The Village (DVD)

...incorrectly. I’m sure you’ve seen the trailers, yellow capes, red capes, monsters in the woods, “don’t let them in” – that sort of thing – and probably thought that this was a horror film. It’s not. In fact ‘The Village’ is a strange little film pitched somewhere between a period drama and the twilight zone and if you go see it expecting a horror film you will be disappointed. Let’s hope this review may spare you such disappointment because ‘The ...
...an isolated village deep in the middle of Covington Woods. The villagers have an uneasy truce with ‘those we do not speak of’ a group of monsters who live in the woods and look something like a cross between an armadillo and a porcupine – oh and they wear red capes (no self respecting monster walks around naked in the late 1800s). The Village elders (including William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver) assure the younger villagers that as long as they don’t ...

Zoe 21.08.2004 · Read full review
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Review of The Village (DVD)

It is the late nineteenth century and in a quiet, secluded valley there exists a village. The villagers are simple folk, living entirely off the land and enjoying the simplicity of their subsistent lifestyle. Watching over the welfare of the villagers is a small group of mature residents known as The Elders, whose wisdom is unquestioned and whose instructions are followed without question. But The Village is not quite the haven that it at first purports ...
...race of creatures that inhabit the thick woods on the outskirts of the village. Fear of the creatures is great and as such, the villagers maintain a constant vigil against the terrifying beasts. The young men take turns at night duty, atop huge wooden lookout posts and a clear perimeter is maintained around the village. The villagers are forbidden from ever entering the woods and dress themselves in yellow cloaks to appease the creatures when leaving ...

LostWitness 06.09.2004 · Read full review
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Review of The Village (DVD)

...hasn't been used, yet! The Village is the eagerly anticipated new film by modern master of horror and suspense, M Night Shyamalan. You may well be familiar with his previous fare since he became mega-huge with his sensational super-hit The Sixth Sense, followed by Unbreakable, and most recently, the Mel Gibson-starring alien invasion thriller Signs. Familiarity with these movies may well determine your chances of liking his new movie. Sixth Sense ...
...reeling and revisiting the cinema to see how it was all done. His other films have suffered somewhat in relation to that twist, with eager fans wanting more of the same. Of course, Night is more than a one-trick pony and his films stand repeat watching due to great narrative depth and wonderful technique, but time and time again they seem to be unfairly judged based on their ending rather than on the whole experience. Well, a quick guide to help ...

Crazy-Christian 24.08.2004 (30.08.2004) · Read full review
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Review of The Village (DVD)

...speak of’, creatures that inhabit the woods surrounding them. The agreement is that neither side will venture into the others territory. But when Lucius (Phoenix) requests permission to leave the village, things suddenly start going bump in the night… An M. Night Shyamalan film has become something of an institution, an annual event ripe for discussion. The Village certainly continues his tradition of splitting audiences right down the middle. Fear ...
...His latest has all of the familiar elements, with a slow burn feel, superbly orchestrated scares and James Newton Howard’s fear inducing score. He even goes back to his love of the colour red (In the Sixth Sense it represented Death, here it’s very bad indeed). And who can blame him when he’s so damn good at it? Our fear of the unknown is once again taken to terrifying new levels, with mysterious noises, fog and illumination strictly by candlelight ...

Crib79 23.08.2004 · Read full review
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Review of The Village (DVD)

...know, one thing that switches the movie on its head. This trick first came to the fore with The Sixth Sense, a ghost story with a solid performances and a genuinely good twist. Next came the very under-rated Unbreakable, which in my opinion was better. Signs was also another solid effort, able to build suspense and fear without actually seeing the aliens. Then came The Village, a creepy little tale set in an old rural community in America. The villager's ...
...bunch of creatures that occupy the surrounding woods. But these creatures don't enter the village, as long the villagers don't venture into the woods. But naturally something occurs that means someone must go to into the woods to fetch much needed medicine. As you'd expect, spooky things happen, there are scares and then as we reach the climax there's a big twist. To be totally honest I found The Village a crushing bore from start to finish. The ...

