Master Director M. Night Shyamalan: 14 Movies You Should Watch Without Blinking

There are, of course, quite a few directors who have gone from amateur filmmaking to creating commendable productions. However today; We’re talking about a director whose biggest failures and most successful productions are major box office hits, who also takes over the production and writing of the films he makes. He stands out for his fast-paced films that tell even the most complex stories in a way that audiences can easily absorb. There is only one director who provides all these possibilities: M. Night Shyamalan.

After watching the director’s famous movie Split, you might want to take a look at this article: Remove the question marks! Split (fragmented) film analysis with all unknowns

M. Night Shyamalan and his cinematic life

Shyamalan, who has been directing feature films since 1992 and producing occasional box office productions, achieved his most important commercial and artistic success with The Sixth Sense. The success of The Sixth Sense brought Shyamalan more money, fame and Hollywood influence than any director in his 20s could have imagined. And with the lessons he learned from The Sixth Sense (one of which was definitely the unexpected endings and twists of events), he continued on his way, bringing films such as Unbreakable, Signs and The Village to market in subsequent years. years.

After starting to get bad reviews for films such as Lady in the Water, The Apparition, The Last Airbender and After Earth, M. Knight added a new milestone to his career with the release of the second film in a trilogy that will continue the Unbreakable genre. “. in 2016. In addition to The Sixth Sense, which grossed approximately $700 million; M. Knight, who won the hearts of psychological thrillers with his trilogy “Invulnerable”, “Shattered” and “Glass”, owes this interest to his original directorial style.

Directing style of M. Night Shyamalan

The films of M. Night Shyamalan are felt both during production and during viewing; There are certain features of the signature. As we just stated; such as unexpected endings, twisted corners… Shyamalan, who went on a new and experimental quest with the knowledge he gained from his directing experience; continues to maintain the unpredictability of his films today. Another feature of M. Night Shyamalan’s film is that it hides some basic elements from the viewer and leaves question marks in questions that can be interpreted by the viewer, as well as plot twists and gaps in the script.

To these characteristic features, in addition to color and angles, one can add the fact that she does not establish a connection between the actor and the script from a didactic point. Because Shyamalan doesn’t give the lead actors the notes and data from the script during filming, instead he lets the actors develop their own unique acts according to the script.

M. Night Shyamalan, who has extensive experience in casting, produces films that mainly belong to the psychological thriller genre, which should be avoided by tense and “simple”; by enduring this with a plot that will not be confusing and the number of characters and locations kept to a minimum, he opens a window for his audience to “immerse himself” in the film they are watching.

Hitchcock’s MacGuffin is an important film element for M. Night Shyamalan, who clearly bears the influence of the world famous master director Hitchcock and uses the concepts he uses in his films. This concept, which McGuffin first revealed to the film world in Hitchcock’s 1941 film Suspicion, is the name of the mysterious package in the aforementioned film. At the end of the story, this plot tool stands out in that it changes everything we think we know about the events that led up to it; it is also the result of the care and purpose of keeping the audience vigilant.

Today we will introduce the world of cinema with 14 films of this interesting title. Enjoy reading…

1. The Last Airbender – The Last Airbender (2010) – IMDB: 4.0

The Last Airbender, which was shown among the worst films of the year and was critically panned despite its box office gross of $310 million; This is an adaptation of an episode of the animated series Avatar about the adventures of Aang, the latest in a long line of airbenders, who must master all four elements and prevent the Fire Nation from enslaving the Realm of Water and Earth.

2. After Earth – Earth is a New Beginning (2013) – IMDB: 4.8

Kitai Rage and her father Cypher as a result of a crash landing during a spaceship flight; Approximately one thousand years after the events that caused humanity to flee Earth, they are stuck on Earth. After Cypher is injured, Kitai embarks on a perilous journey to find someone who can help. Starring Will Smith and his son, now-famous rapper Jaden Smith, this action and sci-fi film received generally negative reviews from viewers and critics. The film, which nearly doubled its massive $130 million budget, grossed around $250 million.

3. Happening – Mystical Event (2008) – IMDB: 5.0

Elliot Moore, a science teacher, with his wife, Alma, and an out-of-family young girlfriend, Jess; He is trying to save himself from a plague infection that drives patients to suicide. Will this group, which has no other means than to produce some kind of predictions and theories, be able to save a life? Nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Horror Film, the film grossed over $160 million against its $60 million budget.

