User Comments for Sixth Sense, The

cdavis (9 out of 10 )
If there is one ending that completely and totally takes your breath away, it will probably be that of "The Sixth Sense". From the outside, this film may seem like the everyday horror film. However, after watching the movie, or at least reading it's script, you will realize it is more than that. MUCH MORE. This being his first box office hit, M. Night Shymalan shows how absolutely and totally brilliant he can be as both director and screenwriter of the film. With "Sixth Sense", Shymalan takes the overused 'ghost story' genre, and makes his own, clearly visible stamp in a new breed of ghostly suspense thrillers. Instead of making the average monster-hack-and-slash horror, Night explores the lives of a young boy (Haley Joel Osment) who is both gifted and cursed with the power to 'see dead people', as he puts it, and an older, stubborn psychotherapist (Bruce Willis) who is unable to comprehend the true source of the boy's fear and depression. And, if that isn't already getting deep enough, the young boy's mother (Toni Collette) is also throw into the 'mess', you could say. Throughout the movie, it is apparent that she wants to help her child, though she has no knowledge of what is truly bothering her him. But it is not the characters, or the dialogue, or even the story (which,at some times, can be a bit slow) that make this film stand out; it is THE ENDING. I'm aware that I've mentioned it already, but this story's conclusion is so unexpected that it deserves to be mentioned more than once. I won't spoil anything for you, but, if you have no other reason to stay awake through the entire movie, at least do so that you can fully understand the power of the tale's first twist. This movie was nominated for some of the top Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor, Haley Joel Osment; Best Supporting Actress, Toni Collette; Best Editing, Andrew Monshein; Best Original Screenplay; Best Director, M. Night Shymalan; and, ultimately, Best Picture. However, I am sad to say that it didn't take home a single award that time around. Despite Oscar's rejection, it is my belief that "The Sixth Sense" is still one of the most thought-provoking and surprisingly suspenseful thrillers out in the industry today. But, remember, that's just my own opinion. I hope that, when you finish this film, it will cause you to truly appreciate those creative minds still existent in today's Hollywood industry. And who knows, maybe one day, the line "I see dead people" might come in handy. Heck, it got me laughs. ---

Venkat (10 out of 10 )
Just Awesome.

Doal (10 out of 10 )
Crikey! Touching, moving etc. The best horror film in the world ever!

jesse (1 out of 10 )
Getting sick of the big flip out about this movie, anyone who does not have a goldfish bowl for a brain and a goldfish floating in their head could see he got shot and was obviously a ghost through the whole rest of the film.

jim (9 out of 10 )
The ending was great, but the reason the movie sold itself was that in the very beginning you saw a man "one year later" and that was the hook. He was trying to regroup and get on with his practice and this little boy needed him, but as it turns out he needed the boy!

simon ghanbari (4 out of 10 )
The movie got boring. Not scary and it had no point to it.

abby (10 out of 10 )
I wouldn't say that this is technically a horror movie. But whatever it was, it was AMAZING. The ending really was. Really surprising. A major twist. It was touching and moving and everything. Just really really awesome.

Raoul (6 out of 10 )
Had the movie "The Others" come out before this one, it would've gotten all the buzz and controversy and recognition instead. "The Others" has a better concept of what the afterlife might be like, and the end twist is definitely more powerful than The Sixth Sense. Following works by Shymalan were rather dissapointing and got good ticket sales just as a momentum of his first movie.

Maddles (6 out of 10 )
I agree with Raoul. The Others was more surprising but the sixth sense still freaked me out. It was good and a little predictable and got a little boring but I still really enjoyed it.

noah (10 out of 10 )
The Sixth Sense is amazing! It's imaginative, original, just an extraordinary screenplay.

Stephen Michael Ballif (10 out of 10 )
M Night Shyamalan is one of my favorite writers and directors. His masterpiece, The Sixth Sense, was beautifully crafted from the screenplay. The pre-production and writing phases are critical for a film's final outcome. The Sixth Sense was very well written. The visuals were beautifully described and I could see the film play out in my mind. Even the scenes which were not included in the film were easily seen by the descriptive story that Shyamalan told. Judging the screenplay itself, Shyamalan wrote a very good story. The scenes that were cut could have been for time purposes, but they all read well and were focused on the story. Shyamalan did a very good job at keeping the twists and secrets invisible to the reader until the right times, just like in the film. The mysteries weren't spoiled by careless writing, but rather craftily hidden, but visible to those who know the secrets. The most important aspect of the script was its emotional impact. Just by reading the words I was able to connect to the protagonist, Cole, and also feel for other characters. Shyamalan developed his characters very well. Although much of the writing was about their psychological states, I was able to see a visual picture of the characters' inner turmoil and struggles. The dialogue, with many moments of silence and beats, was very good and realistic. The character to character connections were life-like and emotionally stimulating. The Sixth Sense was excellently written. The visual story was very clear and powerful. The flow and pacing seemed perfect. The screenplay was obviously babied by a passionate writer who wanted to tell an emotional story.

