So I decided, until I pony up the money for a PS3 or some various Blu Ray player, I was going to buy the normal 2 disc edition, which has a smattering of bonus features about the making of and whatnot. Sadly, no commentary.
So why am I mentioning this in my newest Netflixorama blog? Well, it reminds me of various comic book movies and even furthermore, reminds me of movies in the superhero vein that I love. Even when they're not so good (guilty pleasure being Sky High, but look at that cast of nerdness) they still bring a tear to my eye. But let's not get into the Elektra's and Catwoman's of the world and instead use this forum to discuss what has to be my favorite M. Night Shyamalan movie.
No, not The Happening. Even though it's so hysterically bad that I need to finally watch it from beginning to end. Anyone want to send me a copy?
The movie I speak about is the only M. Night movie up on Netflix's Watch it Now venue, which is Unbreakable, starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson. Who hasn't seen this film? Actually, I was surprised to hear a lot of my friends and family haven't checked this film out, yet have seen The Sixth Sense before it and Signs (which I still think the plot is extremely flawed. I mean, come on... aliens who are hurt by water... come to EARTH??!!?!?) after it.
The origin story of a superhero we've never heard of in a world that is as normal as he tries to pass himself to be. He survives a deadly train derailment, which kills everyone in the passenger cars. Somehow he survives but he just deals with it at first as just dumb luck on his side. But the whole story starts to unfold when he finds a note on his car when visiting a memorial for everyone who died in the accident asking him if he's ever been sick in his life. And what worries him is that he can't remember and when he asks his wife (played by the wonderful Princess Buttercup, Robin Wright Penn), she can't remember any particular time but dismisses it as just being a very long while ago.
The other story revolves around Jackson's character of Elijah Price (or Mr. Glass because of his Type I osteogenesis imperfecta, a condition which basically means your bones are so brittle that they break with any bit of applied force), who believes he's finally found his complete opposite in the world. If he is always sick and gets hurt with ease, there must be someone out there who is on the other side of the spectrum who never gets hurt or sick. And Bruce Willis' David Dunn is hopefully that man. Elijah is a huge comic book fan, who has made his fortune from selling rare comic books and artwork from superhero comics.
So that's the basis for the movie. One man's journey into finding someone on the other side of the spectrum and another man's journey into finding his true self. A feel good movie? In some ways, I guess. But it's also a darker take into the whole origin story of a superhero who might have went through the rest of his life not fulfilling what his destiny truly was.
One of the main pros in this film is that M. Night doesn't have a huge part, just playing a drug dealer at the football field Dunn works at. The other power I didn't speak about more was Dunn's ability to feel if someone is bad in any way. He actually senses it and when he hones his skill, can see a playback of what they've done. A very interesting scene is when he's finally given in and accepted his place in this world and decides to try to do something heroic, and when he's feeling people at the train station in the city, he feels a few different people who have done harm to others. A gang member, a rapist... all people who deserve to be brought to justice. But when he finds someone who is more or less a serial killer, he follows him back to the house where he's taken over and killed the father, so he could attempt to save the rest of the family. This isn't any Spiderman heroics either, but brutal beatdown and choking of the killer until he is dead and sadly, unlike in the comic books, only the kids are saved but the mother wasn't gotten to in time. A very creepy but effective scene to show that the 'real' world is a much harsher place than the bright colors on the page.
I don't want to showcase too many of the set pieces or little nuances that make this film great (but the scenes with Dunn and his son are actually well acted). I'd rather the people who haven't seen this film yet get to watch it and fully take in all the surprises that are in store. All I'll say about the film that is a con of the highest order is the ending. I won't say what it is, but it's something that was tacked on at the last minute because advanced screenings had the audience wondering what the ending was. Sad but true story, one which M. Night regrets to this day.
I know there's been subtle talks about doing a sequel, which I would personally like to see. I'd love to know more about his powers and see him on adventures and trying to be the sworn protector we all know he can become because he's always been more than what he became in life.
So check out Unbreakable as soon as possible. I hadn't seen it since it's release in 2000, so it was like finding a bottle of Crystal Clear Pepsi (which I love but wish there was more of) or the old Cadbury eggs (which are way too small now).
Until next time, the X-Box is shut down.
Posts
