Despite what other critics and film goers say M. Night Shyamalan has had an interesting career in film as a director, writer, actor, and producer. Like any director Shyamalan has had his hits and has had his flops as well. I personally have had to endlessly defend some of his films that people liked upon release and hated after years passed. People seem to forget the great films that he has released such as The Sixth Sense, Signs, and the highly looked over film Unbreakable. What we have here today is what I see as Shyamalan coming back to form and creating a type of film that he does well at. One thing that he does this time around that he had not done before and that is a faux documentary style which could easily slip into being just another found footage film. Lets dive into this autopsy and see what this film has to offer!
Two young siblings Becca and Tyler are going to go visit their grandparents who they have never met or ever seen. While during the visit Becca decides to make a documentary about her grandparents and where her mother grew up. Things go from seemingly normal to very strange in no time. With everything getting weirder and weirder Tyler and Becca become more and more determined to figure out what is going on with Nana and Pop Pop.
This is a film that first caught my attention when I ran across the trailer and then it made me that much more curious to see it once I found out M. Night Shyamalan had directed it. If it's something more on the dark side of film I will without a doubt check it out. What he does with this film is take what seems to be an average plot and fills it with a great dose of tension that continues to build until the films powerful climax. For me it seems like he decided to go back to a more simple form of film making that doesn't have to have big stars, big casts or extravagant sets. Aside from the kid's home, the train, and the cruise the mother is on this film revolves around the secluded house the grandparents live in. I think it was perfect to have their home be secluded because it really added to the tension and the impending sense of doom this film gives you.
For me the highlight of this film has to be the cast, they all do an amazing job and bring believability to the characters. I actually found myself connecting with the characters Becca and Tyler, which made me feel like I was going on this trip into pure terror with them. They went above the typical annoying kid in a horror film which I have seen alot recently. In ways they both do have a common personality that you do see in a lot of horror film with more than one protagonist and that is that one thinks something odd is going on and the other makes excuses for it until the shit gets real. The actors for the grandparents was picked perfectly. They were sweet when needed and absolutely deranged and terrifying as well. The grandmother freaked me out a couple of times actually.
When it comes to the scare factor of this film there is alot to behold here. Alot times I found this film to be unsettling which is hard to do to me. Especially a scene where the kids play hide and seek under the porch, holy fuck that was creepy! This film has some very well crafted scares and a couple of well done tese moments that I thought would of lead to some really messed up things. I won't give away any of these moments. This film is kind of a slow burn leading up to the insane climax, but it doesn't get dull or boring at all it actually kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what could be around the next corner.
This film is made to look like it's shot with two different cameras, but it still does look good. They seem to be pretty average cameras you could buy at somewhere like Best Buy. They both have the same look even though being different, which would of been cooler if they had different quality. I do understand that Becca is making a documentary so you want all the footage to look the same. That is really my only tiny little gripe with this film. Overall if you are a fan of this director's films or someone who gave up on him after The Happening then I suggest you truly give this film a chance! I did and I loved it! It gets a solid 7 out of 10!
-Daniel Lee
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Lead Actor/Actress:
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Blu-ray Release Year: 2015
Theatrical Release Year: 2015
Time Length: 94 mins.
Rating: PG-13
Region Code: A
Release Company: Universal Home Entertainment
Website:
www.universalhidef.com
Despite what other critics and film goers say M. Night Shyamalan has had an interesting career in film as a director, writer, actor, and producer. Like any director Shyamalan has had his hits and has had his flops as well. I personally have had to endlessly defend some of his films that people liked upon release and hated after years passed. People seem to forget the great films that he has released such as The Sixth Sense, Signs, and the highly looked over film Unbreakable. What we have here today is what I see as Shyamalan coming back to form and creating a type of film that he does well at. One thing that he does this time around that he had not done before and that is a faux documentary style which could easily slip into being just another found footage film. Lets dive into this autopsy and see what this film has to offer!
