There’s a lot that has and can be said aboutM. Night Shyamalan, who made a name for himself as a director at the tail end of the 1990s and has continued working within the world of film ever since. For better or worse, his style is distinct and nearly impossible to replicate. Many of his movies are psychological thrillers, he’s renowned (and sometimes criticized) for his shocking narrative twists and turns, and plenty of his films have a strange, understated, and sometimes even uncanny feel to them.
It’s easy to see why he has both fans and detractors, and similarly understandable why there are also people who fall between these two camps, potentially liking some movies of his while disliking others. Essentially, his filmography is inconsistent, and some of his films are very divisive.Therefore, no one’s going to rank them quite the same way. Instead of being disappointed at the ranking to follow, maybe all can come together to recognize how everyone contributes to this lack of consensus. Perhaps that’s wishful thinking, but it would be a good twist.
16’The Last Airbender' (2010)
Starring: Noah Ringer, Dev Patel, Nicola Peltz Beckham
Avatar: The Last Airbenderis up there as one of the most beloved animated shows of the 21st century so far, which meant that the live-action film adaptation had a lot to live up to. Somewhat unusually, M. Night Shyamalan was the director of this adaptation (despite not having directed a ton of adventure/action/fantasy movies), and the film came out very soon after the original series ended.It also, notoriously, condensed a good deal of story into too lean a runtime.
And that’s only a brief rundown of the problems withThe Last Airbender, a movie that doesn’t really work if you’re not a fan of the original show and will likely prove somewhat offensive tothose who are big fans of the show. There are questionable creative decisions here that could be attributed to Shyamalan, but perhaps the whole project was doomed regardless of director, owing to that condensation of narrative and the release’s proximity to the show’s initial airing.
The Last Airbender
Follows the adventures of Aang, a young successor to a long line of Avatars, who must master all four elements and stop the Fire Nation from enslaving the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom.
15’After Earth' (2013)
Starring: Jaden Smith, Will Smith, Sophie Okonedo
Just asThe Last Airbenderwas doomed and perhaps not entirely M. Night Shyamalan’s fault entirely, there’s a sense withAfter Earththat the whole thing might’ve fallen apart more because of the stars and producers. After this point, the blame for Shyamalan’s other misses can be more easily attributed to him, but withAfter Earth, this did seem to be a Smith family passion project, withWillandJaden Smithstarring, Will andJada Pinkett Smithbeing two of the producers, and Will Smith getting a “story by” credit.
Shyamalan also co-produced, co-wrote, and directed,butAfter Earthis probably more distinct as a Will Smith misfire rather than a Shyamalan misfire. It is a mess of a movie where Will and Jaden Smith fail to recapture the sort of on-screen dynamicthey had inThe Pursuit of Happyness, and the whole thing feels uninspired, overlong, and only occasionally funny in an unintentional way. It’s not good as a sci-fi film, and proves very hard to recommend to anyone, really.
After Earth
14’The Happening' (2008)
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo
Okay, gloves off.The Happeningis pure, unadulterated M. Night Shyamalan. This wasn’t based on a pre-existing story, nor was it a seeming misguided passion project by a famous showbiz family. Shyamalan was the sole writer and director, and one of the producers, being the main guy behind this very silly and easy-to-meme horror movie about a mysterious airborne virus that seems to be compelling everyone to take their own lives.
IfThe Happeningwas intended to be a comedy, you could fairly rank it within the top 5 Shyamalan movies, rather than in the bottom 5. It’s hard to tell for sure.It is entirely baffling, strangely written, and filled with so many wild performances that it feels like a trainwreck. If it was an intentional trainwreck, or an intended parody of old-school B-grade horror movies, thenThe Happeningmight be secretly genius… though for present purposes, that’s still a tricky hill to die on.
The Happening
A science teacher, his wife, and a young girl struggle to survive a plague that causes those infected to commit suicide.
