The Village, written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan on a budget of 60 million dollars, was going to be a tough follow up for a director known for his twists and turns. As it turned out, there was a twist, but it was a rather low key one, and it was almost apparent from the start, though it is not without a small end revelation, that will surprise you.
This movie starts off really slowly, leading you into the lives of a group of villagers, who live on the outskirts of a wood, in 1897 Pennsylvania, which is seemingly haunted by some nasty hideous monsters, referred to only as, 'Those we do not speak of'. A village where the colour red is not allowed, as it is the colour of evil. The Elders, who have set up and run the village, teach their children that the Towns outside their village is a bad place, and they must never cross into the woods to go there. They are not even allowed to speak about it.
Although they mean well, the Elders keep the villagers
there with legends about creatures that live in the woods. Those that will grudgingly tolerate the villagers, providing they don't stray into the woods. The villagers have grown used to the fact they can never go through the woods, that they just accept it, but inevitably, as children grow they start to question the rules. One day, one of the young men decides he wants to go through those frightening woods, to fetch some medicines from the nearest town, so he requests permission from the elders on the matter.
Without wanting to spoil the film for those that haven't seen it, Lucius, the young guy that requests to go, ends up unable to go, and in turn, Ivy, who is the daughter of one of the elder's, goes instead. The only problem with this is, Ivy is a blind girl, and although she is very much a tomboy, liking to run and climb and rough it, the woods prove to be a test of her resolve and tenacity. She is played very well by Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of director Ron Howard. I like how she accepts her disability without a thought, and does everything as if she has no impairment.
There is plenty of tension to grip you in this pretty story, Shyamalan sets the tone, and tries hard to draw you into these villagers, and he succeeds with ease. The characters are strong and likable, believable even. M. Night Shyamalan was quoted as saying, the novel Wuthering Heights was his inspiration for this movie. Newton Howard's score has been released on CD by Hollywood Records, for those that like movie soundtracks.
I don't think it lives up to The Sixth Sense, or Unbreakable, and here lies Shyamalan's problem, I was there looking for the dead people, and I didn't find them. The audience is so used to the way he plays his films, that when it doesn't go exactly that way, they will be disappointed, even when the film is quite acceptable. It's a nice film, enjoyable, it's only demise is, 'It isn't what one expects a Shyamalan film to be' and why should it be? Is it right that a director is expected to make just one type of film, just because the audience expects it? Of course not. The critics slated this movie, and were wrong to do so. They said the movie was unbelievable, yet isn't it supposed to be a fairy story?
But I can say, it caused me to reflect, just as all his movies do, and when the boys daringly stood with their backs to the woods, playing their game of, 'who can hold out the longest without being scared', I just wanted to leap up and yell, 'it's behind you'. When they finally ran, I was relieved :) It had a gentle elegance, and enough atmosphere to keep it's head above water, drawing its power from the tension and character building, and some fine acting from the cast too.
I looked forward to this, believing it was going to have some wow or shock revelation, perhaps I wasn't taking the whole thing in properly, because I was actually searching everything for the clues to this end bit. Yes, there was a twist in the end, and no, unless you read it somewhere, you won't have worked it out by the end. It surprises you, but it doesn't wow you. Nevertheless, I liked it, it's a nice little film to curl up with on a cold Winter evening. But be warned, if you wish to really enjoy this, don't take into account The Sixth Sense, Signs or Unbreakable. Forget those, don't try comparing them. You can't. Go into this film expecting nothing, just watch it with an open mind. Do yourself a favour and try it.
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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
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
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: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
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 5 to 9 days...
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...
Advantages: Intriguing movie with a good twist. Disadvantages: The adverts and marketing suggested it was a different kind of movie entirely, in my opinion, so many will leave disappointed.
Guru-On-A-Mountain 27.08.2004 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Village (DVD)
![The Village [DVD] [2004]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78514791.jpg "The Village [DVD] [2004]")
Dec 21st, 2004
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