The Village
2004
M. Night Shyamalan's THE VILLAGE finds the renowned writer-director crafting a suspenseful story of a small community whose inhabitants are plagued by fear of the unknown forest that surrounds them. For years, they have kept a truce with mysterious creatures in the woods by vowing never to breach a clearly defined border. .. Read more
| Starring | Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, William Hurt |
|---|---|
| Director | M. Night Shyamalan |
| Run time | 107 mins |
| Genres | Audio Descriptive, Thriller |
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Critics' reviews (5)
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Everybody always talks about M Night Shyamalan's surprise endings. But the shocker here is the opening. What on earth is this hip, contemporary director doing making a period film? read more »
- LOVEFiLM
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Most helpful member's review
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66 out of 81 people found this review helpful
A Great Film
There's been mixed reviews for this movie but in the end I had to come down on the side of the good ones. M. Night Shyamalan's films always have their staple scares and twists and this one is no different, with a dark tale of a village living in fear of the strange creatures in the woods. He's assembled a great cast whose performances give the film an added power, but once again don't let anyone tell you what happens as it will ruin the film. A must see for fans of this director and of horror films generally.
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Most recent members' review
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26 out of 37 people found this review helpful
M Night's done it again
From the opening to the closing credit sequences, this film captivates the audience, letting it fall into a false sense of security before snatching the rug from under its feet.
One of the strengths of this film is the direction. But then again, from the man who created The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Signs, you'd justifiably expect that. Each scene is constructed with such elegance and grace that it's a treat for the eyes. M Night must have stroyboarded every individual segment and the result is an astounding use of camera.
Of course, perhaps even better than this, is the acting. Love this film or loathe it, the acting will undeniably blow you away. Experienced actors (Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt) perform brilliantly, yet the absolute highlight is Bryce Dallas Howard, relatively unknown until this film. Wow.
Although advertised as a thriller, I don't think that it was. While I was copiously terrified at some places (more than I have been before, perhaps), it was clear that M. Night wasn't intending this film to be a thriller. Love plays more of a central role than fear. In fact, when I finished watching the film, I thought it was more of a political protest than anything else, but others have thought differently.
Nowadays, people cannot say 'M. Night Shyamalan' without thinking 'twist'. In fact, The Sixth Sense has one of the most famous movies twists of all time, and hence the Village has a twist as well. While most of my friends were annoyed by the twist, I felt it to be brilliant and strengthened my love of the film even more. In fact, I fell that many of the critics reviews have been negative because they haven't liked the sense of being tricked. If you don't like being tricked, stop the film about twenty minutes from the end.
In conclusion, The Village is a stupendously made film with a jaw-droppingly stunning cast whose acting is marvellous, a tightly bound screenplay and an abundantly sinster plot. And, while it may not be to everyone's tastes, I challenge you to watch this film and not feel chilled having watched it. -
News and features
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Wacky Joaquin Phoenix
- 26 Mar 2009
Good news! Joaquin Phoenix hasn’t lost his mind. He isn’t hooked on hard drugs (as far as we know). And he isn’t about to give up acting for hip-hop. He’s only joking. That’s my conclusion after belatedly watching the star’s notorious appearance with David Letterman on The Tonight Show last month in its entirety. Like most of us, I had assumed the worst when I read the headlines the morning after the late night broadcast and saw brief clips of the lowlights... Read more
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