The same old same old: dull and recycled, with no surprises.
– Rex Reed,
New York Observer,
8 Aug 2002
rotten:
Shyamalan wants to be the metaphysical poet of movies, but he's dangerously close to becoming its O. Henry.
– Peter Rainer,
New York Magazine/Vulture,
11 Aug 2002
fresh:
A refreshing summer movie.
– David Ansen,
Newsweek,
12 Aug 2002
fresh:
Shyamalan is technically a superb film-maker, for all that he's picked up most of his tricks from Spielberg and Hitchcock.
– Derek Adams,
Time Out,
24 Jun 2006
rotten:
Individual sequences generate an eerie tension that's always deflated, creating a jarring stop-and-go rhythm, and the atmospheric trickery never strays beyond a lot of smoke and mirrors.