italsd2 (10 out of 10 )
Listen, anyone who gives this film anything less than a ten is obviously ignorant. This film is one of those rare phenomena, much like Gus Van Sant's "Elephant" that stays with you, not because it shows a couple of gory ghosts but because the fear of being alone is rampant in all of us, we can feel for Cole. I think that any film that can touch your heart while at the same time providing scares that don't happen right away, but happen later on, while in thought of the film. And good luck to Shyamalan and "The Happening". I believe that M. Night will go down in history as one of the most influential directors since Spielberg. I've said my piece.

SoloViolinist (1 out of 10 )
This movie... this movie. WHY do people think this is a good movie? Anyone who didn't discard the "ghost" theory at the first (of a million) logical flaw, does not have the right to put down others. And when the "surprise" ending came I was so bored with this movie I was just sorry Willis wasn't a real ghost. Sent to haunt Shamalamadingdong for all maternity.

Michelle Karman (7 out of 10 )
A good enough movie. The special effects of the ghosts were awful. Probably his best film - far better than Signs, The Village, etc.

rhino (8 out of 10 )
I'm really slow at catching on, so the first time I watched it, I didn't realise he was one of the 'dead' people. When I watched it again I figured it all out. I saw it when I was quite young the first time, and it completely freaked me out, serious style. I actually thought I might see dead peopel too. Not for young kids, I tell you.

william (10 out of 10 )
This is a great story in that it feeds the information to the reader at the same pace of the characters. That's why a slow pace still works in maintaining and building suspense. And more importantly why 99% of viewers don't see the ending coming. Unlike some of the commentators, I'll admit to being one of the 99. Everyone can say after the fact that they got it, but even reading it back or watching it again, you can see that M. Knight concealed it well. I'll pick this type of suspense any day over the "He's in the basement. Don't go down there." slasher movies.

james Warren (10 out of 10 )
My wife and I just saw it again after seeing it for the first time years ago. We found the second viewing very enjoyable because it really highlighted the amazing idea, script, and direction from Shymalan. The director/writer constructed a profoundly unsettling story in a perfect way. I believe the characters (especially Osmet, Willis and Colette) were awesomely picked and all did great, believable acting jobs. When we saw the original DVD, one of the "extra" features had Shymalan himself explaining the movie. I remember him saying something about the color red having a definite significance in the movie but I had forgotten what it was during our second viewing. There were some many definite scenes with predominate red.

pnadalover08 (8 out of 10 )
It was overall a really good movie, not as scary as I hoped or thought it would be but it still had its parts. Mostly I liked the fact that during the whole movie Bruce Willis never understood that he was dead even though the whole time Cole kept trying to tell him that he saw and talked to dead people who don't know that they're dead. I also liked that Bruce helped learn how not to be afraid and to help the people realize that they needed to move on, it was basically "the ghost whisperer" with Jennifer Love Hewitt in the making but in this case it was a little kid and not a grown up trying to lead people into the light and cross them over.

Anna (10 out of 10 )
I do love this movie, but am really surprised and overwhelmed by the intensity of the emotion elicited by reading the screenplay. Absolutely stunning. I can only hope to bring this type of authenticity to my own work, and eventually (God willing) to the silver screen.

Mike (10 out of 10 )
Saw this with the family one Saturday afternoon while stationed on Okinawa. When the ending was revealed, the entire theater (and it was packed) erupted in a unified "Ahhhhh". I've never experienced something like that before or since. Great film.

Captaindb00 (9 out of 10 )
I do agree with those that say it tends to drag a little at times,...but very little. Great acting from all 3 characters and you only see "endings" like this, we'll, not very often. I'm only giving it a 9, not just due to the few lingering areas, but believe it or not, I listen to soundtracks and this one was pretty basic

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