Review of The Village (2004) by Bob L — 14 Dec 2011

The "Sixth Sense" was one of my all-time favorite movies, but since then M. Night Shyamalan has churned out disappointment after disappointment, and "The Village" is no different. In all Shyamalan's films, he reserves the climax and the resolution of the story until the end, which is counter to traditional story-telling that starts with exposition, builds to a climax, and ends with a resolution.

Though this framework was intriguing and perfect for a film such as "The Sixth Sense", Shyamalan's movies since have suffered for following the same motif. Moreover, Shyamalan concentrates so much on the end of the film, he forgets that the viewers have to sit through the first hour and a half, which is slow-developing and meaningless until linked together with information from the ending.

I must admit, however, that Shyamalan's tales are highly imaginative and full of potential, which is primarily why viewers are drawn in in the first place. It is in this regard that the film succeeds.

The premise of the film is captivating, but the acting by the entire cast was lackluster at best. The performances in the film were highlighted by Bryce Dallas Howard as Ivy and Adrien Brody's surprising role as Noah.

Conversely, Joaquin Phoenix's reprisal as Lucius was drone-like and lacked any feeling. Overall this was a poor film and the only reason it received a second star was due the ending, which M. Night Shyamalan focuses so much emphasis, slightly redeems the the movie in the last twenty minutes.