Ranking M. Night Shyamalan Films from Worst to First

Over the past couple of months, I decided to watch all 15 of M. Night Shyamalan's films. I have been meaning to do this for a while and finally procured enough of the films through sales to do it without spending a bunch of money on rentals. M. Night Shyamalan has a very interesting filmography. He had a very impressive run with The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Signs to start his career, then went through a stint of releasing terrible films, and has since had a bit of a return to form. While not all his movies are great, most of them are at least interesting. He takes big swings with his filmmaking. They may be a swing and a miss, but at least he goes for it. With all that said, here are my thoughts and ranking of M. Night Shyamalan's 15 films.

15. The Last Airbender

It isn't overstating to say that The Last Airbender is one of the worst movies I have ever watched. It is so different than anything else in M. Night's filmography and doesn't capitalize on either his unique directing or the highly successful source material. The movie is boring at best. It takes the story of a 22 episode season of television and crams it all into a 100 minute movie leaving out most of everything that original show so popular. It feels like a movie that is just trying to check off boxes of all of the major plot points of the show. Outside of the crammed nature of the movie, the writing and acting is terrible as well. There is not character work of any kind. The three main character barely even interact with each other even though they are always together. The acting performances are mediocre at best and completely wooden at worst. You can give a pass to the kids as it was probably their first time in a film but the adults were terrible if not even worse than the kids. I have never seen the original show but you can tell that the movie completely missed the mark. Overall, this is a terrible movie that should never have been made and is the low point of M. Night Shyamalan's career.

Score: 2/10 Grade: E

14. After Earth

After Earth is the film that followed the disaster of The Last Airbender and is somehow just as bad. This movie was largely driven by Will Smith to be a starring vehicle for his son and that is what it feels like. Will Smith actually took over the production of the movie restricting M. Night to the camera work and more technical aspects. The bad acting and story was all Will Smith. There is no likability to any of these characters. Jayden Smith's acting is not good which is also because of Will Smith as he was coaching him on his performance but the movie somehow even manages to turn Will Smith's character into a super boring and serious military general who is given nothing to do except stare angrily at his screen. The logic in the movie also makes no sense. The planet freezes over every night but somehow all of the animals and plants still survive. This movie is basically nepotism in movie form. In the end, this is another terrible movie with a bad reason for existing.

Score: 2.5/10 Grade: E

13. The Happening

The Happening is the movie that came out right before the previous two so now we are at three terrible movies in a row. What sets this movie above the others is that it at least has an interesting premise but terrible story and execution and just kind of loops around to having a so bad its good quality to it. The basic idea of a mysterious force causing people to kill themselves in interesting but the actual reveal is so disappointing and unsatisfying. The Happening also has a laughably bad Mark Wahlberg performance where at times it seems like he isn't even trying. The movie is also just full of incredibly stupid characters who just make bad decisions and ultimately die. Mark Walhberg and Zoe DeChannell are bad choices for this movie as they try to bring a lighter mood to a movie that should be dark and thrilling. With everything that went wrong here, it is tough to know where M. Night was going for a goofy disaster film or a serious pandemic thriller but the two do not mix. Overall, this is just bad but at least it is fun bad.

Score: 3/10 Grade: D

12. Lady in the Water

Lady in the Water is the final film in M. Night's Quadrilogy of terrible movies. In this movie, he attempts to be a bit more literary with fantasy concepts and trying to fit the characters in the movie into fantasy archetypes. Unfortunately the movie comes across as more pretentious and boring than anything else. There are way to0 many characters in this as the whole goal is to create a sense of mystery as to who the mysterious writer is and who all the other roles in this prophecy are. A guy that is around for 5 minutes at the beginning of the movie all of a sudden has a major role at the end of the story. It just doesn't work. I also found all of the characters and performances very dull and forgettable. There is absolutely nothing memorable about any of these characters. In the end, this is a film that tries to be literary and deep but ends up being largely bland and forgettable.

Score: 4/10 Grade: D+

11. Wide Awake

Wide Awake is M. Night Shyamalan's first film and also the one that is not like anything else in his filmography. This is the guy that would go to make The Sixth Sense and Signs and starts his career with a family comedy about a kid who goes into a religious crisis when coping with the loss of his grandpa. It is almost as if a different person made this movie. This movie does have a few sweet moments with seeing the kids going through boarding school and the storytelling style. There are also a few moments that made me chuckle but there is nothing really that stands out about this film. The movie also doesn't have much of a storyline holding things together. It jumps around from plot point to plot point as this kid tries different ways to communicate with God and in the end it never really gets resolved. Overall, this is another forgettable movie that feels so different than everything else this director has done.

