The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Unbreakable: The Hero's Awakening Revisited
By Charlie Kondek

"Unbreakable," like writer/director M. Night Shyamalan's "The Sixth Sense," is the story of a hero awakening to the possibilities and responsibilities of what he can offer the world through his unique abilities.

Samuel L. Jackson plays Elijah, a comic book art historian and philosopher. Elijah has a rare form of osteoporosis that makes his bones susceptible to fracture. Frustrated but hopeful, he has been searching all his life for someone "at the other end of the spectrum," truly believing that, if God's order to the universe has placed him in a very vulnerable, "breakable" position, that same order must also produce an "unbreakable" person.

A super hero, in other words.

Enter Bruce Willis' character, David, a morose and bewildered security guard with a troubled marriage and a son who wants desperately to adore him. He's the lone survivor of a devastating train derailment. And not only did he miraculously escape death, there's not a mark on him.

In David, Elijah believes his quest may have come to fruition, that he may have found the super hero that makes sense of the world that has made him the antithesis of the super hero. David is reluctant to investigate this idea further. Unbreakable is the story of them negotiating this impasse; an ordinary man suddenly forced to confront his true nature, which frightens him. Or it may be just what it sounds: too fantastic to be true.

"Unbreakable" is most appealing to people who have ever thought, Hey, if I woke up tomorrow suspecting I had the ability to put my fist through steel, would I really strap on the cowl and cape and start prowling my neighborhood for muggers right away? Would I shoot myself in the foot to see if it bounced off? Throw myself out my apartment window to see if I could fly?

Call me crazy, but I think most RPGNetizens will fall into this category. They will find the film very rewarding.

The thing is, in Shyamalan's view, awakening to the possibility of one's supernatural abilities is terrifying. This was most obvious in "The Sixth Sense" - I mean, the kid saw dead people, and the dead people were really friggin' scary! But in "Unbreakable" Shyamalan plays on what may be his most exceptional gift as a filmmaker - the ability to make the ordinary seem threatening - to describe David's feeling of being in way over his head.

Shyamalan says that when you're born a hero with a hero's responsibilities to protect and serve the populace, you're alienated and sad when you're not acting on that ability, you feel like you're wasting your life. Hence another great display of Shyamalan's abilities; his use of half-lit settings and sparse, futile dialogue. It's a little more slow and emotional than what you might expect from a "super hero" movie, but it's worth it.

There's also a twist at the end, though it is not as mind-blowing as the twist at the end of "The Sixth Sense." Or is it?

Lemme put this in GeekSpeak for ya, friends: "Unbreakable" describes the realities of super heroism in a way that hasn't been done so well since Matt Wagner's "Mage" or Alan Moore's "Watchmen." Great movie? Absolutely. It's subtle and emotional; and it knows its stuff; Shyamalan is one of us. Great campaign material? Yes, but I've run in this kind of campaign before. Was there any indecision about donning the cape and cowl and start looking for bad guys? Not at all. Don't expect to be able to reproduce the eeriness, the atmosphere of "Unbreakable," unless your players appreciate that kind of role-playing challenge.

What was most fun for me about that kind of campaign was deciding what your costume was gonna look like, or if you'd wear one at all. Would you carry weapons? A utility belt? And how did it feel to face down some street punks versus a Galactus or a Bizarro? And would your girlfriend leave you cuz she was worried you were gonna get killed? All your friends, for that matter?

Truth is, aren't we all a little more like Elijah than David? Makes you wonder which of "Unbreakable"'s characters is really the one to keep your eye on...

--Charlie Kondek is a movie reviewer for The Guy Code (www.TheGuyCode.com). And if he could have any super power, it would be invisibility.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Unbreakable
Author: M. Night Shyamalan Category: movie Company/Publisher: All movie studios are the same, aren't they? Line: n/a Cost: 8 bucks Capsule Review by Charlie Kondek on 12/07/00. Genre tags: Fantasy Modern day Horror Superhero	Unbreakable: The Hero's Awakening Revisited By Charlie Kondek "Unbreakable," like writer/director M. Night Shyamalan's "The Sixth Sense," is the story of a hero awakening to the possibilities and responsibilities of what he can offer the world through his unique abilities. Samuel L. Jackson plays Elijah, a comic book art historian and philosopher. Elijah has a rare form of osteoporosis that makes his bones susceptible to fracture. Frustrated but hopeful, he has been searching all his life for someone "at the other end of the spectrum," truly believing that, if God's order to the universe has placed him in a very vulnerable, "breakable" position, that same order must also produce an "unbreakable" person. A super hero, in other words. Enter Bruce Willis' character, David, a morose and bewildered security guard with a troubled marriage and a son who wants desperately to adore him. He's the lone survivor of a devastating train derailment. And not only did he miraculously escape death, there's not a mark on him. In David, Elijah believes his quest may have come to fruition, that he may have found the super hero that makes sense of the world that has made him the antithesis of the super hero. David is reluctant to investigate this idea further. Unbreakable is the story of them negotiating this impasse; an ordinary man suddenly forced to confront his true nature, which frightens him. Or it may be just what it sounds: too fantastic to be true. "Unbreakable" is most appealing to people who have ever thought, Hey, if I woke up tomorrow suspecting I had the ability to put my fist through steel, would I really strap on the cowl and cape and start prowling my neighborhood for muggers right away? Would I shoot myself in the foot to see if it bounced off? Throw myself out my apartment window to see if I could fly? Call me crazy, but I think most RPGNetizens will fall into this category. They will find the film very rewarding. The thing is, in Shyamalan's view, awakening to the possibility of one's supernatural abilities is terrifying. This was most obvious in "The Sixth Sense" - I mean, the kid saw dead people, and the dead people were really friggin' scary! But in "Unbreakable" Shyamalan plays on what may be his most exceptional gift as a filmmaker - the ability to make the ordinary seem threatening - to describe David's feeling of being in way over his head. Shyamalan says that when you're born a hero with a hero's responsibilities to protect and serve the populace, you're alienated and sad when you're not acting on that ability, you feel like you're wasting your life. Hence another great display of Shyamalan's abilities; his use of half-lit settings and sparse, futile dialogue. It's a little more slow and emotional than what you might expect from a "super hero" movie, but it's worth it. There's also a twist at the end, though it is not as mind-blowing as the twist at the end of "The Sixth Sense." Or is it? Lemme put this in GeekSpeak for ya, friends: "Unbreakable" describes the realities of super heroism in a way that hasn't been done so well since Matt Wagner's "Mage" or Alan Moore's "Watchmen." Great movie? Absolutely. It's subtle and emotional; and it knows its stuff; Shyamalan is one of us. Great campaign material? Yes, but I've run in this kind of campaign before. Was there any indecision about donning the cape and cowl and start looking for bad guys? Not at all. Don't expect to be able to reproduce the eeriness, the atmosphere of "Unbreakable," unless your players appreciate that kind of role-playing challenge. What was most fun for me about that kind of campaign was deciding what your costume was gonna look like, or if you'd wear one at all. Would you carry weapons? A utility belt? And how did it feel to face down some street punks versus a Galactus or a Bizarro? And would your girlfriend leave you cuz she was worried you were gonna get killed? All your friends, for that matter? Truth is, aren't we all a little more like Elijah than David? Makes you wonder which of "Unbreakable"'s characters is really the one to keep your eye on... --Charlie Kondek is a movie reviewer for The Guy Code (www.TheGuyCode.com). And if he could have any super power, it would be invisibility. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)