Review of Sixth Sense, The

Introduction

If you have not yet seen The Sixth Sense, then you have a treat ahead of you. If you have managed not to hear about it from friends or in film reviews, then you are in that extra special category of people who will enjoy it the most. I beseech you not to discuss this film with anyone else. Do what I did, and do not read the cover, do not read any other reviews, and DO NOT even ENTER the menu for the additional materials on the disc, until you`ve watched the film.

I reassure you that this review will not give away anything which will spoil the film - it will be entirely devoid of plot information, however, anything you read about this film may give it away. If you haven`t seen it yet, I suggest you just go out and buy it before something spoils it for you.

Video

The image quality on Sixth Sense is neither bad, nor excellent. While everything on-screen is crisp enough, and carries enough detail, there is just not quite enough definition to rave about.

Many scenes are slightly washed out, and then the odd colour such as red stands out. However, this is intentional and most of the film carries a murky quality to add to the atmosphere.

The transfer quality is excellent, and no distracting film artefacts were visible. However, with The Sixth Sense, you are normally so glued to the screen that scratches or specks would have to be quite bad to even be noticed !

Audio

The audio on this disc is incredible - a fantasic use of the surround encoding teamed with excellent depth and true subtlety. Much of the soundtrack is subconscious, and you learn later in the documentaries that human breaths and sighs are mixed into the sound track to increase the level of tension and the feeling that someone is in the room.

The music used is beautifully composed and extremely well-suited to the progress of the film onscreen. The melodies are haunting, and themes are used well within the audio to key the audience`s responses to certain situations.

Features

This is a feature-packed disc. However, due to the nature of the film, the extras all relate to subjects which would spoil matters for a first-time viewer. Needless to say, although there is no directors commentary, M. Night Shyamalan has clearly been deeply involved with the production of the DVD and the extra material included. He gives a short introduction to each peice of extra material, and offers a number of insights into the design of the film, production and casting.

The is a great deal of interesting information about transferring from storyboard to film, the cast and crew, music and sound design, deleted scenes, and discussion of the themes and story.

My only complaint would be that the music used over the menus was a bit overpowering and repetitive. However, this is hardly going to affect your enjoyment of this disc.

Conclusion

Haley Joel Osment absolutely steals this film playing a boy who is old beyond his years through his experiences. I was stunned that such a young actor could portray so many different emotions so strongly, and his performance lifts this film to extreme levels of greatness. Bruce Willis also surprises with his range and depth as the psychiatrist driven to help.

Overall, this is a superb film, and an excellent disc. Now I recommend that you buy and watch it before you read anything else that might not be as responsible as me and spoil it for you. If you`ve already seen it, then you have my word that you won`t be disappointed watching it again on this disc.