London Film Festival was great, as was Kevin Smith chatting away at the Indigo 02
London Film Festival was great, as was Kevin Smith chatting away at the Indigo 02
Member since:07.09.2004
Reviews:181
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M Night Shyamalan has made a name for himself by writing and directing films that are slightly off centre from the real world. Everything looks as it does in ‘our’ world but it is one that is populated by the paranormal myths and creatures we all know about.
The ghosts of Sixth Sense, the superhuman of Unbreakable and the aliens of Signs all exist in this supernatural world, but are also plausible enough for the tension that Shyamalan builds up to succeed. I sometimes feel that his climaxes need work but there is no denying his control of the audience.
The downside to his writing is the unexpected twist that he throws into the mix. This worked perfectly in Sixth Sense, as it was a surprising shock in the tail (okay it was blatantly obvious to the hardened filmgoer but was done very skilfully) from a director making his first major film.
After the same kind of last scene twist in Unbreakable anyone who notices directors’ names
find themselves looking for what could be the twist in successive films. This is the situation Shyamamlan now finds himself in. Can he break away from what is expected of him without ruining the audience’s expectations? Even more importantly, for Shyamalan is can he extract himself from this Catch 22 situation before it is too late and his work becomes formulaic?
With The Village we have more of the same - the same atmosphere, the slow building tension and ‘jump in your seat’ shocks. All of which Shyamalan excels at.
The setting this time is not the present but 19th century America. A small community, living away from the rest of civilisation, bordered by a forest populated by ‘them’, creatures that have a fragile truce with the elders of the village. You stay out of our forest and we will stay out of your village.
The plot is intriguing and has a wealth of possibilities. The setting of 19th century America gives us a location in time when the possibility of the creatures existing may be as unlikely as it is today, but the villagers belief that they exist is extremely likely. It was a time when fear of the unknown and the devil was high and religious belief prevalent.
However, this is where Shyamalan’s reputation becomes a hindrance. I found myself looking for the twist, wondering what it was going to be, knowing that there was going to be one, after all that is almost as much a trademark of an Shyamalan film as the spooky atmosphere. The situation in which he now finds himself is a detriment to his work, it affects the way people view his films and is possibly the reason behind the terrible reception The Village has received. Nevertheless The Village is an immense improvement on Signs. It is immensely stylish, is wonderfully shot, has some outstanding acting (William Hurt, Bryce Dallas Howard and Adrian Brody particularly) and has some scenes that really do make you jump in your seat. The only other film in recent times to make me leave the comfort of my seat involuntarily was the New Zealand horror ‘The Locals’.
Shyamalan has managed to take the curiosity of the viewer and build on it, he plays with your perceptions like a master. He pulls you into the world of the community and makes you feel the terror, that old cliché of cutting the tension with a knife can never have been more appropriate than for the first time ’they’ venture into the village. You are caught up in the situation to such a degree that you start to believe what the villagers believe and begin to uncover the secrets as they do. While not a classic by any means The Village is nowhere near as bad as most reviewers seem to have made out. It has enough good things going for it that make it worth going to see. I just hope that with his next film Shyamalan will try to do something different. I would love to see him try his hand at something a bit more light-hearted. Okay, I know that it is unlikely but I feel he really needs to open up his range of films before everyone becomes bored of them (if they haven’t already going by the reviews) and he becomes even more predictable. Come on Shyamalan let’s see you make a comedy!
Extra Facts:
12A Certificate 108 minutes
Also stars:- Sigourney Weaver Joaquin Phoenix Brendan Gleeson
Provisionally set for DVD release end of Jan 2005
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Production Year: 1984 - Horror - Director: Joe Dante - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Polly Holliday, Frances Lee McCain, Judge Reinhold, Corey Feldman
Production Year: 2002 - Horror - Director: Danny Boyle - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Cillian Murphy, Megan Burns, Noah Huntley, Christopher Eccleston, Marvin Campbell, Brendan Gleeson
i enjoyed the film the first time but once you know the sort of twist it spoils it the second time round!! a great review! :) x
Scotsmanmatt 31.03.2005 02:13
I enjoyed Sixth Sense and Unbreakable and hated Signs, so I'm hoping The Village isn't going to make things all square! Good review. Thanks. Scotsmanmatt
genn133423 13.03.2005 15:39
Great review-I am hoping to rent this on dvd soon-love his other films-headrd bad stuff about this one tho!
Genn. xx
Even when his trademark twist-ending formula wears worrisomely thin as it does inThe ... more
Village, M. Night Shyamalan is a true showman who knows how to serve up a spookfest. He's derailed this time by a howler of a "surprise" lifted almost directly from "A...
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Even when his trademark twist-ending formula wears worrisomely thin as it does inThe ... more
Village, M. Night Shyamalan is a true showman who knows how to serve up a spookfest. He's derailed this time by a howler of a "surprise" lifted almost directly from "A...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Run. The truce is ending. M. Night Shyamalan's 'The Village' finds the renowned ... more
writer-director crafting a suspenseful story of a small community whose inhabitants are plagued by fear of the unknown forest that surrounds them. For years they have kep...
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From Academy Award-nominated writer, director and modern-day master of suspense M. Night ... more
Shyamalan (Nominee: Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, The Sixth Sense, 1999), THE VILLAGE is a riveting, edge-of-your-seat chiller with a stellar ensemble c...
![The Village [DVD] [2004]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78514791.jpg "The Village [DVD] [2004]")
Oct 18th, 2004
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