utero 09.11.2005 · Read full review
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Review of The Village (DVD)

Pennsylvania, 1897; the inhabitants of the utopian Covington have held an uneasy truce with the creatures that live in the woods around their village for years. But when Lucius Hunt asks permission to leave, things change for the worse. Writer-director M Night Shyamalan’s films all seem to exist in the eternal twilight of an autumnal world. “The Village” is no exception, portraying a world of muted tones and frosty nights, the whole thing awash ...
...a tale where the greatest horrors are imagined and not seen. Here he delivers a taut, slow-burning psychological horror that plays on our primeval fear of the dark and the things that may be lurking in it. He ramps up the suspense through the judicious use of obscured views, half-seen creatures and a shrieking score that will send shivers down your spine. The sound design plays a big part in setting our nerves on edge; unearthly breezes and monstrous ...

afy9mab 28.08.2004 · Read full review
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Review of The Village (DVD)

...film with a twist in the tail. I can’t begin to describe how excited I was about seeing ‘The Village’ – I usually only make a trip to the cinema if it’s directed by Shyamalan (or it’s a Pixar, a Harry Potter, or a Christopher Nolan), which will give you some idea of my affection for his particular brand of direction. You may have seen the adverts on TV already, and you might have some idea of the plot. It’s very hard with this film to give a decent ...
...know anything at all about the film, then skip the next section. ***PLOT OUTLINE*** The film begins in a small, rural village, which is obviously isolated, but tight knit. The whole community grieves the loss of one of its children, who it appears could have been saved if they were not so isolated. Lucius (Joaquin Phoenix) asks the permission of the town elders to travel through the woods bordering the village to get medication. The elders are ...

pesky33 27.08.2004 · Read full review
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Review of The Village (DVD)

...Weaver and Brendan Gleeson. The scene is Covington in Pennsylvania, the year is 1897. A small isolated community live their lives peacefully and happily. The adults meet and pass the time whilst the children play games and run around. The community is idealistic with jovial ceremonies and religious prayers the order of the day. The community is just like many others at that time in history, however all is not how it seems. The whole village is surrounded ...
...to tread. The founders of the village had struck a deal with the beasts that live in the forest that both parties shall not trespass on the others land, the beasts are known as “those we don’t speak of”. If the deal is broken then the beasts shall enter the village for a reprisal. The boundary of the village is lined by glowing lanterns and a tall watchtower surveys all around. The nearest village is a great distance away therefore ...

WormThatTurned 27.09.2004 (28.09.2004) · Read full review
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Review of The Village (DVD)

...be quite hard to summarise the plot to this film without giving away too much, but I hope this will at least give an idea of what the film is about and the basic story. It’s probably right to warn that this review does have a few spoilers in it, but I blame the story for this, as it is the only way to really evaluate it. The Story It is about a society that has broken away from the rest of the world and modern life. They have set up a village away ...
...the people are forbidden to go as it is inhabited by ‘those we do not speak of’. These creatures appear to have threatened the villagers in the past but it has become a common agreement between them that they do not venture into each others’ territories. The creatures may also be attracted by the ‘bad colour’, which is red, and so this colour is never allowed to show in the village. One member of the town, Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix), however, ...

Ayesha- 12.06.2007 · Read full review
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Review of The Village (DVD)

...that have a twist in the plot, Signs and Sixth Sense are two classic examples of his curve ball style both films with endings that are still the subject of debate by film buffs. The Village is made in the same tradition as his previous works but this time the film is a mixed bag. Having been marketed as a horror film, well at least that's what I got from the trailers I `d seen, it may come as a bit of a let down to those who are expecting something ...
...them don't add up to the requirements of horror and the film lays more in a dark thriller genre than what the trailers seem to suggest. The village of the title is a small isolated community in a fairly non-specific time and place in America, both in geography and chronology, though you assume that it is a back woods settlement around the late 1800s. The villagers live a simple life away from contact with their neighbours who are vaguely termed ...

steerpyke 06.02.2005 (12.02.2005) · Read full review
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Review of The Village (DVD)

