I enjoyed it as I have enjoyed all of Night's films (with the exception of 'After Earth', but I attribute the lesser quality of that film to too much Will Smith influence).
So many folks absolutely adored 'The Sixth Sense'.
I liked it very much, but as a longtime fan of the horror/supernatural/fantasy genre, I think that Sixth Sense was heralded by so many so much more than his later films because it was mainstream accessible. Night found with that film just the right balance of a good story well-played AND accessibility.
Plus he was able to appeal to folks who weren't such diehard fans of the genre (e.g., Granny down the street who would rarely watch other films of that genre absolutely fell in love with Sixth Sense); many folks were SO taken with some plot devices in that film, but that were already fairly well-known to fans of the genre, and is one of the reasons there ARE fans of that genre. In other words, some folks 'broke cherry' on that film, so there was a novel appeal. If some newbies really liked it primarily because of the 'novelty', then he could only be bound to fail in their eyes with later works because novelty by definition cannot be repeated.
So, these same folks pan later films & some criticize Night mercilessly and I feel unjustly so. He can't make another 'Sixth Sense' (there is only one and rightly so) anymore than someone can again have a 'first' experience.
His other films have interesting stories, unique plots, moving musical scores, wonderful cinematography, and I love the ways the stories arc and crescendo to the end.
I just hope he keeps making films.
And, I personally don't mind his films being appreciated by fewer folks who GET them (and this is not my being pretentious here), so long as he remains able and willing to continue to make films.
Many of my favorite bands and films are not always widely appreciated by the masses.
I really am not trying to unfairly *diss* the mainstream here, but one look at what passes as 'popular' entertainment in both TV and film, even despite humongous budgets, leaves a lot to be desired.
Night remains one of my favorite directors and modern day storytellers.
~~ The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means ~ ~ Oscar Wilde
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