Review of The Village (2004) by Titanium-Tiger — 07 Oct 2012

This is one of the most misunderstood and misjudged films that I have ever seen. It's a powerful story and an incredibly fascinating study of human nature, the psyche, and of society. The main reason for poor reviews centers around disappointment over the fact that the film isn't about what people thought it would be about going into it. People who are big lovers of slasher and horror films saw the trailers and thought that this was going to be one of those. It is not. So, if you're looking for those kinds of thrills, you may be disappointed. If you watch this with an open mind and don't set yourself up with expectations, you may be pleasantly surprised by a powerful film.

The acting is superb. William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Adrian Brody, Joaquin Phoenix, and newcomer Bryce Dallas Howard all deliver outstanding performances. Their characters are both believable and engender empathy from the audience. They are deeply human portrayals.

The story, while requiring some suspension of belief, is plausible. It's a fascinating story about what happens to people who try to escape the sorrow and pain of their past by living in an idyllic, "innocent" society, only to discover that the very crimes and fears they sought to escape are lurking right in their midst...in their own society and in their own hearts. This is a thriller with a very realistic human dimension, if you are willing to enter into it and see it.

The music is superb and fits the tone of the film very well. It's dramatic and emotive. I thought M. Night Shyamalan did a fantastic job with writing and directing this film. His curse is the huge success he achieved with The Six Sense and then having to live up to and exceed that stellar success. If you can set aside your preconceived notions of what one of his films is "supposed" to be about, you will enjoy another of his classic films. I think this is one of his best.