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Unbreakable (Vista Series)

Unbreakable (Vista Series)

List Price: $19.99
Your Price: $14.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Could have been.....
Review: M. Night Shyamalan was the mind behind "the sixth sense" and this has some similar traits. Bruce Willis plays a character that is troubled and is trying to find his purpose in life. Samuel L Jackson plays a comic book addict, who owns a gallery for those who appreciate "art".

The two are drawn together and so the movie unfolds. The premise of someone being "unbreakable" is laid excellently - it is the way that this is drawn out into a conclusion that leaves you feeling that the movie has been stopped, as opposed to coming to a natural end. The attempt at a "Sixth Sense" type twist as the finale almost works, but once again falls short.

It was so close to being good!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Shyamalan and Willis do it again!
Review: This movie didn't perform as well in the box office as I would have hoped and for one reason. People that went expecting another Sixth Sense were sorely disappointed. Sure it's the same director and one of the same leads, but it's a completely different movie with a very different fell to it. This is more or less a comic book movie handled very maturely. It is the origin story of a superhero with lots and lots of class. It speaks of Dunn's (Willis) troubled home life with wife Robin Wright Penn and son, and how a man (Samuel L. Jackson) changes everything. See, Dunn survives a train wreck in which every other passenger dies and Jackson, who has a rare disease known as Osteogenesis imperfecta which makes his bones very brittle, seeks him out, sensing that something sets Dunn apart. This is a very clever, well written thriller with one of Willis' best performances to date. The pace of the movie is slow, methodical and deliberate, which might bore some audiences, but I found it to be incredible. There is a twist at the end for those who were a fan the Sixth Sense, but this movie is more than an ending, it is a brilliantly crafted character story, handled with maturity and grace, a far step from any comic book movie ever released. Two thumbs up for the movie. The DVD, in a two disc presentation, is pretty solid. The anamorphic widescreen transfer is strong and the sound quality is great. The DVDs are also filled with special features, including a documentary with cast and crew, deleted scenes introduced by Shyamalan, and a documentary on comics and superheroes hosted by Jackson and a multi-angle feature on the ending of the movie. The lack of a commentary by the director or lead actors hurts the overall rating, but still, this DVD is a worthwhile purchase on the merits of the movie alone, the features are just a great bonus.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Why did I ever force myself to watch this?
Review: I, by no means, am skilled as a critic, but even I can see the flaws in this movie. I heard friends say this movie was horrible, but I like The Sixth Sense and decided to give Unbreakable a try. This movie seemed to be developed off of a "wouldn't it be cool if" idea - mixed with a desparate attempt to find a storyline, and Brue Willis tossed in on the side. The story telling is so far-fetched (even with an open mind), and hidiously flawed with the use of the camera. M. Night Shyamalan probably thought he was fairly innovative with his camera techniques, but it felt like it was shot by a ten-year-old. The editing was nerve-wrenching, also. Even at critical points in the story (the school yard scene), the use of the fade completely takes away from the (little)emotion felt. Don't get me wrong; I grew up with comic books, but I don't fall in love with every childish idea I hear. When I hear the name M. Night Shyamalan, I think of a man who tries to make you think, but this movie demands someone whose deep thought is not a strong point. I'm sure Shyamalan did not intend on that to happen - and that is why this movie is a failure.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A new standard in filmaking
Review: There are few filmakers who have such a compelling style that the style is defined in their films: Among them, Kubrik, Spielberg, Lucas; and on a more recent scale, Quentin Tarantino, Spike Lee, and Kevin Smith. What has made those directors so remarkable is their instantly recognizable style. In the Sixth Sense, M. Night Shyamalan defined his style with an intriguing suspensful story filled with twists and clues that lead to an unexpected conclusion. Shyamalan also makes films that don't adhere to the laws of the world; that is, in Sixth Sense, the plot revolves around the supernatural.

Shyamalan clearly shows his unique styling in this followup to Sixth Sense, which is a superhero comic book story thinly disguised as a suspense thriller. However, it is laced with Shyamalan's filmaking leads to a story of heroes and villans. Bringing superheroes to the screen has always proved a mistake in the past. It's glammed up to sell cartoons and toys, as Jackson's character says in the film.

Shyamalan asserts that comic books are part of our society - part of our history. Here, Shyamalan brilliantly develops a sort of theme. There is a point in the film where Willis's character says "I'm just an ordinary man." Straying from the romantic ideas of costumes and overt superpowers like flying and such, Shyamalan tries to show that heroes come in all shapes and sizes and usually don't even know it.

The undeniable brilliance in this film, however, lies in the filmaking. Like Sixth Sense, this film is full of clues and symbols. Shyamalan uses color and objects to lay the groundwork for the ultimate end to the movie. Somethings are very overt, like bright colors representing key characters in the film. Shyamalan is tipping his hat to the key inspiration to this film: comic books.