Buy on Amazon
13’Praying with Anger' (1992)
Starring: M. Night Shyamalan, Mike Muthu Richa, Ahuja Badami
Some years before finding true breakout success at the very end of the 1990s, M. Night Shyamalan directed a couple of other movies that have largely remained under the radar. This can be said about the rather obscurePraying with Anger, which was Shyamalan’s directorial debut and revolved around a young man in America with an East Indian heritage traveling toIndia to learn about his family’s historyand, in the process, himself.
Later Shyamalan movies are sometimes criticized for the supporting roles (or sometimes cameos) the man of the hour gives himself, because he’s a better director than an actor. Perhaps the weak link inPraying with Anger, therefore, is the fact M. Night Shyamalan plays the lead role on top of also being the director. Acting aside, Shyamalan’s direction isn’t terrible and the movie sometimes feels like a serviceable debut, but, less charitably,it is also possible to see some reasons whyPraying with Angerhas remained in relative obscurity, even after Shyamalan became a household name.
12’Glass' (2019)
Starring: James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson
Glasscould’ve had class. It should’ve been a contender. It wrapped up a surprising trilogy of Shyamalan films but absolutely paled in comparison to what had come before.It saw Shyamalan trying to comment on and subvert certain superhero movie conventions, all the while forgetting to give the film drama, interesting things for its characters to do, and anything by way of genuine excitement.
The factGlassexists at all is novel, and anyone who enjoyed the films leading up to it will likely feel at least a little compelled to see what happens, but it’s just not worth it. It’s a stripped-back and rather plodding blend of psychological drama and superhero farethat still feels like it’s over-ambitious, even though it ultimately doesn’t do very much. It’s not as poorly made as some of the aforementioned Shyamalan films, butGlassis arguably the director’s most disappointing film to date.
At a psychiatric facility, a security guard with unbreakable skin, a man with multiple personalities, and a brittle-boned mastermind find their fates intertwined. As they undergo psychiatric evaluation that questions the existence of their powers, a complex battle of wits ensues, challenging their understanding of their own identities and capabilities.
11’Old' (2021)
Starring: Vicky Krieps, Gael García Bernal, Rufus Sewell
Mathematically speaking, little else can drive home the idea that a movie got a mixed reception better thana 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, signifying half the critics liked something, and the other half didn’t. This is exactly what happened toOld, which has some Shyamalan weaknesses on full display, alongside some strengths. It’s easy to be a centrist here, because the whole thing is a very mixed bag.
For the positives, the premise is inherently interesting, following a group of characters who learn that the beach they’re spending time at rapidly ages the lot of them. The performances aren’t bad, and some scenes are quite horrific, but also horrific is the quality of the writing at times, with some wild dialogue. The way people speak undermines a lot of the horror, and while the film is better thanThe Happeningbecause some of the horror shines through and nevertheless feels creepy,there are other parts ofOldwhere it feels like an unintentional comedy.
10’Wide Awake' (1998)
Starring: Denis Leary, Joseph Cross, Rosie O’Donnell
Wide Awakewas a slightly larger production thanPraying with Anger, and so it’s not quite as obscure as that one, even if it remains lesser-known compared to later M. Night Shyamalan flicks. It’s a low-key film, and definitely not an awful one, though it is fair to say that it feels significantly different compared to other films by the director, given it stays away from anything by way of horror, thriller, and sci-fi elements.
Instead,Wide Awakeis a family-friendly dramedy that centers on a young boy who wants to learn what life is all about and goes on a surprisingly early journey of self-discovery, searching for meaning and all that. It’smostly just fine as a family movie.Wide Awakeisn’t particularly exceptional in any way, butit’s serviceable enough for what it is, and something of an odditythat may be intriguing for fans of Shyamalan’s later work, just because of how un-Shyamalan it is.
