The ending is the crucial part of any movie. And, since M. Night Shyamalan has established the ending as the high point of his films, I was particularly watching the final moments here. Disappointingly, Shyamalan delivers a few very weak, very easy to spot "twists" tied up in a Hollywood Happy Ending.
I've nothing against happy endings but, with Shyamalan, I expect the ending, whatever type it may be, to have quite a punch. The rest of the movie has the quality we've come to expect from Shyamalan. Tight direction, angles and shots that not only look good but also become part of the storytelling, and a layered script all add up to a fun and very interesting ride. Unfortunately the ride runs out of gas rather than coming to a final destination.
Shyamalan takes a good stab at the fantasy genre here and doesn't waste any time establishing belief amongst the characters. They all quickly accept and then begin to act upon the proposition that Story is a real life fairy-tale creature, come to benefit them and mankind as a whole. Their belief seems too abrupt but it's clear that Shyamalan wanted to dive right into the story. I would have liked just a little more cynicism from the humans though. If he had set the story in the past their immediate acceptance may have been more plausible. But in current day Philadelphia? I just don't see that many folks accepting a fantasy being at face value.
The writing is a good bit more humorous than his past scripts. There are a good many chuckles and even a few laugh out loud moments. Giamatti is in a role tailor made for him and he carries it with no problems. Howard shows a suitable sense of wonder and innocence as Story. The rest of the cast, a fairly large group of characters, are solid as well. Shyamalan writes himself into his largest role to date and does quite well.
Overall I can't say it's a bad movie. The Shyamalan quality alone puts this above most of the competition. However, he has set himself a pretty high standard with his earlier films and this one falls short.
I've nothing against happy endings but, with Shyamalan, I expect the ending, whatever type it may be, to have quite a punch. The rest of the movie has the quality we've come to expect from Shyamalan. Tight direction, angles and shots that not only look good but also become part of the storytelling, and a layered script all add up to a fun and very interesting ride. Unfortunately the ride runs out of gas rather than coming to a final destination.
Shyamalan takes a good stab at the fantasy genre here and doesn't waste any time establishing belief amongst the characters. They all quickly accept and then begin to act upon the proposition that Story is a real life fairy-tale creature, come to benefit them and mankind as a whole. Their belief seems too abrupt but it's clear that Shyamalan wanted to dive right into the story. I would have liked just a little more cynicism from the humans though. If he had set the story in the past their immediate acceptance may have been more plausible. But in current day Philadelphia? I just don't see that many folks accepting a fantasy being at face value.
The writing is a good bit more humorous than his past scripts. There are a good many chuckles and even a few laugh out loud moments. Giamatti is in a role tailor made for him and he carries it with no problems. Howard shows a suitable sense of wonder and innocence as Story. The rest of the cast, a fairly large group of characters, are solid as well. Shyamalan writes himself into his largest role to date and does quite well.
Overall I can't say it's a bad movie. The Shyamalan quality alone puts this above most of the competition. However, he has set himself a pretty high standard with his earlier films and this one falls short.