The Village DVD Review:

What’s this? Frightmaster M.Night Shyamalan taking on a love story? Never thought I’d see that happen, but I’m glad it did. “The Village” is, at heart, a tender romance played out in a very suspenseful setting. Fortunately, the Shyamalan touch shines through in the eerie atmosphere of a secluded 19th century village surrounded by mysterious woods where unspeakable creatures dwell. But this time, while telling a story of how fear can affect a community, the talented filmmaker also explores themes of innocence and the power of love.

“It was new for me to include elements of romance in my writing along with the unknown supernatural elements that audiences have enjoyed in my past films,” Shyamalan admits. “This movie is ultimately about the power of what love can do to create things, and what it can overcome.”

Joaquin Phoenix (“Signs”) and newcomer Bryce Dallas Howard, who play the romantic leads, make a fascinating couple. Shyamalan wrote the role of Lucius Hunt, a curious and determined loner, for Phoenix – so the actor’s total grasp of that character comes as no surprise. But Howard is a revelation as Ivy Walker, the courageous young blind woman who risks everything to save her loved one. Projecting a maturity beyond her years, Howard delivers a mesmerizing performance. Thanks to Phoenix and Howard, the love scenes between Lucius and Ivy come across as sweet and subdued, just like one would imagine happening in a more innocent time period.

In fact, all the relationships in “The Village” seem quite genuine. William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Adrien Brody, Cherry Jones and Brendan Gleeson excel as members of the unsophisticated community. It’s like they’ve known each other forever. They’re all good actors, I know, but Shyamalan’s insistence that his principal cast members participate in a late 19th century “Boot Camp” -- which lasted for three weeks -- to prepare for the film probably helped them get into their roles even more deeply. “I wanted to form a real community of people where they needed to rely on one another for survival,” Shyamalan declares.

One of the DVD bonus features includes several scenes of this pre-production experience as well as comments from the actors about what it meant to them. Howard states she was deeply touched when Phoenix made her a walking staff and presented it to her before filming began. Weaver jokes about enjoying such chores as plowing, which she calls “surfing on dirt.”

Other DVD bonus materials are also worth checking out. They include: “Bryce’s Diary,” which features an excited Howard reading from the personal diary she kept while making the film; four deleted scenes with Shyamalan explaining why they were left out; a behind-the-scenes feature containing information on shooting, casting, editing, scoring and “Those We Don’t Speak Of.”

Don’t worry, Shyamalan fans. Despite its emphasis on romance and community behavior, “The Village” is a very spooky movie. Like all Shyamalan’s films, it’s filled with surprises. One stabbing scene was such a shock to me, I almost jumped out of my chair. And the weird sounds made by the creatures lurking in the woods frightened me even more than the scary music from “Jaws.” Finally, I don’t want to spoil anything for you, but be prepared for a TRIPLE twist ending. You might not like it, but you’ll have a heck of a ride getting there.

Betty Jo Tucker

Surrounded by dark, foreboding woods, the people of the village had an uneasy truce with the creatures that lives there. They stayed out of the valley and the people never strayed into their woods. It had been like this for more than twenty years but for some reason the creatures were starting to stir. As the noises from woods became loader and sightings of the creatures became all the more frequent, Lucius Hunt (Phoenix) suggested that the villagers need to send someone to the town to get help and that he would volunteer.

Director M. Night Shyamalan throws more twists and turns your way with The Village but is he turning into a one-trick pony?

When you go and see a movie by the writer/producer/director you know what to expect and this film will not disappoint fans. His trademark twist and turny plot will have you guessing to the point when the big reveal actually happens. This is the appeal of his movies. You simply can just let them wash over you because you have to watch so intently to look for clues that will lead you to the probable outcome but then you will be way off anyway. This is Shyamalan’s skill as a writer and director, as he makes you theorise all the way through the movie and then he throws his curve ball.

Shyamalan has gathered together an ensemble cast that doesn’t have a big star to hog all the limelight. This puts the emphasis more on the story than one individual and this works very well, making the movie his most suspenseful yet. Now there is no outright leading figure, meaning everyone is in peril and anyone could be meet a grizzly end.

