Hollywood and nepotism are two things that go hand in hand it seems. While the concept of nepotism is not new, recently it has gained more traction as more and more people are pointing out how every other actor that gets inducted into the Hollywood regime turns out to be a son, a daughter, a niece or nephew of another Hollywood personality.
M. Night Shyamalan is a name in the directorial world that fans clamor to, especially when it comes to the horror and thriller genre. His movies like The Sixth Sense, Split, Glass, Unbreakable, and so many more have made him a name in the industry. Actors and audiences alike are amazed by his incredible filmmaking, who is known to be one of the very best working in the directorial field in Hollywood. And now, his daughter Ishana Night Shyamalan seems to following in her father’s footsteps, as her debut film The Watchers take to screens.
Ishana Night Shyamalan’s Directorial Debut Is a Nepotism Nightmare
Based on the novel by A. M. Shine of the same name, The Watchers is the directorial debut for Ishana Night Shyamalan. Starring Dakota Fanning in the lead with Georgina Campbell, Olwen Fouéré, and Oliver Finnegan, the movie has been received quite poorly by the critics, with only a 33% score on Rotten Tomatoes so far.
While the reviews don’t deem the movie to be bad, so far, they have been pretty mediocre, with not a lot of great things being said about the direction. Fanning’s performance alongside Campbell is being praised by many, but Ishana Shyamalan hasn’t hit the mark with her debut movie. This doesn’t bode well for the young director, who seems to be walking the line on the nepotism scale.
While she has a knack for good stories, her execution needs work. Although, this is only Shyamalan’s first venture in the directorial world, so hopefully we will get better projects from her in the future, that are not just halfway good, but can hold the attention of the audience till the very end. That has been the biggest issue with The Watchers.
But if we can say one thing, it will be that nepotism is not enough to bring in the numbers anymore. As audiences are getting smarter by the day, they want projects that have grit and substance that can hold their attention, and bring out conversations. And The Watchers is proof that having a famous parent is not the golden ticket to success.
Fans React to Ishana Night Shyamalan’s Debut Movie The Watchers
As it would seem, being the daughter of someone like M. Night Shyamalan does have it’s perks. With his talent in filmmaking, it’s no doubt that his daughter would grow to reap the benefits and learn from one of the bests. And it is not to say that Ishana lacks talent, as for a debut movie, the reviews so far have had some positives. But the overall execution is lacking, and given her novice stature, even if she is the daughter of a filmmaking pro, that is to be expected. Hopefully, with time, gaining more experience will do her good, as she ventures deeper into this world of cinema.
Fans, some of who are looking forward to see The Watchers adaptation, and others who want to see Ishana in her element, both have expressed their eagerness for the movie. Unfortunately, the RT score has put a damper on it. Let’s take a look at what they have to say:
Dude no I was gonna go see this tomorrow
— The Reel Deal (@The_Reel_Deal_) June 6, 2024
Uff not promising.. I was really curious about it 🤞 pic.twitter.com/5XUvB9SUHK
— Box Office Forecast 🎬 (@BoxOfficeFcst) June 6, 2024
Damn.
— The Wealth Dad (@thewealthdad) June 6, 2024
Is it bad or not woke enough? Low critic score means one of those 2 things.
— BigJuicyBootay (@BootayJuicy) June 6, 2024
Continuing the family tradition
— DRAGRIN DRAKE DUKE (@NOAHAN_101) June 6, 2024
Go see it anyway. Form your own opinion. Objective quality isn’t real. I loved this one.
— Jade! (@RigbyGender) June 6, 2024
The Watchers will be released on June 7, 2024.