4. Lady in the Water – Girl in the Water (2006) – IMDB: 5.5

Lady in the Water, which barely managed to cover its $70 million budget at the box office; It is a fantasy drama and detective film that managed to be included in the list of 10 best films of 2006 by Cahiers du Cinéma. The film opens with Cleveland Heep, an apartment inspector, rescuing what he thought was a young woman from a swimming pool he was tending. When he learns that he is in fact a character trying to return home from a fairy tale, it will take the efforts of the entire team to protect him from the creatures who decided to leave him in our world.

5. Old is a prisoner of time (2021) – IMDB: 5.8

Happy family on vacation, on a deserted beach where they rest for a short time; When they realize that this is somehow causing them to age rapidly, they are confronted with the idea that their remaining life will fit into one day. Nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Thriller, the production quintupled its $18 million budget and grossed $90 million.

6. Awakening – Awakening (1998) – IMDB: 5.9

Fifth grader Joshua embarks on a journey in search of God after the death of his grandfather. On his journey, he will run from adventure to adventure at Waldron Academy, an all-boys school, and meet a sports-loving nun who will accompany him on this journey. This comedy-drama film is one of the early works of M. Night Shyamalan.

7. Visit – Visit (2015) – IMDB: 6.2

Childhood siblings Becca and Tyler; They go to grandparents whom they have never met or even seen. Their mothers cannot accompany them as they have a bad family history. The children soon learn that their grandparents have a dark, deadly secret. Despite a budget of only $5 million, the film grossed around $100 million. The Visit was nominated for two Saturn Awards, including Best Horror Film.

8. Knock on the hut – Click the hut (2023) – IMDB: 6.4

A couple on vacation and their adopted little girl are apprehended by four strangers who claim to have taken them captive to prevent the apocalypse and are in possession of a unique weapon that they say serves a very special purpose. The film, which was released at the end of January 2023 and is still running today, has grossed over $50 million so far.

9. Village – Village (2004) – IMDB: 6.6

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Score and ranked #2 on Cahiers du Cinéma’s “Top 10 Movies of 2004” list, The Village had a massive $60 million budget and over $250 million in box office receipts. The film is about the emotional connection of a loving couple in an abandoned village and what they can do for love.

10. Glass (2019) – IMDB: 6.6.

It is the latest in a trilogy he created with Glass, Unbreakable and Split that grossed around $250 million despite a $20 million budget. movie; It starred James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, Anna Taylor-Joy and Samuel Jackson and was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Action Adventure. A former security guard begins watching a criminal with over 20 personalities using their supernatural powers.

11. Signs (2002) – IMDB: 6.8

Signs, a box office success of over $400 million despite its massive $72 million budget, was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Sci-Fi Film Starring Mel Gibson.

Reverend Graham Hess questions his faith and leaves the church after losing his wife in a horrific accident. Six months later, he discovers huge crop circles in his garden. Is it just a prank, an ominous sign from above, or a harbinger of fate that transcends the little life of Graham Hess?

12. Split – Fragments (2016) – IMDB: 7.3

Budgeted at 30 times its $9 million budget and hitting hard at the box office, Split is a strong film with 2 Saturn Award nominations including Best Thriller. With its masterful cast of James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy and Betty Buckley, Split was also included in Cahiers du Cinéma’s Top 10 Films of 2017 list.

Three young women are abducted by a man with multiple personality disorder. The only way out of this slavery is to find the identities of the criminal who has 23 identities and who can free them. However, when the future of “The Beast”, the criminal’s 24th personality, is heralded by other personalities; Things will get a lot more terrifying for this trio.

13. Invincible – Immortal (2000) – IMDB: 7.3

The film, which was a major box office success and is M. Night Shyamalan’s second directorial success, is the first in a trilogy continuing with Split and Glass. The film stars Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson; After seeing something rather extraordinary about himself after a devastating accident, David Dunn must make sense of his own existence in the midst of a situation where the only data he has is a seemingly insane theory.

14. The Sixth Sense – The Sixth Sense (1999) – IMDB: 8.2

With a cast of Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams and young talent of the day Hayley Joel Osment, The Sixth Sense is the production that propelled M. Night Shyamalan to the top and still maintains its place in the Top 250 list. according to IMDB. . The film, which was nominated for 6 Oscars and 3 BAFTAs, including Best Picture, won 2 Saturn Awards, including Best Horror Film.

Cole, a 9-year-old Philadelphia boy with alleged psychic powers, is his last hope for Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist who has lost faith in himself and his job. Crowe, who spends all his time helping this boy who claims to have seen the dead, begins to suspect something. Because the facts go beyond what is seen in the book.