Review of the Sixth Sense

I think that it's only possible to view and love The Sixth Sense twice. The first time you watch it, you love it because it's so creepy and the twist ending blows you out of the water. The second time you love it because you marvel at how intricately the twist ending is woven into the fabric of the movie and how all the clues were there the whole time.

After that? This was my third time. This time it was only okay. I think the reason why is related to the twist ending. Once you know the twist ending and have digested it with a second viewing, there is not much left. This problem is compounded by another problem, encapsulated in this bit of dialogue in the movie, regarding Cole's ghosts:

COLE: What if they don't want help? What if they're just angry and they want to hurt somebody?

A creepy line to be sure. But once you have seen the movie and know the answer to these questions, there is not much tension in repeated viewings. The ghosts become a little less scary because they are demystified.

Is it fair to judge a movie based on re-watchability? I think so. Speaking as somebody who watched The Fellowship of the Ring 19 times in theatres, some movies are re-watchable in the extreme. The Sixth Sense is not one of them. However, the first viewing was amazing, so I have to give the movie its due.

4 dead people out of 5