Sixth Sense review
The biggest thing about The Sixth Sense is the big twist at the end. Throughout the movie we are not told about what happened after the night Malcolm was shot, leading to the audience to assume that he made a full recovery with no problems. The audience also does not see Malcolm's office (a practicing child psychologist should have an office), him change clothes or have a real conversation with anyone other than Cole. Should the audience ask the right questions and notice the signs, they would be able to see the ending coming.
Jack Mathews said in his short review of the film that "(He) just thought (he) was watching a bad movie. The end doesn't quite redeem it, but it makes you think about what you've seen. That's a saving grace of some sort."(Mathews 2012). He is right, throughout the film nothing of particular note happens aside from the part where Malcolm is shot and where it is reveled that Malcolm had been dead all this time. And he is also right that the ending makes the audience consider what they have watched, especially if they did not see it coming.
Stephen Hunter said in their review that the film was "dreary, morose, surly, sullen, dingy" (Hunter 1999). Dull colours and a dreary and borderline depressing mood is a big part of this film, and that's the biggest downfall of the film. If someone was to go back and remake this film, they would need to consider how the movie reads throughout and not focus purely on the ending.
Greg Muskewitz talks about the "outstanding performance by child-actor Haley Joel Osment" adding "One can only wonder what the motivation was that the filmmakers gave him". Cole was portrayed amazingly. The actor shows the emotions of the character incredibly well and it almost seems as if the actor was actually plagued the ghosts of the dead and just recalled what he felt.
In conclusion, The Sixth Sense was a movie that seemly focused too much on the ending rather than the content. While it is a great example of why the writer of the screenplay should direct the movie, it was still a boring movie until we get to the end.
*Personal thoughts*
I saw the ending coming from a mile off. I don't know whether this is because the movie is still in the popular culture sphere that I have grown up with, along with films ripping off and using the twist in their own films, or because I notice the little details in things that some people overlook. Bruce Willis was a poor choice for Malcolm, a more gentle actor would have fitted better.
Bibliography:
Mathews, J, (2012),"MOVIE REVIEWS ONLY", [Online], at https://www.rottentomatoes.com/critic/jack-mathews/movies [Link to original review cannot be found]
Hunter, S, (1999) "'The Sixth Sense': Shocker Therapy", [Online], at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/sixthsensehunter.htm
Muskewitz, G, (2000), "Sixth Sense, The" , [Online], at http://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=1862&reviewer=172
Hi Ollie! Very happy to see this on here :)
ReplyDeleteOK, so a couple of points... remember what I said this afternoon about keeping it impersonal; although we are calling these 'film reviews', they are not reviews in the sense that we want to hear if you enjoyed the film or not, rather that we are looking for you to discuss the cinematography, direction etc. So, for example, you should focus more on these aspects (as you have touched upon in your first paragraph) and less time on your personal thoughts.
You also need to introduce the film before you do anything else - so who directed it and when it was made...don't forget to italicise the film title too.
You need to label your images and create an illustrations list to go along with your bibliography...see the Harvard guide that I gave you earlier, for details on how to do this.
Your classmate Emily has just posted her review of the same film... pop over and have a look at it here - http://emilyfriswell.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/the-sixth-sense-film-review.html
All in all though, it's good to see you getting stuck in! :)