EveryM. Night Shyamalanmovie brings something unique, and by this point in his career the director’s name is synonymous with thrilling twists and captivating storytelling.From the Oscar-nominatedThe Sixth Sense, to his more recent endeavors, Shyamalan’s filmography showcases a wide range of narratives and genres, alongside plenty of creator cameos. While some of his works have garnered critical acclaim and strong box-office performances, others have sparked significant debate among fans and critics alike.
M. Night Shymalan directed his first movie in 1992, the student filmPraying with Anger,but it was in 1998 that audiences first met his unique style in the comedy-dramaWide Awake.Shyamalan’s unique ability to blend supernatural elements with deeply personal stories has made him a distinctive voice in contemporary cinema, especially thanks to hits like 1999’sThe Sixth SenseandSignsin 2002.M. Night Shyamalan movies often explore themes of family, faith, and fear, challenging viewers to look beyond the surface and question their perceptions of reality.
Every Character M. Night Shyamalan Played In His Own Movies
Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan has played characters in 11 of his movies, ranging from starring roles to the smallest of cameos.
The Last Airbender
Cast
The Last Airbender follows Aang, the young successor in a lineage of Avatars, as he embarks on a journey to stop the Fire Nation from dominating the Water, Earth, and Air nations. Based on the animated series, this film weaves themes of destiny and responsibility in a fantasy setting.
M. Night Shyamalan’sThe Last Airbenderwas a critical disaster, with a 5% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie – said to be an adaptation of the popular animated seriesAvatar: The Last Airbender –was critically destroyed for its poor wooden performances, not-so-spectacular special effects, and an over-departure from the source material. Not being able to recognize the soul of this beloved show alone was fuel enough for a huge backlash from fans and critics.
The film’s special effects team used over 600 CGI shots.
The cultural missteps, along with the underwhelming narrative and character development, placed it among the most criticized of Shyamalan’s works.Its deficiencies were then compounded by being a commercial flop, which only added to the growing raft of criticisms aimed at Shyamalan’s work. Coming off a large budget and high expectations, it was unable to satisfy either audiences or critics, makingThe Last Airbenderone of the low points in Shyamalan’s career.
After Earth
In M. Night Shyamalan’s After Earth, one-thousand years following humanity’s forced evacuation of Earth, Kitai Raige and his estranged father, Cypher, crash on nowhere else but Earth. With Cypher seriously wounded, Kitai must embark on his own, braving a futuristic Earth containing highly evolved animal species and a ruthless alien life to seek help and find a way home.
After Earth,directed by M. Night Shyamalan andstarring Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith, received a paltry 11% on Rotten Tomatoes. The story was that of a father-son duo stranded on Earth after some apocalypse, and was panned for lacking novelty and substance.The critics brandedthe story as uninventive and the acting, barring the lead actors, as unconvincing.
That poor reception was mirrored at the box office asAfter Earthstruggled to make good on a significant marketing campaign by failing to meet expectations at the box office.
It was the heavy reliance on exposition and the lack of engaging plot elements that contributed to the poor reception of the film. That poor reception was mirrored at the box office, asAfter Earthstruggled to make good on a significant marketing campaign by failing to meet expectations at the box office. The film bombed both in box-office performance and with critics, making it a major disappointment for Shyamalan.
The Happening
Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan presents The Happening, a thriller that centers around a strange unexplained phenomenon that begins to cause human beings to commit suicide in waves. Initially believed to be an international terrorist attack, science teacher Elliot and his wife Alma head to Boston with friends to escape the chaos. Soon enough, they realize that the effects have spread further than they thought - possibly across the entire world.
Probably more memorable for its unintentional camp moments,The Happeningrings in at a meager 18% on Rotten Tomatoes. This movie, involving some sort ofmystery ecological disaster that somehow makes people kill themselves, has been lambasted by critics for its weak plot and stilted dialogue. The critically serious undertone was undermined by a poorly executed narrative of the film and a lack of coherent explanation for the happening events. Though,some of the actors say the film was misunderstood.
The film’s original script was heavily revised due to production issues.
These are the very factors that have made it remembered as one of Shyamalan’s more flawed works. Others, on the other hand, would say that its aim to carve out a new narrative device is admirable. However, the attempt was so poor that it ended up at the bottom of Shyamalan’s filmography.
Lady In The Water
Lady In The Water is a 2006 fantasy thriller directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The story follows Cleveland Heep, played by Paul Giamatti, who discovers a mysterious young woman named Story, portrayed by Bryce Dallas Howard, living in the pool of his apartment complex. As he uncovers her fantastical origins, Heep and his neighbors must protect her from malevolent forces and help her return to her world.
Lady in the Waterreceived 25%on Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus stated that it was very ambitious but misguided. The film tells the story of a woman from a fantasy world who washes up at a suburban apartment complex.The criticisms were focused on its jumbled plot and self-indulgent nature.
Shyamalan tried to concoct a modern fairytale, but instead crafted an overcomplicated tale that lacked any semblance of coherence. The unique idea behind the film did not attract audiences very much; it was a box office bomb, and one that bombed critically as well. Even though it contained moments of ingenuity,Lady in the Waterwas still regarded as a misstep in Shyamalan’s career.
