Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!
Plot Summary: A brother and sister spend a week with their estranged grandparents as antics ensue.
Review: Is this the fabled return to form for M. Night Shyamalan as some critics have hailed? Hardly. But is this the best movie he's done since "The Village?" Definitely. In fact, this film had some genuinely scary moments, toyed with your expectations quite a bit, and successfully created a kind of fairy tale-esque scenario. Unfortunately, like most Shyamalan films, it all comes down to the twist, and this one is extremely predictable. We're talking so predictable that you actually think "it can't be that" and look for other possibilities. Don't listen to any of those reviews claiming the twist wasn't important to the plot either. The twist wasn't important to a movie like "Unbreakable," but it was the driving force of this entire story--I don't know how anyone could claim otherwise. Besides that, however, there were plenty of contrivances, a next level Jar Jar character, and painfully stupid decisions in the final act.
Going over what works first, I should address the mystery itself. The entire plot is focused on figuring out what is wrong with the grandparents by the two leads, Becca and Tyler. We are given a plethora of clues and red herrings that leave any avenue open at first--whether it be aliens or werewolves or whatever. Hell, the grandma runs around like this is "The Ring" and fixates on a well...maybe she's a grown up Samara. This intrigue is presented superbly and keeps you engaged regardless of the obvious implication. Connected to this were the legitimate scares that were easily the best since "Signs;" I even jumped once as I imagine many would. The actress playing the grandma, Deanna Dunagan, looks creepy as fuck and is probably the best portrayed of the bunch; the other actors turn in commendable performances as well. Another important item was the overarching idea of why "the visit" was happening at all (see what I did there? Whaaat? NO!): the kids were sort of reconciling the relationship on behalf of their single mother. Furthermore, Becca was trying to make a documentary about the event, bring closure and meaning to drama from their lives, and come to terms with her sense of abandonment. These plot lines added a layer of depth that was probably the only aspect I would consider a return to form for Shyamalan; he made the audience feel for his characters once again.
Now let's take a look at the flaws and missteps. Up first, the most annoying character to survive a movie since Jar Jar and possibly more annoying than Jar Jar! Tyler is a whiny little bitch/momma's-boy combo who looks like a girl, acts like a poser, speaks with some hybrid lisp, has a pointless germ phobia, thinks he's a ladies man and rapper, and is flat our retarded. Oh I'm sure the ADHD crowd will find him amusing, but I have never wanted to strangle someone with my bare hands so badly in my entire life! And then the end credits have the audacity to have him rapping about the movie's events?! Arrrrggghhhh! How dare you take a humorous '80s phenomenon--an end credit song about the movie--and bastardize it in this ludicrous way! SHYAMALAN!!! Okay...maybe I'm going a tad overboard.
As for the revelation as to what is wrong with the grandparents--it should become apparent by like the 15 minute mark or whenever that guy shows up from the mental institute or rehab place or whatever the hell. Surprise, they aren't actually the real grandparents! They are escaped mental patients who have killed the grandparents and assumed their identities. Honestly, it's hard for me to imagine someone not seeing this coming. I can't properly convey how obvious this twist is in writing, but its predictability is of such magnitude (pop pop!) I was hoping against hope I would be wrong. While I can forgive the contrived nature of why no one could figure this out for a week, it's impossible to ignore the contrived events that follow the twist's reveal. Instead of immediately running away or making up an excuse to escape, the kids idiotically try to play along when there were ample opportunities to leave. There are also wasted scares with the grandma that would have been downright awesome if they came earlier in the film when we didn't know what was happening. I mean, the grandma trying to be creepy loses its edge when you know she's nothing more than a crazy old lady. Plus, how was there a lock on the outside of the door to the grandma's room yet she kept running wild each night?
I mostly watched this movie to see if critics were right about Shyamalan making a good movie again. While I do think this was an above average film, and certainly better than shit like "The Happening," "Lady in the Water," and "Devil," it was nowhere near as good as Shyamalan's early work. However, if Shyamalan can at least turn out stories of this caliber, I may start to take him seriously again as this was a great attempt at a comeback. There are certainly cool aspects to the story, the mystery is awesome, and there were legitimate scares. If the ball wasn't dropped so hard during the third act, and with a twist seen coming a thousand miles away, I was leaning toward a 7/10 rating. I'd still recommend checking this film out but be mindful of the ending problems and overall contrived nature of the story.
Notable Moment: That one, particular jump scare. You'll know when you see it.
Final Rating: 6/10
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