Score: 5/10 Grade: C

10. Old

Old is point on this list where every movie at least goes for it. This one just doesn't quite land at the end. Old actually starts of pretty good with an interesting set and premise of these people being trapped on a beach and slowly aging. It also builds on the inherent scariness of getting older and all of the hiccups that come with that. There are also solid intense moments where the medical conditions of certain characters take a turn and make things more into a horror movie at times. The movie creates this sense of dread as you don't know how these characters are going to make it out alive. There is also a sense of intrigue throughout the movie as you wonder how this is happening and why these people trapped. However, there are a lot answers and events in the second half of the film that just don't work. There are several moments that are kept from certain characters that just don't make any sense. The big reveal at the end is also a bit unsatisfying and kind of stupid as it answers why these people were brought here but not how the beach is doing this. The reasoning of why these people were brought here also doesn't make a ton of sense as you just feel that they are killing people unnecessarily. In the end, this was more of a return to form for M. Night Shyamalan but the logic and reveals just don't make a lot of sense.

Score: 5.5/10 Grade: C

9. The Village

The Village is the follow-up to the impressive run of The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Signs. This movie has a lot of the same aspects that made those movies great. It establishes an isolated world with interesting characters and introduces us to an intriguing premise that requires investigation. The movie also features a interesting twist that changes your opinion of the village and their elders. This movie also features a stacked cast of Sigourney Weaver, Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrian Brody, William Hurt, and a young Jesse Eisenberg. The story of these young people wanting to see the world beyond their village is also very interesting. The execution is just quite dull. The movie is pretty slow and the most intense moments just aren't enough of the movie to make it interesting. Overall, this movie just didn't maintain my interest. It had all of the ingredients for any interesting movie but the proportions were just off.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

8. Trap

Trap was a movie that I was initially quite disappointed by but have warmed up to over time. I think Josh Hartman does a great job as the lead of the story. He toes the line between being an engaged Dad and an unhinged psycho. I also like how the movie carries this weight of tension throughout the film. We are left on the edge of our seats with how various characters are supposed to get out of the situations they are in. I also like how everything seems to move at a brisk pace. There are never any slow moments to get a break from the tension. Once I had my expectations managed with this movie, it came across as a much better movie to me. Instead of expecting a twist and being disappointed when there isn't one, I find myself enjoying more of the thrill ride. While I have warmed up a bit to the movie, I still think the trailer revealed too much and set the movie back in quality. I think the movie would have been much better had the big reveal happened in the first third of the film instead of in the trailer. I also still think the movie has some serious lapses in logic. The FBI's plan makes no sense and some of the dialogue is a bit on the nose. In the end, I would go a bit more positive on this movie while still having some significant hang-ups with it.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

7. Glass

Glass is M. Night's equivalent to an Avengers type team up movie. It combines the stories of both Unbreakable and Split into a somewhat satisfying finale. I thought it was cool that we got to see Bruce Willis's David Dunn, James McAvoy's Kevin Michael Krumb, and Samuel L Jackson's Elijah Price in a movie together. We get a few fun face offs between the three. I also liked how M. Night flipped the genre on its head a bit and instead of making a huge scale finale battle, opts for a small street level setting. I also thought the whole aspect of the doctor examining their mentality to try and convince them that they are not superheroes to be quite interesting. The biggest issue is that I just found the movie to be a bit disappointing in how everyone is brought together. I was hoping for a lot of interaction between these three characters but instead they are restricted to their rooms alone for a majority of the film. I also found the ending to be a bit disappointing with how they close out these character's stories. Overall, there was a lot that really worked about this movie but I think it also focused to much on the less interesting aspects and also didn't quite land the story in the end.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

6. Knock at the Cabin

Knock at the Cabin was a straightforward and thrilling film. It was able to keep me on the edge of my seat the entire movie just through the suspense of whether the end of the world was actually happening. The film is very simple and easy to follow. It takes place in a self-contained location with little interaction from the outside world. Due to this, the movie has to rely a lot more on the actors' performances. Thankfully, the characters deliver great performances with Dave Bautista giving a stand-out performance. The actors are all able to deliver the perfect emotions and make you feel bad and want to route for everyone involved. The movie itself does a great job of keeping focused on the single question of whether the end of the world is actually happening or if these four strangers are crazy. This question is one the movie answers very effectively. The thing that keeps it from the top 5 is just because the movie is such a one-note film. It strives to only answer a single question and adds no twists or turns along the way. Because of this, I think the movie is too simple for its own good. In the end, this is a very thrilling simple story. However, had it had just a bit more to the overall story, it probably would have been higher on this list.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

