Joey Magidson
M. Night Shyamalan is the rare breed of filmmaker where everyone has a strong opinion about his work. Whether you love or hate them, people think about and engage with his films. Shyamalan has notably had career highs and lows, with movies contending for awards, as well as works that elicited ridicule. With Trap now in theaters, it seemed like a perfect time to look at the auteur’s resume and stack up his flicks.
Below, you can see my ranking of Shyamalan’s work. Note, this is published sans Trap, as Warner Bros. opted not to screen the movie for critics. Myles has seen the film and reviewed it here, but if/when I get to it, I’ll either update this list or include it in a follow-up piece. As for what’s on my list, it’s no secret that The Sixth Sense is his best work. From there, it’s really a different ranking for everyone. He’s proven divisive, yet there’s always an interest in what he’s got up his sleeve next. Take a look.
Here now is how I would rank (almost all of) the films of M. Night Shyamalan. Behold:
14. The Happening
13. After Earth
12. The Last Airbender
11. Glass
10. Lady in the Water
9. Split
8. Old
7. Wide Awake
6. The Village
5. The Visit
3. Unbreakable
2. Signs
1. The Sixth Sense
What are your M. Night Shyamalan rankings? Let us know!
Myles talked about this in his review of Trap, so I won’t go over the whole argument again in detail, but I’ve become only more convinced than ever that even though he is technically the same person, the Academy Award-nominated Hollywood wunderkind whose reputation as one of the industry’s brightest stars rose and fell spectacularly over the course of just under fifteen years and the scrappy B-movie IDAFAnymore schlockmeister who rose from those ashes are two very different filmmakers.
So if I were to split up your rankings of those two filmmakers, here’s what it would look like:
Rise And Fall Hollywood “The Next Steven Spielberg!” Wunderkind Shyamalan
9) The Happening
8) After Earth
7) The Last Airbender
6) Lady in the Water
5) Wide Awake (admittedly, this one doesn’t neatly fit into either camp)
4) The Village
3) Unbreakable
2) Signs
1) The Sixth Sense
Rise Again B-Movie “The Next Lloyd Kaufman!” Phoenix Shyamalan
5) Glass
4) Split
3) Old
2) The Visit
1) Knock at the Cabin
Fascinating breakdown!