Blu-ray Movie Reviews

A gripping ghost story with a stunning finale, The Sixth Sense became a surprise blockbuster shortly after its release. The film features Oscar-nominated performances by the startlingly intense Osment and the fiercely maternal Collette, as well as a subtle, subdued turn by Willis. Shyamalan directs his intriguing script with almost clinical precision, using carefully framed visuals to create the film's distinctly chilling atmosphere. On the strength of its pitch-perfect acting and direction, The Sixth Sense has become the most successful thriller of all time.

Without a doubt this is the film that put Shyamalan on the map as a thriller maestro and remains his strongest work to date. The only problem is, once you know the twist, it doesn’t hold up as well with replay value. Still this is a strong mood piece with superb performances and great direction.

Buena Vista has been a bit inconsistent in their video presentation lately. They’ve delivered some reference quality transfers with the Kill Bill films but missed the mark with some others like Gangs of New York. This one falls a bit in the middle. At times there is a great sense of dimension and detail and things look REALLY good only to see things fall apart a little while later. Things get so bad at times that I see moir patterns in some fine detail and obvious noise reduction that wipes detail and dimension completely away. This is by far one of the most inconsistent transfers I’ve seen out there and the level of variation throughout is surprising considering that there was probably only one master to source from. Contrast levels are strong but shadow detail suffers at times from the apparent wash out of noise reduction. Considering how good some parts of this film look, it is too bad the whole presentation couldn’t have been more consistent.

The uncompressed PCM 5.1 mix is extremely effective in sustaining mood and putting you on edge. This is still a very effective thriller, even if you’ve seen it a few times, and the brilliant sound design does a fantastic job of conveying that moody atmosphere that every great thriller should have. The score is also conveyed with great range and soundstage presence. Dialogue is balanced nicely within the mix and imaging across all channels is tight. A stunning example of a great piece of sound design.

Extras are largely the same as the DVD edition and include some deleted scenes and a look at the production of the film. You get an inside look at the set design, scoring and the nuances of the storyline. Trailers are also included.

I really wish the video presentation had more going for it than this. The inconsistencies in image quality make this one an impossible recommendation for purchase, especially considering how good Disney has done with other catalog releases. The PCM soundtrack is outstanding though and the film is still as effective today as it was upon first release.