Review of The Village (2004) by Jason K — 02 Apr 2011

Fans of M. Night Shymalan will know that his films are often portrayed as horror films in the cinemas by those watching their trailers and will also know that, perhaps for this reason alone, was the 2004 film The Village given the occasional less-than-tasteful review by mainstream critics. When you expect to see X and Y and get Z instead, some people come out feeling as if they've gotten the short end of a very long straw.

I, only the other hand, sat down to watch the film as a film - and nothing more. With next to no foreknowledge about the events or story, I watched what I might say may be the masterpiece of M. Night's growing film collection. The film starts off slowly in a tasteful village where its people are disturbed by those whom they call only by those we do not speak of. While it does take a while for the story to get rolling, viewers will appreciate the character development and care given to the story in general. Bryce Dallas Howard (Victoria, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse), and Joaquin Phoenix (Commodus, Gladiator) deliver superb performances and Sigourney Weaver, Adrien Brody, and William Hurt only add to their brilliance.

The film is filled with cheery parts and truly saddening parts and will send you on an emotional roller-coaster from the very beginning. A masterful score only multiplies every tiny detail of the already stunning film and is another one of James Newton Howard's best scores - beside The Last Airbender, Lady in the Water, Dinosaur, and Peter Pan.