You may not be able to pronounce M. Night Shyamalan, but you sure know his films. M. Night Shyamalan burst on the scene in 1999 with a little film called The Sixth Sense. This film introduced us to the director/writer’s unique style and so began a series of films with his supernatural plots and twist ending.
Unbreakable was Shyamalan’s follow up to The Sixth Sense and reunited him with lead actor Bruce Willis. The movie centers around David Dunn (Bruce Willis), a troubled security guard, husband and father to a son, who struggles to find meaning after he is a lone survivor of a horrific train crash. Shortly after the crash, he is befriended by Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson). Price suffers from a rare disease called Type I osteogenesis imperfecta. It makes him very fragile and can break his bones very easily to the point that he has earned the nick name through the years as, “Mr. Glass”. Price is an avid comic book reader and has concluded that if he is at one extreme end of the spectrum then there must be someone out there at the other end. After reading of Dunn’s survival he is convince he has found such a person. So begins the story of truth, redemption and justice.
Now available on blu-ray, Unbreakable looks better then ever and is an improvement to the standard DVD version. It’s interesting that Unbreakable is the first blu-ray release of a M. Night Shyamalan film. Perhaps it comes down to the simple reason that there is no exclusive blu-ray bonus content that wasn’t also found on the standard DVD edition. Blu-ray is still a knew medium and although the original extras were more than enough to originally satisfy, the studios need to realize that consumers need an incentive to repurchase the same movie. There’s no question any movie on blu-ray is going to look better, but unless it’s one of those movies you are obsessed with, you probably aren’t going to rebuy it with out new bonus material. I suspect since they have not announced a release date for The Sixth Sense on blu-ray, that when they do it will have blu-ray exclusive content. Otherwise, why not release them in order?
Still with that said, the bonus material is worth checking out. M. Night Shyamalan is very passionate about filmmaking and in turn, the DVD’s of his films go into the process. There are two documentaries, one in the making of the film and another into the actual comic book artists. Both are well made and informative.
Another bonus feature, is an in-depth look into the Train Sequence. By toggling back and forth between the film and the original storyboards, you can compare the original idea and the final execution of the pivotal scene. I could not get this to work on my player. You are instructed to use the angle button but unless I’m an idiot, it does not appear I have this button on my remote. Which is too bad, but I suspect there are better ways of utilizing this feature in the blu-ray technology that would be a superior experience.
We are also offered over a half an hour of deleted scenes. All are introduced by Shyamalan and help to give us a better idea of why they work and why they were ultimately cut out of the final cut.
Last but not lease, is a feature entitled “Night’s First Fight Sequence”. Which is not from Unbreakable, but a film called Millionaire he made as a child. Shyamalan introduces this feature and talks about the experience and just how bad (yet enjoyable) it is to watch. The feature is silly but shows you how far he has come.
Unbreakable is one of those stories that you either enjoy this type of genre or you don’t. Personally I found this to be a much stronger and in turn more enjoyable film then The Sixth Sense. If you are a fan of the show Heroes then Unbreakable is a film for you. Even though there are no new extras, Unbreakable looks great and is a perfect addition to you growing blu-ray collection.
Powered by AkoComment 2.0!
Entertainment
Art
Special Features
