adore The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Signs; I have mixed feelings about The Village; Lady in the Water, The Happening, Last Airbender, and After Earth were misfires; I was thoroughly entertained by The Visit and Wayward Pines.

Ever since his much-discussed "decline" as a filmmaker, I have frequently expressed a belief that he is an excellent idea generator and director but not a very good screenwriter. Even in Lady in the Water, The Happening, and After Earth, I enjoyed his directing style: long takes, deliberate pace, understated performances, etc. But in each case, the script was deeply flawed. But in his last two efforts (Wayward Pines and The Visit), I felt like the writing was his greatest strength, and the directing, while strong, is not what stood out to me.

Does anyone else feel this way? Does this perhaps signify that he has turned a corner, artistically?

[–] mr-murph 9 years ago

I agree that he is a terrific writer with a knack for developing characters. Check out "Wide Awake" as an example of what he is capable of. No horror, no twists, but a terrific heart-felt film.

[–] ultratick 9 years ago

i agree for example After earth had potential but getting jaden as the star while selling will as the star was also a huge backfire besides i kinda liked airbender but then again never saw the cartoon and wayward pines was doing great than it shot itself. he just need to get back to the "signs" area of the game

[–] paulpbarry 9 years ago

Nope, the man is a hack. Plain and simple.

[–] Durbzzz 9 years ago

I've enjoyed all his movies and have tried to find merit in all his work. He wasn't true to the source material in Airbender which caused the backlash, and After Earth was a Jaden smith film marketed as a Will Smith film which caused more uproar.

I think most of the criticism is based on his arrogance post Sixth Sense. He wanted to become a brand so he put his name above everything and not even the greats do that. The movie going public tends to be pretty forgiving except for arrogance.