sddavis63
I liked "Devil." The involvement of M. Night Shyamalan had me wondering if I wanted to watch it (because, let's face it, after some really good movies Shyamalan's recent work has left a lot to be desired) but in the end I'm glad I did. The plot is very simple. Five people with some questionable pasts get stuck on an elevator. That in itself could have led to a decent enough movie - a study of group dynamics as strangers in close quarters have to deal with a stressful situation. In fact, to be honest, I'd almost have preferred to have seen it made that way. It could have turned into a sort of "Twelve Angry Men" environment as those on the elevator started turning on each other. But M. Night Shyamalan was involved. So there had to be something of a supernatural element added on to the story. And it turned out to be the presence of the devil himself. Apparently, according to a story that one of the building security guards used to be told as a child (strange choice of bedtime stories, but ...) the devil sometimes takes on human form and embeds himself with a group of sinful people. So, someone on this elevator is the devil himself. What's the end result going to be?This is probably Shyamalan's best movie in some time. In fact, the last movie of his that I actually liked was probably "Signs" - and that was over 15 years ago. The cast wasn't especially well known, and the sets weren't fancy - but they didn't have to be since the whole thing was basically set in an elevator - but the story was interesting and there were definitely some "shock" moments embedded throughout. Enjoyable enough. (7/10)
Uatu the movie watcher
Judging by the score this movie got (especially on Metacritic) I can't help but feel that a lot of people prejudged this movie based on its writer. It isn't controversial to say that Shyamalan had made a lot of terrible movies before the release of "Devil" and I think a lot of people simply assumed this was going to be one of them. I can't say I blame them. I must admit that when I saw the cheesy poster art with the upside down crucifix shining through the elevator doors I wasn't expecting much from this movie either. But I was pleasantly surprised.The plot was solid and Shyamalan's obligatory plot twist actually worked this time unlike most of the hilariously bad plot twists which he is notorious for. All in all "Devil" is a well thought out thriller. The acting is great and the atmosphere is captured brilliantly. My one complaint would be that it all ends rather abruptly and a little too simplistically. The audience doesn't really get the time to process it all.I give this movie a 7/10. After many terrible movies, it seems that M. Night Shyamalan has finally begun to repair his tarnished reputation.
Danii Disaster
First of all, why would the devil waste his/her time trapping him/herself in a lift with a bunch of unremarkable humans? I mean, if the devil wanted to off these people for whatever reason, I'm sure s/he would have done it without having to resort to the lift charade.Are we really expected to believe that the devil has nothing better to do with his/her time, and can't find more creative ways to entertain him/herself? It was kind of obvious from the start who the supposed devil was, and the attack sequences were really tacky, so it wasn't a very engaging movie to watch. Not much suspense, stupid storyline, predictable.I kept falling asleep, so one word: borefest.
StarWarsMoviesSuck
M Night Shyamalan probably deserves criticism. As far as I'm concerned, he totally ripped off that novel for 'The Village'. His dialogue style makes even house-pets cringe. The director that did that annoying catacombs found footage movie as well was the director. Talk about annoying - it made me want to throw a chair at my TV. Regardless, DEVIL is a decent movie, and here's why: -Acting: You can see Shyamalan's hands all over the production, from the shady mattress salesman to the dramatic lynch-pins of the lead's crisis and final resolution. In this case it works. The actors do a great job at their roles, in what is a very multicultural setting. The 'good guys' are all immediately sympathetic characters, while the characters of intrigue effectively provide conflict. -Score: I rate the intro as the best I've seen in the 2010s. Velazquez made an amazing score that might be the best I've heard of the 2010s. -Story: Apparently M.Night got the idea from an Arthur canon Doyle story. It's simple but very entertaining. -Overall: The movie does things that I like - mainly it has characters that i can enjoy watching, which most movies fail to do now. I guess I'm partial to morality plays involving the devil, but DEVIL delivers.
AD