5. The Visit

The Visit was a nice return to form as this is the movie that follows up the slog of 4 terrible movies. The movie is M. Night's take on the found footage genre. It also has a little bit of body horror in it and some dark comedy. It is probably one of his funniest movies surprisingly enough. The whole movie centers around these two siblings who are trying to create a documentary while visiting their grandparents. They dynamic between the kids and how they try to make their movie is pretty funny. The movie also adds quite a bit of intrigue to it as weird things with the grandparents keep happening which make you wonder what is actually going on. The twist at the end of the movie is actually one of his more satisfying as it makes everything earlier on in the movie make sense. This is a pretty simple story and thus doesn't have that deeper level that those higher on this film do. But sometimes a simple story does the job perfectly well. Overall, this is a nice return to for for M. Night and gets him back into the genre that made him famous.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

4. Split

Split is the start of the list where we get to see peak Shyamalan. This movie has high intensity, a lot of intrigue and fascinating characters. The movie gives similar vibes to Silence of the Lambs in terms of tension, mystery, and a kidnapped girl spending a lot of time with a unhinged killer. James McAvoy is fantastic in this movie. You get to see his full range of acting as he plays a character with multiple very distinct personalities. You seem him switch voices and styles so seamlessly. His physical performance is also very impressive as each of his personalities carries themselves in a unique way. The Beast is the most impressive as he manages to change himself from a normal guy to a large hulking monster just in how he carries himself. The main thing keeping this out of the top three is the story itself. The most impressive part of the movie is the James McAvoy performance but when you look at the actual story, it is pretty bare bones and simplistic. The three girls seem fairly one dimensional. There is a little bit with the Anya Taylor-Joy character but I think there could have been more. In the end, this is a movie with a very simple story but an impressive performance that elevates it to be a high quality horror thriller.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

3. Unbreakable

Unbreakable is M. Night's take on the superhero genre. This is a very underrated superhero story. It doesn't have the big spectacle that normal superhero films do and is more of a character study of David Dunn and his origin story as he discovers his powers. The story is really interesting as it shows David's powers as subtle enough that you question whether he is actually superpowered or just strong. This is just a great story of becoming as David Dunn grows more into his purpose and actually starts to try saving people. Both Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson are great in this movie. Samuel L Jackson as Elijah Price is such a cool role as you actually get to see him play a new character instead of just a variation of himself. The movie reminds me a lot of The Sixth Sense in terms of style, tone, and scale of the story. This movie is a bit ahead of its time as grounded superheroes stories didn't start to be common until the late 2010's. Overall, this is a very good origin story and showed that M. Night did have the potential for greatness.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

2. Signs

Signs is M. Night's take on the alien invasion genre. This movie takes a science fiction alien invasion story and turns it into a horror movie. They do a great job of making the aliens scary while also minimally showing the alien. There are a lot of very effective high tension moments where a character is looking around and you are on the edge of your seat thinking something is going to jump out. The movie also does a great job of paying off multiple aspects from earlier in the movie that you thought were just irrelevant details. The movie also has some great characters with Mel Gibson being a former Priest that lost his faith after his wife did. This is an interesting idea and brings in some new perspectives on the processing of grief. This is also one of the funnier movies on this list with the kids and Joaquin Phoenix character delivering several funny moments. In the end, this is a great science fiction stories and does a great job of combining aspects from multiple of my favorite genres.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

1. The Sixth Sense

The Sixth Sense is the movie that made M. Nigh Shyamalan famous and is also his best film. This movie manages to blend horror aspects with a small scale drama about a kid struggling to fit in. Bruce Willis is great as this psychologist trying to help a little boy fit in. This movie is also full of iconic moments such as "I see Dead People". It also has one of the greatest movie twists of all time and began the conversation of whether M. Night Shyamalan was going to be the next Steven Spielberg (which crashed and burned as he released more movies). It is also a movie that holds up after knowing the twist as you view the film in a completely different perspective. I knew the big reveal going into the movie (it is hard to avoid spoilers for an iconic almost 30 year old movie) and still thought the movie was a top tier film. This film is a masterclass at providing subtle nods that build to a big reveal later. Overall, this a great movie that made put M. Night on the map and remains one of his best films.

Score: 9/10 Grade: A