The cast itself is first rate. Joaquin Phoenix provides a rather subdued performance as Lucius Hunt but this is just what the character needed. He is a quite man, who only speaks when he needs to but what he says is extremely relevant. It is easy to forget how good an actor William Hurt can actually be. As village leader Edward Walker, he commands your attention every time he graces the screen, portraying a man most people would follow. The same can be said for Sigourney Weaver and Brendan Gleeson as both their characters command respect within the community but are struggling to conceal what is really going on. Adrian Brody proves that his Oscar win was no fluke with another fine performance as Noah Percy, the mentally challenged villager who sees the world through a child’s eyes.

The real star of the film is up and coming actress Bryce Dallas Howard. The daughter of Oscar winning director Ron Howard, is a talent waiting to be discovered and this film should propel her into the major leagues. As Ivy Walker, the blind daughter of village leader Edward, Howard excels in creating a character that you want to follow into those dreaded woods.

The successes of The Village far out way most of the shortcomings of Shyamalan’s script and his filmmaking style. He succeeds in creating a suspenseful atmosphere and a sense of dread during the increased activity of the creatures. The twist and turns of the plot keep you guessing throughout but the problem is that you seem to spend more time guessing what is coming next and what the final twist is going to be than you do actually listening to what is going on. It is so easy to starting thinking of the different plot possibilities when something is revealed that you can easily miss something completely obvious. But this is what Shyamalan does best and what makes his films so talked about.

The Village provides plenty of twists and turns to keep Shyamalan fans happy and everyone else enthralled. You know a final big twist is coming and it is one that you will never guess (people who say they did are big lairs). The writer/director delivers another suspense fantasy drama that will keep you on the edge of your seat but it would be a change if he moved away from what is becoming his trademark and brought us something completely different.

Star Rating = * * * *

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 and dts soundtracks, the transfer is very good. M. Night Shyamalan’s latest plot twister looks superb, with the bright yellows of the villages and the reds of the creatures at their most exuberant. The sound is also extremely good, especially during the extremely creepy creature moments.

BONUS FEATURES

Deconstructing The Village (25.11 mins)

Writer/Director M. Night Shyamalan, producer Sam Mercer, associate producer Jose L. Rodriguez, costume designer Ann Roth, editor Christopher Tellofsen, re-recording mixers Robert Fernandez and Michael Semanick, supervising sound editors Frank Eulnere and Steve Boeddeker, composer James Newton Howard, creature designer Crash McCreery and stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquim Phoenix, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Adrien Brody, Celia Weston, Brendan Gleeson, Cherry Jones and Judy Greer come together to talk about the making of ‘The Village’. Split into six parts entitled ‘Shooting The Village’, ‘Casting’, ‘Boot camp’, ‘Editing & Sound’, ‘Scoring The Village’ and ‘Those we don’t speak of’, they combine to produce an overall look at the production of the movie. The featurette include behind the scenes footage and interviews with the cast and crew.

Deleted Scenes (11.04 mins)

Entitled ‘The Drill’, ‘August’s Story’, ‘Pre-Wedding’ and ‘Pipes’, these four deleted scenes are accompanied by explanations for their removal by Writer/Director M. Night Shyamalan. Some of the scenes would have added more to the movie, especially the ‘Pipes’ scene.

Bryce’s Diary (5.00 mins)

Star Bryce Dallas Howard reads from her diary, which she kept during the production of the movie. She reveals her thoughts on the film, the cast, the director and her character.

M. Night’s Home Movie (3.06 mins)

Writer/Director M. Night Shyamalan introduces one of his many childhood mini-movies that helped influence his career. This one is Indiana Shyamalan.

Production Photo Gallery

Your chance to view behind the scenes images and publicity shots from ‘The Village’

OVERALL

A good featurette and some interesting deleted scenes make ‘The Village’ a decent DVD release. Again M. Night Shyamalan doesn’t provide a commentary rack (too influenced by Steven Spielberg) but fans should be happy with the release and it is a good rental for everyone who missed the twisty, turny thriller on the big screen.

DVD Star Rating = * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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