...lines, then, instead of picking the best and refining it, he shoves them all into one movie without really trying to improve on any of them. I am talking about Shyamalan’s latest, the thriller/drama/horror/romance (Internet Movie Database’s definition of its genre, not mine!) The Village. Set in what appears to be a secluded, seventeenth century village, the movie focuses on an idyllic community made up of people who have travelled from ...
...by the surrounding woods. However, these woods are not so much a protection as a danger, for within them lurks creatures referred to only as ‘Those We Don’t Speak Of’ (Harry Potter fans, don’t laugh, I know it sounds like Lord Voldemort’s bastard offspring). Funnily enough, ‘Those We Don’t Speak Of’ are referred to in just about every other line. Less ‘Those We Don’t Speak Of’ and ...

FC_Goat 27.08.2004 · Read full review
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Review of The Village (DVD)

...dodgy reviews, I always liked the sound of the concept behind the village and so was delighted to get my hands on a copy and settled down expecting to watch a pleasantly creepy thriller. Unfortunately, not even the quality of the actors or the beautiful filming could make this film anything other than average. After a promising start, it just fizzled out. The plot The villagers of a place in the middle of the woods have made a pact with the beings ...
...of the village if the beings do not break the boundary of the woods. The children of the village are kept largely in the dark, yet know that escaping could mean death. Then Ivy Walker, who is blind, falls in love with Lucius Hunt, who harbours a strong desire to break out of the wall that surrounds him and find medicine for the various ailments that have been killing off the villagers. After a brief trip into the woods one day, mutilated animal corpses ...

sunmeilan 22.06.2006 · Read full review
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Review of The Village (DVD)

When The Village plopped on my mat from my DVD rental service I couldn't remember what it was about and why I had added it. It is written, produced and directed by M. Night Shyamalan who is most famous for Sixth Sense, which I imagine is what intrigued me, although his subsequent films such as Unbreakable and Signs have not had the same commercial or critical success, nor did I enjoy them as much. The film is set in an isolated, rural Pennsylvanian ...
...The village is surrounded by a forest which contains strange, mythical type creatures that are not always friendly. Because of them the villagers do not venture into the forest and therefore do not leave the village. When a child dies, Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix) offers to travel through the forest to get medicine from nearby towns, but the village elders refuse to allow him to go. We also get an idea of village life, and how inward looking and ...

Essexgirl2006 19.10.2006 · Read full review
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Review of The Village (DVD)

Film Review – The Village Written/ Directed by M Night Shyamalan| Horror | Drama Starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Brendan Gleeson, Cherry Jones, Judy Greer, and Celia Weston Summery – The Village. A horror/thriller about a 19th century village surrounded by woodland, which hides mysterious creatures, or so it makes you think…. I must admit that the television advertisements did not attract ...
...the film look like your typical “monster – don’t go into the woods” storyline. How wrong I was! The reason I went to see this film is because I knew that it was directed by the same man that directed ‘Signs’. If you have seen signs you will know (depending on if you like this kind of film) that it leaves you thinking about the hidden meaning behind the ‘stereotypical’ plot. Signs in my opinion is not an alien film but something much deeper. M Night ...

tracy.kite 22.10.2004 · Read full review
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Review of The Village (DVD)

The Village is another of M Night Shymalan's fables of beings who dont quite exist within our time or space. Set in the 19th century, the elders have shut their people off from the rest of the world, making a creepy nearby woods their wall from the rest of the world. Nobody is allowed to cross the divide either way, but occasionally, their is contact which creates alarm and panic. In the night, there are also noises of the creatures who come into ...
...is the town hero, quiet by nature, but fearless in a way that the elders dont understand. He falls in love with Ivy Walker, who is completely blind. When he is brutally stabbed by a mentally retarded man who exists in the village, its up to Ivy to find her way through the forest and into the towns to get medicine, but she finds a world that she wasn't prepared for. All the right ingredients are here in another of Shymalan's unusual stories. Their ...

bilbob20 31.03.2007 · Read full review
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Review of The Village (DVD)