The Village Movie Review:


M. Night Shyamalan’s “Sixth Sense” is still revered as one of the greatest thriller classics of the modern era. It changed the way we view thriller films today.

In his follow-ups to his other-worldly “Sixth Sense”, Shyamalan proposed a new way of looking at superheroes in “Unbreakable” and deduced alien invasions to paranoia in “Signs”. For most movie-goers it is still a debate to which of these films they like better.

Now with the Village, Shyamalan has once more created a stir but like his last two entries it will be up to audiences to believe or condone the hype.

“The Village” focuses on the townsfolk of the secluded village of Covington, Pennsylvania who live in fear of creatures who inhabit the woods surrounding their town. The village patriarch and a member of the village counsel, Edward Walker (William Hurt) becomes concerned when both of his young daughters fall for the quiet challenging demeanor of Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix).

Lucius wants nothing more than to challenge the village law of never entering the woods. He believes that the village needs medicines and supplies that don’t grow rampant around the village. He wants to journey into the woods but the village counsel is dead against it.

Lucius’s childhood sweetheart, Ivy Walker (Bryce Dallas Howard), is the youngest daughter of Edward Walker and blind. Ivy admires Lucius and his curiosity of what goes on in the woods.

When a freak accident occurs, the village counsel and Edward Walker are forced to look past the creatures and the woods for help. It is that desperate act that is destined to change the face of Covington forever.

Shyamalan’s Village reminded me a lot of films like 1996’s “The Crucible” and the 1995’s “Scarlet Letter” but only in style, tone and presentation. Where people live in fear and that one solitary act can change the people. I always felt confused and frustrated when watching films like these because it is always hard to get into the mindset of a person imprisoned in that way of thinking.

I also was confused to why the townspeople wouldn’t rise up and defend their village instead of hiding in cellars and running away scared. How can mass paranoia and fear so cripple these people?

I guess if you buy into Shyamalan’s townspeople and their way of life than this film is sure to delight and spook you. But if you were like me and didn’t than it may not be too difficult to see what Shyamalan has up his sleeve.

The film’s shocks, twists and turns are interesting but I found to be very predictable. I almost felt that the script and story was more like a television movie or student film. If it wasn’t for Shyamalan’s crisp and pinpointed direction and the acting from some of the film’s leads, the whole project would have felt very amateur.

One of the bright spots of this film is the performance of newcomer Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of filmmaker Ron Howard. Her performance alone was one of the reasons why I kept going along with the film as long as I did even though I had figured it out before the end of the first act.

Howard is beautiful, approachable, vulnerable but strong and resourceful in every scene she is in. I almost wish that in some of the more critical scenes with her that we were able to be more a part of the thrills and chills she experiences.

I also loved the performance from William Hurt who once more shows he is still one of the best actors working today. What is with this man? He disappears for years and then always comes back more brilliant than the last time we saw him. We can’t forget this man.

“The Village” is a concept that if you buy into it from the opening sequence than you are sure to enjoy it. But if you don’t it is a long bumpy ride out of the village.

(2.5 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer

Dean Kish

Writer/Director M. Night Shyamalan has been hailed as Hollywood’s next big filmmaker, with continous comparisons to Steven Spielberg and Alfred Hitchcock being mentioned in every article about him. Ever since breaking through in 1999 with his brilliant thriller The Sixth Sense, Shyamalan has had a niche for developing character driven thrillers (2000’s Unbreakable, 2002’s Signs) with a big twist at the end.

Now with all the hype of this filmmaker and Disney desperately needing a hit blockbuster comes his new thriller The Village, which painfully offends audiences’ intelligence and falls flat on its face.

The Village is in fact a love story that perhaps would have worked being more dramatic than a twisted cheap horror thriller. Taking place during the late 1800’s in an isolated Pennsylvania village surrounded by woods, the setting is full of peaceful and hard working people that watch out for one another, dine all at once and love their lives. No one dares to venture out into the woods, for that is where “Those We Do Not Speak Of” reside, which are unseen red cloaked creatures that stay in the woods as long as the villagers stay in their village. In the village, red is considered the “bad color,” so anything (berries, flowers) that arises in the color of red is buried and forgotten. As a safety precaution, the border of the village is cloaked in yellow, which is the color that keeps “Those We Do Not Speak Of” away.

