Unbreakable

Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
Released: November 2000
Starring: Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson and Robin Wright Penn
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Did anyone else not realise that Unbreakable is a prequel to Split?

As soon as we found out, we got our hands on the DVD since we loved Split so much.

You can tell it is an M. Night Shyamalan film immediately. The looooooong shots, the reflections in televisions and glass… The list goes on – it’s very Shyamalan-y.

Unbreakable is about David (Bruce Willis) who discovers he’s invincible. He’s essentially a superhero. So this is the story about him coming to terms with this, and discovering his arch enemy – something ever superhero must have.

Doctor: To answer your question, there are two reasons why I’m looking at you like this. One, because it seems in a few minutes you will officially be the only survivor of this train wreck, and two, because you didn’t break one bone. You don’t have a scratch on you.

The film is an arduous journey. It’s a long, slow arch that takes you on an epic journey, very… very… very… slowly…

I thought, because of this, Unbreakable must have have been made well before The Sixth Sense, as Unbreakable felt a little less complex, and it looked a bit ‘basic’.

Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson): Do you know what the scariest thing is? To not know your place in this world, to not know why you’re here. That’s – that’s just an awful feeling.

The casting for The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable are very similar – I can only assume Hayley Joel Osment was not available, because Shyamalan found his doppelgänger, Spencer Treat Clark.

Just like every other Shyamalan film, he makes an appearance – keep an eye out for him!

If you’re a comic book fan, you’ll probably enjoy the nuances of the comic-inspired characters, and will be happy to endure the long pauses and dialogue-heavy scenes.

Elijah Price: It’s alright to be afraid, David, because this part won’t be like a comic book. Real life doesn’t fit into little boxes that were drawn for it.

It was good, but not great. I like Bruce Willis, and I like Shyamalan films, but this wasn’t their best work. (The Village is still my favourite film by this director.)

Nevertheless, it’s an interesting backstory to Split. It fills the holes in a bit.

Keep an eye out for the third instalment: Glass.

Jodie’s rating: 5/10

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