The rest of the cast and crew puts this film together as well. This film is hard to imagine without Bruce Willis in the main role, who delivers a similar humble approach to his unforgettable role in Sixth Sense. Samuel L. Jackson is equally brilliant in his role as the mysterious character who introduces Willis to his gift. The music also helps create a moody suspensful atmosphere required for such a film.

This film is also fun. Shyamalin is creating a film which prior to Sixth Sense, probably wouldn't have been made. Superhero movies are jokes unless they have high profile actors, big names and special effects to sell (like X-Men for example). Shyamalin is making the movies that a director should make: the stuff he/she loves and thinks is fun. The idea of superheroes is ever compelling and rarely done well in cinema. Shyamalin does it and does it well.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It might not be fast paced, but it is good.
Review: This movie is excellent. The acting is top notch. The character of David Dunn has real human faults. This movie actually portrays the world as it is. Comic books often portray the world as having super villains as the only bad guys and they are quickly caught. This movie deals with the world as it is. It is slow, but that doesn't stop it from being entertaining. The cinematography is superb. Mr. Glass is an exeptional villain. He is sympathetic in the fact that he has a desease that makes his bones extremely fragile. This movie is kinda grim, but isn't that the way humans have made it? We are constantly hearing of crimes being commited. In this movie the hero tries to avoid "his calling". The DVD gets 4 stars. It lacks in special features. I'm suprised they needed a second disk for them. There weren't that many features. But the movie itself is worth the DVD. The 2:35.1 anamorphic format aspect ratio is crystal clear. The cinematography is definitely done some justice with this one. This movie is not "THE SIXTH SENSE", so don't expect it. Like other reviewers have said on this sight, a lot of of people didn't like this movie because it wasn't "THE SIXTH SENSE 2". Did people really expect this to be a photo copy of the former? I'm sorry to burst your bubbles people, but this is not "THE SIXTH SENSE 2". Get over it. This movie is one of the best Super-Hero films ever made. Second to X-Men. This movie is beautifully crafted with plenty of suspense to get you shivering. Enjoy. I heard that this was the first movie of a proposed trilogy. I wonder when the next one will be released.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Simply one of the best out there...
Review: I finally caught Unbreakable last night with a friend and my brothers and I was impressed. The movie kept you second guessing until the very end. Unbreakable has a twist that the movie was sort of like watching the origin of a great hero and a great villian all at the same time. It easily could've been adverstised as an X men movie with Bruce Willis's character discovering everything about himslef within the movie. Really impressive. A must see for all anyone who has or still reading comics.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Everything I always wated comics to be!
Review: This movie is everything I wanted comics to be when I was a comic geek (not that I ever really stopped being a comic geek at heart - there is no going back). 2000 was the year when not just one but two great comic book movies were made: Unbreakable and the X-Men. What seperated these movies from the consistently horrible comic book movie before them, was their respect for what the medium has been able to accomplish. Suddenly, those who had grown up on Frank Miller's Daredevil, the matured X-Men, and The Watchmen are now making movies.

This DVD is a revelation. Ironically, my respect for Night has increased exponentially after seeing his deleted scenes. The scene between Bruce and Robin on their date is brilliantly written in its subtlety. The scene with the young Sam Jackson is absolutely heart-wrenching (especially if you have kids). The documentary about comics is great with Frank Miller in all his ragged glory.

I am generally opposed to buying movies - do we really need more product to blow our money on? Occasionally there are exceptions - Unbreakable is one of them.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: good stuff
Review: the most convincing superhero film i've ever seen. it's use of restraint is highly commendable. i look forward to the rest of the trilogy.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Yikes!
Review: Well, what can I say? They did it with Sixth Sense and now they did it again. Making a great team, Bruce Willis and Director M. Night Shyamalan impress us again as a terrific story is told. The acting is wonderful and the ending is phemonenal. I really think that Shyamalan has a wonderful future ahead of him as he can provoke more thrills and surprises that any other director in Hollywood. The best part about it? He uses no excessive violene, not too much gore and times everything perfectly. Unbreakable is an amazing film with amazing actors and an amazing script. I highly reccomend it. 5/5

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not Sixth Sense and that is a good thing
Review: Unbreakable followed on the heals of M. Night Shyamalan's big hit Sixth Sense. I had seen Sixth Sense on video and disliked it immensely but decided that I would try Unbreakable on DVD.

The movie exceeds Sixth Sense in almost every way. Willis and Jackson give superb performances and the supporting cast is wonderful. Some reviews have commented on the lack of action. I thought the suspense more than made up for the lack of murder and mayhem. For me movies that depend heavily on a child actor succeed or fail largely on that basis for nothing is worse than suffering through a child's poor performance. Here Spencer Treat Clark who plays Willis' son does a magnificient job and adds signficantly to the movie's success.

You really can't talk about the plot in Unbreakable without ruining the ending. The very fact that it can be given away may preclude its purchase because some people only need to see a coin disappear once. However the film is so finely constructed that I am pleased that it is now a part of my DVD collection.

Unbreakable while sharing many attributes of Sixth Sense is not the same movie and from my perspective that makes it a fine and worthwhile movie to watch and own.


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