Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan seems to have hit his stride in the last decade, with well-received genre films produced on restrained budgets and undeterred by the restrictions that would affect more expensive movies. In this last decade, he has delivered blockbusters such as Split and Glass, as well as the far leaner and meaner thrillers Oldand Trap. His next movie is a supernatural romance starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Phoebe Dynevor. It’s arguably his most unexpected genre switch-up in roughly 15 years, which was around the time when his career hit rock-bottom. The movie that sent him there remains infamous to this day, and is currently streaming on Peacock in the United States for those curious to check it out. However, it will be removed from the platform soon.
The film in question was released in 2010 and developed as the first installment of a trilogy. It was the most expensive project of Shyamalan’s career, and his first film to be based on a pre-existing property. Shyamalan absolutely needed the project to work, not only because of its hefty budget, but also because his career had hit a bit of a rough patch in the preceding few years. Unfortunately, the film was universally panned upon release, and even accused of having racist undertones. It now holds a 5% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, which, unsurprisingly, is the lowest of Shyamalan’s career.
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Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
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Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
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🚀Star Wars
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01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
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02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
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03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
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04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
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05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
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06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
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07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
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08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
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Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
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The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
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The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
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Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
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Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
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A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
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Here’s How Long You Have Left To Watch ‘The Last Airbender’
By now you’ve guessed that we’re talking about The Last Airbender, based on the beloved Nickelodeon cartoon series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The movie featured a handful of newcomers alongside veterans such as Shaun Toub, Aasif Mandvi, and Cliff Curtis. The fantasy epic, which borrowed elements from Eastern philosophies and spiritual traditions, starred Noah Ringer in the lead role of a “chosen one” archetype who must fulfill his destiny and protect his people from menacing imperial forces.
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The Last Airbendergrossed around $320 million worldwide against a reported budget of $150 million, but the poor response from critics and fans put an end to any future plans that Shyamalan and Paramount might have had. The property was rebooted as a Netflix live-action series several years later; it received mixed reviews and is set to return with a second season in June 2026. You can watch Shyamalan’s adaptation on Peacock, but only until June 1. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
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