Wide Awake
Wide Awake follows ten-year-old Joshua Beal as he embarks on a heartfelt quest to find God after his beloved grandfather’s death. Set in a Catholic boys' school in Philadelphia, Joshua’s journey is filled with poignant and humorous interactions, including his mischievous best friend Dave, and the spirited, sports-loving nun, Sister Terry, played by Rosie O’Donnell. As Joshua navigates his grief and spiritual search, he encounters numerous challenges, ultimately learning profound lessons about life, faith, and friendship.
9’Lady in the Water' (2006)
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeffrey Wright
From this point on, the Shyamalan flicks are probably worth watching, and all prove able to offer something, even with their flaws. WithLady in the Water, some of those flaws are more than a little infamous.There are interesting themesand some stuff that’s worth chewing on with this film, but it also trips over itself in other regards, and a large supporting performance from Shyamalan himself doesn’t really helpLady in the Waterout all that much.
ThoughLady in the Watercan also be read as a self-reflective movie on the filmmaker’s part, touching upon narratives and storytelling quite directly, all in a way that somewhat justifies Shyamalan being in the film. Some people are on board with theuniquely fantastical – almost fairytale – storybeing told here, but others might be more likely to roll their eyes at the whole thing.It’s divisive, sure, but to be divisive, you do still need some people who are supportive, andLady in the Water, while messy, has qualities some may consider worth supporting. It’s hopefully not too controversial to say that it isn’t entirely a trainwreck.
Lady In The Water
8’Knock at the Cabin' (2023)
Starring: Ben Aldridge, Jonathan Groff, Kristen Cui
The one thing that’s easy to praise aboutKnock at the Cabinright away is the intriguing premise. There are apocalyptic events driving the plot, but the moviedoesn’t always focus on those, instead restricting a good deal of the action to a single cabin. In that cabin is a family being held hostage by four mysterious strangers, all of whom insist the world is about to end and that a certain difficult choice made by the family could avert the apocalypse.
So, yes, it’s kind of (but not entirely)Shyamalan doing a bottle movie, and it ends up working in stops and starts. There’s a solid amount of intrigue and the performances are generally good, with the premise and certain tense moments making up for some of that shaky, possibly intentional (yet undeniably weird) trademark Shyamalan dialogue.Knock at the Cabinprobably won’t convert many Shyamalan naysayers, but it will likely satisfy most of the filmmaker’s pre-existing fans.
Knock at the Cabin
M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller, Knock at the Cabin, tells the story of a family who is approached by four strangers while staying in a remote cabin and given an impossible ultimatum. When Eric (Jonathan Groff) and Andrew (Ben Aldridge) take their daughter Wen (Kristen Cui) to a remote cabin for a family getaway, their stay is interrupted by the arrival of Leonard (Dave Bautista), Redmond (Rupert Grint), Sabrina (Nikki Amuka-Bird), and Adriane (Abby Quinn), who tell them that one of the family must be sacrificed in order to stop the impending apocalypse.
7’Trap' (2024)
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka
Keeping the momentum going from the solid – if not quite classic –Knock at the Cabin, M. Night Shyamalan returned the following year withTrap. It also established the filmmaker’s knack for good thriller set-ups hadn’t diminished by any means, because this one also has a fun kind of “locked-in” set-up. It’s not as claustrophobic as a cabin, though, given Trap largely takes place inside a venue wherein a large pop concert’s taking place.
Trapfollows a father taking his young daughter to the concert in question, but it turns out he’s the reason the concert is locked down. He’s a serial killer, and, yes, he has walked into aTrap(2024). That’s the movie, and it’s a pure Shyamalan thriller, which meansthere are things to criticize herethat can be criticized in other films by the director, but there’s also a charm and sincerity to the whole thing. It sticks to its guns and is another decent success for Shyamalan.
Trap is a film by writer-director M. Night Shyamalan under his Blinding Edge Pictures label. The film is part of a deal struck with Warner Bros for him to direct and produce several films under their banner.
