Review of The Village (2004) by M G — 27 Mar 2011

Cut M. Night Shyamalan some slack. Sure, The Village had many flaws, but it certainly was not a bad movie. The acting was top-notch, the script was very well written, and there was definite suspense throughout.

But what stood out to me more than anything, other than the typical Shyamalan twist-ending, was the relationship between Joaquin Phoenix and Bryce Dallas Howard. I felt that their love story saved the film and somewhat hampered it as well.

Don't give up hope on M. Night Shyamalan just yet. The Sixth Sense was superb, Unbreakable was very underrated, and Signs was a definite good movie. Maybe he his finally on the right track; Devil, although it wasn't directed by Shyamalan, was surely a major leap over The Happening.