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The Sixth Sense (1999)

Rate: 4
Viewed: 6/24

6sense
6/24: Hello! Ever heard of...Carnival of Souls, The Shining, or The Changeling?!?

The ability of seeing dead people and finding out what happened to them is absolutely nothing new. So, why is everybody going apeshit over The Sixth Sense? "I see dead people"...oh, my goodness...I'm having a heart attack while falling over a bunch of cardboard boxes so I can laugh to death. Rod Serling would've done wonders with it in only twenty-five minutes for The Twilight Zone.

What bothers me the most is the manipulation by M. Night Shyamalan (the most pretentious name of all time). The beginning shows Malcolm Crowe having been shot by his former patient. Then, it's one year later, but I'm not given a simple "yes or no" answer to whether or not he died. That's it: the entire movie has been designed to jerk my chain for almost two hours before I find out once and for all. There's nothing else in between but pointless filler.

Some said there were clues that pointed out Malcolm had died before the confirmation finally came. No, no, no...they aren't valid. Malcolm would've figured that out within a day or two because nobody could see or speak to him. He also changed his clothes and spoke with Cole's mother plenty of times. Anna had already acknowledged Malcolm's presence when he appeared late for their anniversary dinner. But it's probably a dream which goes back to the original problem: manipulation. Elsewhere, Malcolm tells Cole that he can communicate with the dead, and he's like, "Oh...I can?" Wow...this kid just found this out for the first time after many years? What an insult to my intelligence. Plus, don't forget that it isn't possible for the kid to take a cab on his own to visit the deceased girl's family.

Anyway, the acting is fine. Bruce Willis is better than usual and is almost good as he was in Color of Night as both films have him playing a psychologist. Sure, it's Haley Joel Osment's most famous role which got him an Oscar nomination. I won't bash him here, but I'm only surprised that Bruce Willis didn't receive the same, too, since both were on the same level. Toni Collette shouldn't gotten it; anyone could've done her role and still be effective, regardless.

All in all, The Sixth Sense is an overrated film that's neither scary nor thrilling.