Reviewed by Johnny McNair 

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment – 102 minutes – 2000 – Rated PG-13 – 1080p Widescreen 2.35:1 – Uncompressed 5.1 PCM audio mix

When Director M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense was released in 1999 it was a monster hit that literally came out of nowhere, taking in $670 million dollars worldwide and instantly placing Shyamalan on the A-List in Hollywood. Buzz immediately surrounded what his next film would be, attaching his name to every project available. Many thought it would be a sequel to the Sixth Sense, since Bruce Willis was once again named as the star of the new film. But instead, Shyamalan chose to go in another direction and make the film Unbreakable, which didn’t get the instant praise that Sixth Sense did, with audiences divided into either hating it or loving it. Personally, I consider Unbreakable to be Shyamalan’s best film to date, and a better superhero movie than most of the actual films based on existing comic book characters. Unbreakable is available on high definition Blu-ray form Walt Disney Home Entertainment and for those who have never seen this film, you’re in for something special.

THE MOVIE

Unbreakable is about two men who have never met, but their paths will cross because it is an act of destiny due to their unique abilities. David Dunn (Bruce Willis) is security guard in a fading marriage, and a crippled relationship with his son, but his life dramatically changes when he becomes the only survivor of a train wreck that kills thousands, but he walks away without a single scratch.

Elsewhere, Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) is a lonely man who suffers from a disease he was born with, that makes his bones so brittle that the simplest motion can break them. When Elijah learns that David was the lone survivor of this accident, he tracks him down and begins to question him. He asks him has he ever been sick a day in his life? Has he ever been physically hurt? Can he sense when something is wrong around him?

David begins to ponder these questions, realizing that he actually has never been sick, or physically hurt in any way in his life. He then begins to act on these actions, testing himself. He notices that he has greater strength than he realized, and when he’s in a crowd he can feel who has dangerous intentions. Is he really super human? Or is this just a string of coincidences to brighten his normally mundane world? When David senses that children are in danger, he trails a suspicious suspect leading to what may be the final answer to all his questions, but it could also lead to his death if he’s wrong.

One of the best thing about Unbreakable is that Shyamalan managed to direct a convincing comic book movie without the use of a single special effect shot. The entire film is one big character piece that if you give it a chance will draw you in. Let’s face it; we all believe there’s something more in us than what we actually project on a daily basis. Unbreakable dives into that concept in a different manner than what you’ve seen in the X-men or Spider-Man movie; omitting the escapism to focus on the human aspect of powers and what must be done with them.

Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson have paired together on screen several times, and it works because there’s a true chemistry between them. You can watch these guys interact with each other for hours because they’re both good actors who absorb themselves into the characters they’re portraying. Credit must also be given to the supporting cast featuring Robin Wright Penn as Willis’ unhappy wife, who is suffering in their marriage, and Spencer Treat Clark as the son who slowly begins to realize that maybe his dad is something more than just a security guard.

Unbreakable is not perfect and has some odd plot points, but whether you like it or not like is based on how you approach it. Most saw the film right after The Sixth Sense and were expecting another Shyamalan creepy thriller, but became very disappointed by what Unbreakable turned out to be. For them I say try watching the film again eight years to see if there’s more you can get out. For everyone else who’s seeing it for the first time, especially comic book fans, Unbreakable may offer you a lot more than expected. Originally, the film was supposed to be the first of a trilogy, but because of the low box office results in comparison with The Sixth Sense, we will never know what happens next.

VIDEO

Unbreakable is presented in full 1080p with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and while it’s not the Blu-ray disc you’d show off to convince someone to upgrade from regular DVD, it’s a solid transfer. Shyamalan purposely gave the film a dark and cold look, with no bright daylight scenes or standout colors. Even flesh tones don’t appear to be completely natural, but it fits the mood of the film. Blacks are strong, and even though there are hints of grain, it’s still a good picture quality.

AUDIO

Pumping out an uncompressed 5.1 PCM audio mix, Unbreakable offers excellent sound design where ambient effects shine. This is a dialogue heavy film, but you’ll be surprised how much use your speakers will get. Moments like the stadium or train station scenes where there are crowd noises sound completely natural, and when an intense scenario occurs you may actually jump, as an instant audio note will burst out of your speaker. Overall, a good sound mix that makes the film a much more enjoyable experience.

EXTRAS

The extras are a bit of a let down because they’re basically the same stuff that was ported over from the original DVD release that are all standard definition and look sort of washed out on an HDTV.

There is no director’s commentary track, because Shyamalan follows the Steven Spielberg policy of “I don’t do that.”

There’s a 15 minute Behind the Scenes piece on Unbreakable, which is basically a “let’s kiss M. Night Shyamalan’s butt” festival, where everyone (including Shyamalan himself) discusses how he’s a genius and The Sixth Sense was the greatest film ever made, and it’s an honor to be blessed to work with him on this film. In between there some info on the conception of the movie; you just have to savior those moments.

‘Comic Books and Superheroes’ is a 20 minute featurette that is the main highlight of the extras, especially if you’re a comic book fan. The mythology of heroes in comics and how they’ve evolved over the years is broken down into simple structures, and though there’s so much more to go into on the subject, it’s a perfect piece to compliment the film.

There are about 30 minutes featuring seven deleted scenes, and Shyamalan explains why each was cut. Most are pretty obvious because they’re just talking head stuff that, but there are one or two scenes that you may believe should have remained in the final cut.

‘The Train Station Sequence’ is an interactive feature that allows you to switch between the storyboards and the actual footage of the train sequence to see how it plays out.

Shyamalan has also included one of his First Fight Sequences from a short film he did as a kid. It’s cute because now he gets paid millions to do this, but most may not even make it through its three minute running time.

BOTTOM LINE

Shyamalan was hungry and eager to prove himself when he made The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, and it shows compared to his later films where he seems to have lost his edge. So please eliminate his accidents on films like The Lady in the Water and The Village and give Unbreakable a look. Even if you’re just going to rent it, you may be convinced to buy it once you seen it. And for all you comic geeks out there, you know you’re going to buy this Blu-ray whether you want to admit it to your friends or not.

SCORES (Out of 5):

The Movie: 4.5

Video: 3.5

Sound: 3.5

Extras: 3.5

Bottom Line: 4.0