Few directors inspire more ire than M. Night Shyamalan. Famed for his twists and turns, Shyamalan’s meteoric rise can only be matched by his shocking fall. There was a moment when he was framed as the next Steven Spielberg. Unfortunately, a string of poor movies left many unwilling to engage with his future hits. Whether he’s inconsistent or very particular, Shyamalan has survived in Hollywood, with Trap becoming movie number 16 in his storied career. We’re ranking his movies with Trap‘s release, and helping put your expectations in check.
16. The Last Airbender (2010)
One of the most frustrating blockbusters of the last thirty years, Shyamalan proved the wrong choice from the jump. He tried to put his stamp on the series, and failed in pretty much every way. Poor visuals and poor acting (aside from Asiv Mandvi & Dev Patel) killed any chance of a franchise. Beyond that, the screenplay struggles to communicate simple ideas. Shyamalan feels bored making the movie. The cast appears disinterested. All of this combined makes The Last Airbender one of the most shocking disasters of Shyamalan’s career.
15. After Earth (2013)
Another low point for Shyamalan came in the form of a for-hire directing gig. Nothing about After Earth feels relevant to his interests. The story is bad, but that seems more on Will Smith’s shoulders. Jaden does himself few favors, but this is where the blame has to fall on Shyamalan. For a director who once excelled with young performers, After Earth seemingly destroyed any credibility he had left.
14. Wide Awake (1998)
An uneven comedy starring Rosie O’Donnell and Denis Leary misses the mark. Frankly, it’s too saccharine for its own good, and at the same time, it’s rather boring. Wide Awake feels like the movie he was forced to make in order to prove he could take studio notes. The result is a nothing-burger of a movie. Any ideas about faith that he explores here, he does with more nuance in later movies.
13. The Happening (2008)
One watches The Happening and cannot help but wonder if a different cast would fix this one. In one of his first Twilight Zone-inspired flicks, Shyamalan forced audiences to imagine a world where plants released pheromones that caused humans to commit suicide. The Mark Wahlberg and Zoey Deschenel performances kill the movie, but Shyamalan’s visuals border on excellence. Too much exposition and some annoying quirks further hurt The Happening. In many ways, Knock at the Cabin is the ideal version of this story.
12. Lady in the Water (2006)
A movie with this much creativity should be celebrated. Also, Paul Giamatti and Bob Balaban are too good for this story. Unfortunately, the narrative collapses on itself. It’s not a surprise that Lady in the Water is based on a series of bedtime stories Shyamalan told his kids. The silly vibes are quickly disrupted by Shyamalan casting himself as a character that will change the world. Lady in the Water is too self-aggrandizing for its own good.
11. Praying with Anger (1992)
I’m still not a huge fan of Praying with Anger, but its raw emotion is intriguing. Questions about faith resonate today. Perhaps most surprisingly, his focus on who we are in the context of society and family are the most poignant. There’s something in this debut that’s hard to shake, and we’re giving the visuals a slight pass. After all, the copies available to watch on YouTube look like a conversion of a destroyed VHS tape. Thankfully, Shyamalan did not cast himself in the lead role of future films, because he’s very flat in this one.
10. Glass (2019)
With the Shyamalan renaissance completed with Split, audiences got very excited for Glass. Unfortunately, the true sequel to Unbreakable could never live up to the hype. While Jackson and McAvoy remain excellent, Shyamalan’s structure remains frustrating. It falters on the lethargic second act, which seemingly tries to gaslight audiences who have already watched two full movies about their abilities. In a new series without that background, it might work. However, it does not in this movie. Glass slips, and as a result, it’s perhaps his most frustrating flick.
9. Trap (2024)
A great Josh Harnett does his best to lift Trap into the top tier of Shyamalan’s filmography. Unfortunately, the director lets him down, especially in the final act. A great cat-and-mouse game comes undone with an overly-long third act that stretches credibility. Unfortunately, Shyamalan’s daughter – Saleka Shyamalan – does not have the juice to make these scenes work. However, even after she’s gone from Trap, the struggles continue for almost another twenty minutes. Very disappointing given his recent trajectory.
