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The Sixth Sense Review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 4.0
    64

    out of 100

    Metascore®
    Generally favorable reviews
    based on a weighted average of all
    critic review scores.

  • 20

    out of 100

    The New York Times Stephen Holden

    Because it unfolds like a garish hybrid of Simon Birch and What Dreams May Come, with some horror-movie touches thrown in to keep us from nodding off, "The Sixth Sense" appears to have been concocted at exactly the moment Hollywood was betting on supernatural schmaltz.

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  • 60

    out of 100

    Variety Todd McCarthy

    Borderline dull to sit through, The Sixth Sense is actually rather interesting to think about afterward because of the revelation of its ending.

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  • 75

    out of 100

    Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

    Has a kind of calm, sneaky self-confidence that allows it to take us down a strange path, intriguingly.

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  • 80

    out of 100

    Los Angeles Times

    So disarmingly eerie it's virtually guaranteed to rattle the most jaded of cages.

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  • 83

    out of 100

    Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

    It's a psychological thriller that actually thrills.

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  • 88

    out of 100

    USA Today Mike Clark

    The filmmaker keeps upping the ante with surprises until the plot-twist beaut that concludes the picture - a shocker that, upon reflection, is probably the one ending that wouldn't have fallen a little flat.

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  • 88

    out of 100

    Chicago Tribune

    Perhaps the most startling part is the realization that, in the turn-off-your-brain season of summer, you've just experienced an uncommonly serious-minded movie that's brave enough to engage our deepest emotions on issues of death, madness, illusion and forgiveness. That's the biggest thrill of them all.

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  • See all The Sixth Sense reviews at Metacritic.com

For Families provided by Common Sense Media

Iffy for 13+

Great, but sometimes scarier than R-rated horror.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this movie has some thoughtful and meaningful views on life and death that some viewers may find comforting, and others may find sad or disturbing. The ghosts that Cole sees are of people who died violently and they are gruesome, even shocking, in appearance; you'll see a shooting, a suicide, a poisoning, people hanging, and more. Some of the dead are children, one killed by her own mother.

  • Families can talk about ghost stories. What makes this one particularly gripping? How does the director scare you without going for the over-the-top violence?
  • Families could lead into a discussion on loss. Have you lost someone important to you? How does the thought about losing someone make you feel? Where do people go when they die?
  • Families could talk about the importance of communication.

The good stuff
  • message true2

    Messages: Issues of life, death and afterlife are dealt with in a smart, humanistic way. Depending on individual beliefs this could be comforting or disturbing. Regardless, however, the film deals with tremendous issues with sensitivity.

  • rolemodels true3

    Role models: Cole is a smart and likable kid who is gifted and cursed with his ability to talk to the departed. The empathy the viewer feels for him makes his experiences all the more terrifying but his courage and growth through the film is commendable. Dr. Crowe's journey with Cole is multilayered but the complexity of their experiences does not deter from the trusting bond they forge.

What to watch for
  • violence false3

    Violence: Several scary surprises, some quite grisly. Child is stalked by the dead who want something from him; he looks terrified most of the time. A child is poisoned. Image of three people hanging in a school. A shooting and a suicide.

  • sex false0

    Sex: Not an issue

  • language false2

    Language: "S--t" and a few lesser swear words.

  • consumerism false0

    Consumerism: Not an issue

  • drugsalcoholtobacco false1

    Drinking, drugs and smoking: Some tipsiness.

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