M. Night Shyamalan: 10 Lady In The Water Quotes Every True Fan Will Love
Lady In The Water is a film loved by many and contains the signature M. Night Shyamalan touches that cause fans to keep coming back for his films.
Wide Awake
Wide Awake is a crime thriller series set in a small town plagued by mysterious disappearances. Detective Emma Clarke (played by Jessica Chastain) leads the investigation, uncovering unsettling secrets that connect the missing individuals. As Clarke dives deeper, she faces personal and professional challenges, along with growing public hysteria. The series is noted for its gripping plot and intense performances, capturing the complexities of small-town dynamics and the human psyche.
Shyamalan’s feature film directorial debut,Wide Awakeholds a 44% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Tackling the theme of a small boy searching for meaning in life after his grandfather’s death, this film was commended for its earnest storytelling and emotional depth. However, the critics felt that, compared to the latter works,the ending and depth of the execution were lacking.
M. Night Shyamalan was only 28 years old when he made this film.
Though flawed,Wide Awakedemonstrated the promise of Shyamalan as a filmmaker while giving the world a flavor of what was to come in his storytelling style. Although less famous compared to his later works, it is still an integral part of his early career.
Praying With Anger
M. Night Shyamalan’s debut film, Praying With Anger, features the director himself as an American-born Indian who travels to India for college. As he struggles with cultural identity and clashes with traditional values of multiple worlds, his journey becomes one of self-discovery and reconciliation with his heritage.
Praying with Angeris a 1992 film and the first full feature by M. Night Shyamalan; it has a 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Written, directed, and starring Shyamalan, the picture wades into the waters ofcultural and spiritual identity.
In the estimation of many critics, while the film has laudable motives in dealing with such complex themes, it is weak in form and substance. As this was Shyamalan’s first film,Praying with Angerwas not much of a commercial or critical success. It did, however, set up the rest of Shyamalan’s work and firmly entrenched his interest in heavy subjects early on.
The Visit
From director M. Night Shyamalan, The Visit follows two siblings who are sent to stay with their estranged grandparents while their mother is out of town on vacation. Realizing that all isn’t what it seems during their stay, the siblings set out to find out what is really going on at their grandparents' home. Olivia DeJonge and Ed Oxenbould star as Becca and Tyler, with Deanna Dunagan, Peter McRobbie, and Kathryn Hahn making up the rest of the main cast.
It wasn’t untilThe Visitin 2015 that Shyamalan started to find his footing once more; on Rotten Tomatoes, it scored 64%. The film centers aroundtwo children who spend the week at the country home of their estranged grandparents, only to find something unsettling. Critical reception hailed the film as suspenseful, clever, and effective in the way it played out its found footage technique.
The Visitwas widely praised for producing current tension and being a return to form for Shyamalan in the horror genre. Its success restored part of Shyamalan’s reputation as a filmmaker who could craft engaging and unnerving stories. The film was also made on a modest budget of only five million dollars.
Glass
The third installment in M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable trilogy, Glass follows security guard David Dunn (Bruce Willis), a man with an uncanny ability to resist physical harm. Dunn tracks Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), a man with multiple identities who kidnaps and tortures young women, but they are both captured and imprisoned along with Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson).
Glassis the capstone to Shyamalan’sEastrail 177trilogy, sitting at a 36% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film tries to incorporate characters fromUnbreakablewith those fromSplit, which – as some critics say – it failed at. The expectations behind the crossover were profound and much appreciated; however, its poor execution and pacing were highly criticized.
Even though it had major critical shortcomings, to some fans,Glasswas a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, weaving together the narrative threads of Shyamalan’s prior films. Ultimately, though, it received mixed reviews for its complex and slightly convoluted plot.
Glass Movie Ending & All Twists Explained
Glass is as twisty as you’d expect from M. Night Shyamalan. We break down the ending and all the surprises in the belated Unbreakable sequel.
Old (2021)
Oldis a movie about a group of people who somehow find themselves in a mysterious condition where they begin to age at an ultra-high speed on the beach, holding a rating of 50% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Some positive things noted by critics were its interesting premise and a few suspenseful scenes, but generally, many critics found it unevenly executed with a script that could not completely develop the ideas presented. WhileOldgave audiences some refreshing ideas and tense moments, the overall reception of it was mixed. The unique concept gave interest to the film, althoughhow the storyline was executed didn’t quite satisfy some viewers.
The Village
Directed by M. Knight Shyamalan, The Village is set in a small Pennsylvania village in the 1800s. Residents of the village live in fear of sinister creatures living in the woods around them, leading them to be very isolationist, not allowing people to leave. The film follows a young couple who attempt to leave the village in order to procure medical supplies from the surrounding towns. Bryce Dallas Howard and Joaquin Phoenix star as the couple, Ivy and Lucius, with a further cast that includes Adrien Brody, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, and Brendan Gleeson.
The Village– at 43% on Rotten Tomatoes – had some promise in its riveting premise: a village secluded from the rest of the world and harboring a sinister secret. It was praised for its atmosphere and acting performances but washeavily criticized for its twist ending, considered too controversial.For many of the critics, that twist took away from the buildupand resolution of the movie.
Although this film received quite polarizing reviews,The Villageis still one of the more interesting films in Shyamalan’s oeuvre due to its peculiar setting and some thought-provoking themes. However, what glued many viewers to this film was that polarizing twist.