8. Old (2021)
Jokes about “beaches that make you old” were everywhere in 2021. However, one of the best encapsulations of his Twilight Zone era thrives on an emotional level. Gabriel Garcia Bernal and Vicky Kreips deliver powerful performances, especially when they reach elder status. Their time together is the highlight of the movie, and the willingness of corporate greed to overshadow human life remains a powerful message.
7. Knock at the Cabin (2023)
Last year’s entry into the Shyamalam canon proved shockingly effective. A brilliant Dave Bautista got his flowers. The story showcased some heartbreaking tragedies. It also proved exceptionally taunt as a thriller. We’re fully on the side of good movies, and Knock at the Cabin does not trust it’s audience or reach the highs of the rest of the filmography. Still, Shyamalan’s finally caught up with the brilliance of his first breakthroughs, and it’s amazing to see that return to form completed.
6. Split (2016)
A scary little flick, Split rules because of James McAvoy’s electric performance. The actor turns up the commitment in each of his characters and crafts a shockingly nuanced centerpiece for Split. While the movie embraces some junk science, understanding the ties to comic book culture and Unbreakable makes this somewhat forgivable. After all, “The Beast” is a comic book villain, and until recently, comics rarely explained these diagnoses with grace. That pass may not fly with some, but it’s undeniably the approach Shyamalan took.
5. The Visit (2015)
The choice to tackle found footage seemed odd for Shyamalan. However, he proved quickly adept in the medium, especially with a strong cast. Kathryn Hahn helps get The Visit on its feet, but Shyamalan develops tension without issue. It’s one of the best Blumhouse movies, bar none, and The Visit lands some extraordinary scares. It’s certainly not without its flaws (the rapping), but The Visit grounded Shyamalan to embrace his artistic visuals once more. We’ve been reaping the benefits ever since.
4. The Village (2004)
For all the hype surrounding The Village, few can say it fell short. An incredible ensemble gets plenty to do. There are two things that hold this movie back: the ending and Adrian Brody. Perhaps the worst aspect of Shyamalan’s reputation was his shift to becoming the “twist guy.” This was the first time it truly didn’t work, and a lot of that falls on Shyamalan’s poor writing in the final act.
However, with a less egregious role and performance from Brody (who had just won an Oscar), The Village would earn top-two consideration. The Roger Deakins cinematography and performance from Bruce Dallas Howard keep it in the upper tier. With gorgeous costumes and set design, The Village represents the full package of what he can be as a filmmaker. However, the movie’s downfalls are too great to overshadow.
3. Signs
The real power of Signs stems from its combination of freaky monsters and philosophical gravitas. Setting this story around a man struggling with faith made Signs one of Shyamalan’s most honest films. Choosing Gibson also proved important to Signs‘ success, as the actor turned director would only continue to embrace his own in the years to come. Signs also gave Shyamalan his scariest film to date, with many of us still nursing the trauma of an alien walking past a camera. While the ending becomes the weakest aspect of the story, Shyamalan’s introspection has never felt more poignant than in Signs.
2. The Sixth Sense
One of the most unique movies in Bruce Willis’ career also proved his enduring starpower. For Shyamalan, it was the breakthrough into the mainstream that made him a superstar. The performances from Haley Joel Osment and Toni Collette are incredible, and both deserved Oscar nominations in 1999. With a killer screenplay and brilliant direction, it made for a nearly impossible feat to repeat. Shyamalan taps into the crowd-pleasing aspects of The Sixth Sense, but most importantly of all, it’s a beautiful story of forgiving oneself.
1. Unbreakable (2000)
For years we wanted sequels for Unbreakable because the story was stunning. However, the first film in the Eastrail 177 trilogy stands alone as one of the best superhero films ever made. Unbreakable features gorgeous cinematography, incredible pathos, and one of Bruce Willis’ best performances. One of the most complex movies in his filmography helped Shyamalan rise to the top of the industry. It’s one of the only early films he made without a twist, yet the reveal around Mr. Glass confirmed Unbreakable’s greatness.
Watch Trap in theaters on August 2, 2024. Universal distributes.
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