Because it is fairly mockable.
It's another M Night "look at me, I'm clever!" piece that, in watching, will reveal to you the viewer that, in fact, he is not clever. Competent director... sure. Writer... not so much.
Now, I had some hopes since this was based on someone else's work, but when I saw Shyamalan's name prominently displayed as a writing credit at the start, I knew it was doomed. And of course, somewhere in the interminable runtime of this effort, he even makes an on-screen cameo, because that won't ruin any credibility the film had, now would it?
Not that it is credible. The premise is nonsensical pseudo-religious clap-trap that poses a moral dilemma that M Night is incapable of not butchering. The ending is likewise a foregone conclusion right from the start and though there are valiant attempts to try to muddy the waters, all they really do is make you shrug and say to yourself "I don't care!"
The book this is based on I see had an ambiguous ending, which would have been far preferable to the "It was all real!" nonsense that we get here. In fact, the ending had a perfect moment where doubt could have been thrown on whether the survivors did the right thing or not, when the survivors come across the vehicle that the "horsemen" arrived in. There could have been subtle, or not, clues that the horsemen were just, say, escaped lunatics. It could have led to a somewhat similar to the ending of the film version of Stephen King's The Mist. But this option was not taken, because Shyamalan is not that good.
So instead the ending is imagined as the most boring one you could possibly get. So go figure.
Also amusing is the notion that the couple and their child are super virtuous and had been chosen for that reason. Apparently, when writing that particular part, they forgot the flashback sequence where the gay couple lie in order to adopt a child.
The best thing I can say about this movie is that everyone acts decently and it is well shot.
Actually, that's not entirely true. The best thing about this movie is that, having watched it once, you will never have the desire to revisit it.
M Night should stick to making films and not writing them.
SUMMARY: Dull, pseudo-religious nonsense. Poor ending. Shyamalan is getting worse with each outing. Not recommended.
It's another M Night "look at me, I'm clever!" piece that, in watching, will reveal to you the viewer that, in fact, he is not clever. Competent director... sure. Writer... not so much.
Now, I had some hopes since this was based on someone else's work, but when I saw Shyamalan's name prominently displayed as a writing credit at the start, I knew it was doomed. And of course, somewhere in the interminable runtime of this effort, he even makes an on-screen cameo, because that won't ruin any credibility the film had, now would it?
Not that it is credible. The premise is nonsensical pseudo-religious clap-trap that poses a moral dilemma that M Night is incapable of not butchering. The ending is likewise a foregone conclusion right from the start and though there are valiant attempts to try to muddy the waters, all they really do is make you shrug and say to yourself "I don't care!"
The book this is based on I see had an ambiguous ending, which would have been far preferable to the "It was all real!" nonsense that we get here. In fact, the ending had a perfect moment where doubt could have been thrown on whether the survivors did the right thing or not, when the survivors come across the vehicle that the "horsemen" arrived in. There could have been subtle, or not, clues that the horsemen were just, say, escaped lunatics. It could have led to a somewhat similar to the ending of the film version of Stephen King's The Mist. But this option was not taken, because Shyamalan is not that good.
So instead the ending is imagined as the most boring one you could possibly get. So go figure.
Also amusing is the notion that the couple and their child are super virtuous and had been chosen for that reason. Apparently, when writing that particular part, they forgot the flashback sequence where the gay couple lie in order to adopt a child.
The best thing I can say about this movie is that everyone acts decently and it is well shot.
Actually, that's not entirely true. The best thing about this movie is that, having watched it once, you will never have the desire to revisit it.
M Night should stick to making films and not writing them.
SUMMARY: Dull, pseudo-religious nonsense. Poor ending. Shyamalan is getting worse with each outing. Not recommended.