The Village cover art

The Village Details

2004 Certificate 12
  • Rated:
  • 60
  • from 58,202 members

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
Genres Audio Descriptive, Thriller

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The Village

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. However, when a young man (Joaquin Phoenix) becomes determined to explore the nearby towns, his actions are met with menacing consequences. Shyamalan continues his remarkable streak of entrancing and entertaining thrillers (THE SIXTH SENSE, UNBREAKABLE, SIGNS) with THE VILLAGE. A meticulous filmmaker, Shyamalan displays his penchant for setting up a fascinating atmosphere in every aspect of the movie, from its distinctive color scheme to its intentionally genteel dialogue to its outstanding cinematography, courtesy of Roger Deakins. Renowned cast members Phoenix, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, and Adrien Brody are excellent, but the true standout is Bryce Dallas Howard (daughter of director Ron Howard), who embodies the heart of the film with her vulnerable but fiercely vital performance. Like Shyamalan's other movies, THE VILLAGE has a distinct twist that offers shocking revelations, but this film's overwhelming sense of menace is what is sure to resonate with viewers long after it's over.

Starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Brendan Gleeson
Director M. Night Shyamalan
Studio WALT DISNEY STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time DVD: 1 hr 47 mins
Certificate Certificate 12
Collections 100 Horror Films
Genres Audio Descriptive, Thriller
Language DVD: English, English Audio Description
Hearing-impaired English
Subtitles DVD: English
Released DVD: 31 Jan 2005
Production year: 2004
Format DVD
  • Critics' reviews (4) of The Village

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  • 3 stars out of 5

    M Night Shyamalan's reputation has been built on his way with a twist ending, and this unlikely cross between Lost Horizon and Alien continues the tradition set by The Sixth Sense and Signs. Set in an unspecified time and place, this beautifully photographed tale concerns an isolated rural community that seems idyllic — except for the mysterious creatures that inhabit the surrounding woods. The villagers respect the territory of these rarely seen beings, but the uneasy truce is challenged when Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix) steps across the boundary line. Shyamalan uses just about every trick in the book to create a sense of unease — spooky woods, creepy music and things that literally go bump in the night — and his cast performs admirably, particularly newcomer Bryce Dallas Howard (daughter of director Ron Howard). However, in trying to top his previous films, Shyamalan piles on the twists until the story buckles — this time, perhaps, less would have been more.

    • Radio Times
  • Risible, illogical horror movie that depends for its effect on fooling its audience, when most will be way ahead of the director in working out his clumsy contrivances.

    • Halliwell's Film Guide
  • Most helpful member's review of The Village

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  • 67 out of 82 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars

    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.

      • imran from London
  • Most recent members' review of The Village

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  • 4 out of 5 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 1 star

    absolute pants

    Awful words cannot descibe how bad this is. Pluck my eyes out and put them on stalks this is a BAD BAD movie. The dvd of watching paint dry.

      • Graham Mason from Grimsby
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Rating breakdown

58,202 Member ratings
  • 100
2,884
  • 90
3,782
  • 80
7,028
  • 70
8,859
  • 60
11,222
  • 50
8,056
  • 40
6,354
  • 30
4,601
  • 20
3,637
  • 10
1,779

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    • 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. ...