TheDeceased
Ex-Bluelighter
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2000
- Messages
- 1,720
Shyamalan's latest film (which this time he wrote and didn't direct) is "Devil" - a murder mystery with very little mystery. The title of the film tells us straight off that one of the people trapped in the elevator is the Devil (and every blurb/ ad/ synopsis also) but apparently that wasn't enough. They had to also include both a character (the security guard who works at the building) who instantly recognizes the situation (how?) as the Devil personifying himself on earth - AND a voice-over narration explaining that one of them is indeed the Devil and that everyone is going to die by the end of the film. Before the film even begins you know what's going to happen. Not because it's accidentally predictable, but because it puts all it's cards on the table. This technique works sometimes and I guess Shyamalan is doing this to avoid being labelled the "Twist Ending Guy" again - which is understandable - but why the fuck did he do it for a murder mystery? Is he retarded?
He uses the cliche of the lights going out and someone dying to ill effect. In fact, in the context, it's absolutely ridiculous. In old, classic Who-Dunnits the lights would go out and in the resulting chaos someone would die. When the lights came back on there was always a knife sticking out of someone's chest. However ridiculous and unbelievable an event this is, it made some sort of sense. It was possible anyway. In an elevator, it's idiotic. After the first or second time the lights went out and someone died (it happened six times throughout the film), why didn't they work out some method of determining who the murderer was? I was quite stoned while I was watching it, and a little drunk, but that didn't stop me from coming up with a couple of solutions. And I had far less time/ motivation then the people stuck in the elevator. For example, if they knew someone was going to die when the lights went out, why didn't they:
1) all hold hands. That way they would know whoever let go of the circle was the murderer.
2) stand in the corner and repeatedly say their own name. That way you could hear if someone was coming closer to you as their name would get louder and louder.
But, no. They did nothing. They didn't even attempt to come up with a solution. They just said "stay away from me", "don't come near me" every time. And one by one they died - in totally uninspired unimaginative ways. We find out as the film goes on that they are all criminals in some way. They all have done something wrong. ("Saw" anyone?) The Devil is collecting souls in an elevator. The question is who's the Devil? But when you find out who it is, finally, it doesn't make any sense. Usually in the old classic Who-dunnits there are clues that can be linked back. Usually it makes some sense who the murderer is. In Shyamalan's "Devil", the murderer is one of the victims who dies halfway through the film and then just re-appears alive at the end. There are no clues, nothing to think about or work out - just a bunch of murders in an elevator and then a stupid ending...
With, wait for it, another ridiculously absurd co-incidental twist at the end.
Apparently, in the end, Shyamalan couldn't help himself.
He fucking sucks. Fuck his "Devil" in the ass.
He uses the cliche of the lights going out and someone dying to ill effect. In fact, in the context, it's absolutely ridiculous. In old, classic Who-Dunnits the lights would go out and in the resulting chaos someone would die. When the lights came back on there was always a knife sticking out of someone's chest. However ridiculous and unbelievable an event this is, it made some sort of sense. It was possible anyway. In an elevator, it's idiotic. After the first or second time the lights went out and someone died (it happened six times throughout the film), why didn't they work out some method of determining who the murderer was? I was quite stoned while I was watching it, and a little drunk, but that didn't stop me from coming up with a couple of solutions. And I had far less time/ motivation then the people stuck in the elevator. For example, if they knew someone was going to die when the lights went out, why didn't they:
1) all hold hands. That way they would know whoever let go of the circle was the murderer.
2) stand in the corner and repeatedly say their own name. That way you could hear if someone was coming closer to you as their name would get louder and louder.
But, no. They did nothing. They didn't even attempt to come up with a solution. They just said "stay away from me", "don't come near me" every time. And one by one they died - in totally uninspired unimaginative ways. We find out as the film goes on that they are all criminals in some way. They all have done something wrong. ("Saw" anyone?) The Devil is collecting souls in an elevator. The question is who's the Devil? But when you find out who it is, finally, it doesn't make any sense. Usually in the old classic Who-dunnits there are clues that can be linked back. Usually it makes some sense who the murderer is. In Shyamalan's "Devil", the murderer is one of the victims who dies halfway through the film and then just re-appears alive at the end. There are no clues, nothing to think about or work out - just a bunch of murders in an elevator and then a stupid ending...
With, wait for it, another ridiculously absurd co-incidental twist at the end.
Apparently, in the end, Shyamalan couldn't help himself.
He fucking sucks. Fuck his "Devil" in the ass.