The village committee is led by the town’s elders and has the knowledgeable Edward Walker (William Hurt) as their leader. The committee is interrupted one day by the soft spoken Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix), who is the son of the widowed Alice Walker (Sigourney Weaver). Lucius asks the elders that he may venture through the woods to the towns to gain medicines, in which one villager has just passed away from sickness. Hailed as brave, the elders deny Lucius his wish stating that it is too dangerous and no one should enter into the woods. Edward’s daughter Kitty (Judy Greer) is in love with Lucius, but he will not take her hand in marriage. Lucius is in fact in love with Kitty’s blind younger sister, Ivy (Bryce Dallas Howard), whom her father states has instincts unlike any other in the village. A challenged young man that occasionally breaches into the woods named Noah (Adrien Brody) also has feelings for Ivy.

After Lucius ventures off into the woods one day, the town is invaded by “Those We Do Not Speak Of,” with the aftermath being scolded animals and red slashes across each family’s door. Something terrible then happens, and the village is left with the possibility of losing another one of their own. An unlikely choice is then chosen to go to the towns through the woods to bring back the needed medicines, setting up one twist after another as to what are the creatures in the woods.

The atmosphere of the village is vividly captured and Shymalan has some effective shot selections, but that is about it. The built in tension of the film is felt at times, but the first half is so boring and wearied. The anticipated surprises and twists of this film are predictable about half way through and are truly absurd and ludicrous. The formula or steps that Shymalan takes with twisting this film are loose, incomplete, and really cheap. The twist or twists of the film begin with still about 30 minutes left, and you think it can not get any worse, but it really does. The script’s dialogue is flat and at times tries to be too much like the way characters speak in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible or Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Shymalan also relies too heavily on James Newton Howard’s haunting score, which gets the real jumps out of you when it is first heard during the film’s opening credit sequence. Shymalan is an established “thriller- driven” filmmaker, but with The Village he really rips you off.

Overall the majority of the film’s performances are good, but the bright spot of the cast and this film is the breakthrough work of Bryce Dallas Howard as Ivy. Daughter of filmmaker Ron Howard, Howard delivers a superb performance as the blind and determined Ivy. Though she looks around too much in the first act and blinks a little too aggressively for a blind girl, the third act of this film belongs to her; she engulfs you and is the only slight reason to keep you from falling asleep. Joaquin Phoenix is reliable as usual and William Hurt once again very convincingly plays the smartest character in the film. Oscar winner Adrien Brody is also efficient in his role as the challenged Noah Percy. The only disappointing performance in the film is by Sigourney Weaver, who is a great actress, but just seemed to be reciting lines in the film.

Outside of Bryce Dallas Howard there is nothing to recommend about The Village. Everything that is established by Shymalan winds up being preposterous as if he is offering you a cup of gourmet coffee, but once served it is ice cold, unstirred, and without the least bit of flavor.

Grade: D+

Joseph C. 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 b,e 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 liars). 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 = * * * *

Jamie Kelwick

Here's another involving dramatic thriller from Shyamalan, which of course has some surprises up its sleeve. But there's a lot more than a few good plot twists in this clever, important film.

It's 1897 in a tiny village surrounded by dark, menacing woods. A whole series of rules have evolved to help the villagers live in a kind strained coexistence with horrific creatures that prowl amongst the trees. The villagers are self-sufficient--they never need to visit the towns beyond the woods--and their life is rather idyllic. In this setting, the strong-but-silent Lucius (Phoenix) falls in love with the feisty-blind Ivy (Howard), daughter of the town's leader (Hurt). But Ivy's simpleton friend (Brody) is unknowingly stirring up something scary in the woods.

Shyamalan is an expert at creating multi-layered, insinuating, inventive storylines and characters (see also The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Signs), even if his films are very slowly paced. And the issues he examines here are especially strong--and extremely timely, due to the juxtaposition between the villagers and "Those We Don't Speak Of", which is frighteningly familiar in today's us-versus-them world.

Besides being a gripping story all its own, this is a moving parable about the state of the planet. And Shyamalan directs it steadily, building both the plot and the characters and digging way beneath the surface. The cinematography, sound and music are perfectly moody and textured--like Snow White meets the Blair Witch! And he edits the film with a fiendish glee (his cameo appearance near the end is mischievously witty) while keeping the characters real--we feel their desperate longing even before we know what they yearn for. Their warm respect, humour and energy are all sharply felt.

And the superb cast relishes these strong characters. Howard is especially compelling in a tricky role, while Hurt, Weaver (as Lucius' mother), Gleeson, Jones, Weston, et al, are fascinating as the secretive, jingo-spouting elders. To be honest, there isn't a big twist at the end. It's more a gentle revelation as we begin to understand the truth here. This is a powerful tale of isolationism, a desire for innocence and hope, and a fear of the unknown. Or maybe not so unknown after all.

Rich Cline

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