Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Unbreakable’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

For every action in the universe, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Science has proven this time and time again and when it comes to our daily lives, we do our best to apply this fact to the world that is around us on a more philosophical level.  

We firmly believe that for every good person out there, there is a person that is equally as vile, and it fuels our consistent discussion of good versus evil. But what if this was 100% the case? What if there was a true foil for each and every one of us out there, both in the psychological and physical sense? These are fascinating questions that were addressed in the thought-provoking film, Unbreakable.  

David Dunn is nothing short of a miracle, since he is the sole survivor of a horrific train crash. In fact, there isn't a scratch on, him leaving David feeling lost and confused after the crash. But a mysterious man named Elijah Price believes that he has the answer as to why David was spared any kind of injuries, in that David is invincible and his invulnerability was gifted to him to that he can serve a greater purpose to the world, as a savior of men. 

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Released in 2000, the second film to be written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan was a vast departure from his first film, The Sixth Sense since he traded the scares for a story that explores the mythos of comic book characters and in the process he was able to gift us with a new breed of hero in David Dunn, and the end result of this bold experiment is nothing short of spectacular.  

Not only does M. Night get everything right when it comes to comics, he does it in a slow methodical fashion that allows our hero to grow and discover that he is truly something special to the world. It gives a depth to superhero characters we have never seen before since David Dunn is about as blue collar as it gets and unlike other heroes in the genre, while he has a base idea of his power and his ability, he simply chooses to ignore and forget his abilities.  

Yet what is equally as fascinating when it comes to Unbreakable are the underlying themes it presents.  Not only does it address the idea of our opposites walking the earth, but it also goes deep into the realm of finding our purpose in the world and truly accepting it. It makes for a fascinating film to watch and quite frankly it is the finest film of M Night's career. Comic fans check this one out, movie fans, do the same, you won't be disappointed with this thoughtful and surprisingly uplifting motion picture.  

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