Oh. My. God.

Shyamalan's best.

Just...UH!!

Someone else should start a real discussion about this fantastic film. I'll just keep making gutteral noises...surprised I made it this far.

MAJOR SPOILERS ARE (going to be) IN THIS THREAD!!!

Oh. My. God.

Shyamalan's best.

Just...UH!!

Someone else should start a real discussion about this fantastic film. I'll just keep making gutteral noises...surprised I made it this far.

MAJOR SPOILERS ARE (going to be) IN THIS THREAD!!!

I saw this a few days ago and posted my reaction on the site. It was in response to Susan's query, I believe.

For myself, the payoff is weak at best and nonsensical at worst. It's the kind of thing you would discuss in your sociology/ philosophy or government class. Perhaps therein lies the fear.

The film is receiving mixed reviews at best and the commentary the film is generating is about what I expected it to be. (One of the more interesting bits is that The Village can be read as an interpretation of the Bush administration)

Night has seemingly hit his stride with his frosh endeavor in much the same way as Angela Bassett did in What's Love Got to Do With it.

As with Night's previous endeavors, reaction to this will be all ("I'm a fan") or nothing ("Geez, I knew that was coming").

Steve D
The Village is another case of the ads leading you astray. I "think" I actually liked this movie, but it's hard to say 'cause I actually believed that the movie was going to be as the ads indicated. So, go see this movie with the ads pushed to one side of your head, and I think you will like it. But go with the ads in mind and you will be as peeved as I am now.

However, once I cool off, I'm going to sneak off and watch this movie again, this time without my gal. There are some questions that appeared unanswered but that a second viewing might answer, i.e. the second generation (young adults) being, hmmm..., shall we say, odd, and wouldn't this indicate that the wrong decision was made at the end?

For the record:

Sixth Sense--Great. I own it. Watch it less than I did before. Not so intense anymore.
Unbreakable--Bitchen. A living comic book (people who are not comic book fans tend not to like this movie--they think comic book movies are like X-Men and such--well, this movie proved that a comic book movie could be more). Own it, watch it alot, still intense.
Signs--Okay. Too much a retread of too many other movies. Don't own it. Even passed it up in the bargain bin at Circuit City for $7.99.
Village--I'll get back to you after a second viewing.

I disagree i hated this movie with a passion. It had such promise but than they ruin it at the end. For once can't a movie just stick to the stroyline that is presented in previews instead of making up some ridiculous crap to try and shock everyone. I went to go see a good horror movie about creatures in the woods instead i got a crappy cop-out ending probably because the director didn't want to spend too much money making a quality horror film that would have entailed money being put into it for special effects.

I HAVE BEEN RIPPED OFF!

A LOWER DEEP

Jack Garner (Gannett News Service) should be lynched for spilling the beans in his review of The Village . He wrote,

"'The Village' tells a tale of a cult of about 50 like-minded folks who live a 19th century lifestyle."

That phrasing gives it all away -- at least it did for me. I went into the movie expecting to see a group of modern-day people living a low-tech life, like the Amish. Actually, if you think about it, the Amish have pretty much accomplished what the protagonists in the film were trying to accomplish, without inventing lurid bogeyman to scare their kids with.

BTW, I agree that Shyamalan's films have gone generally downhill; Signs was just plain silly, and although The Village was an improvement, it still had plenty of plot holes and things that just didn't make a lot of sense if you thought about them for more than five seconds.

One of the more interesting bits is that The Village can be read as an interpretation of the Bush administration

Can you post a link for this one?

Can you post a link for this one?

Scott,

There is no specific link for this. A combination of critics in the New York area
suggested this. And upon review, I concur with that interpretation. The reviews were posted in the New York Post, New York Daily News, New York Times as well as Newsday for Friday, July 30. Also Filmstew.com might have carried an article or two or the Movie Review Search Engine might have additional info.

One of the things that struck me is how much more effective Hurt's character is than the Halliburton stand in in The Manchurian Candidate.

The color coding is can be read as the equivalent of Dubya's terror alerts etc. And to think Hurt's character achieved what he did without the use of implants, probes etc.

While The Village is merely a movie, coupled with Farenheit 911 and the above mentioned Candidate, there seems to be an overt political underpinning to films right now.

Hope this helps

Oh. My. God.

Shyamalan's best.

Just...UH!!

Someone else should start a real discussion about this fantastic film. I'll just keep making gutteral noises...surprised I made it this far.

MAJOR SPOILERS ARE (going to be) IN THIS THREAD!!!

Barry,

I saw The Village this weekend and I loved it. It was not at all what I expected. That put me off a bit, but what I got instead was a beautiful film about relationships and the powers of suggestion. I didn't think the "shocker" was a cop-out and I didn't feel cheated. The only thing I would change is the last scene. I wanted to know for sure if Ivy's love was going to live.

Speaking of Ivy, the actress that played her, was phenomenal. This should open a lot of doors for her. Did you know she's Ron Howard's daughter? Talent must run in the family.

Cinematography was haunting, the actors were excellent and the story was a huge surprise.

I highly recommend this to anyone, if they can handle the fact that it really isn't a horror film.

I want to see it again to see if I missed any clues!

Susan

I finally got to see this movie after months of avoiding any discussions, reviews, opinions, etc...I didn't even watch any trailers for this thing.

I was able to watch this with no preconceptions of the storyline or media-bias which is the best way to see a film, and the payoff was well worth it. I enjoyed every minute of it.

After reading through this thread and talking to others about political tie-ins and some other rediculous notions related to this movie and the film industry in general, I have to shake my head in disgust...My God people, its an effing movie!

Symbolism does not necessarily occur in every tale (film or otherwise) and to overanalyze every minute detail robs you of your enjoyment of the story. If you look for these types of tie-ins, you will find them, conspiracy theories are filled with loose tie-ins and circumstance, but folks, sometimes a story is just a story, not an allegory for GWB's monarchy or a hidden code to unlock the secrets of stonehenge...

So the next time you drop your $8 on a movie, relax, enjoy yourself, get extra butter on your popcorn...

I'm a big Shyamalan fan. "The 6th Sense" is on my list of top ten of all time. I liked "Unbreakable," and I very much enjoyed "Signs."

However, I figured out the inevitable Shyamalan twist in "The Village" about 10 or 15 mintues into the film. I just knew what was happening. No one told me; I didn't read any spoilers; I just figured it out.

That being said, it's beautifully shot, and I'll watch ANYTHING with Adrian Brody. Crazy about that boy! And Bryce Dallas Howard was terrific, as everyone has said. Great future for that girl.

It's certainly worth seeing.

And Cyber-Jack, I agree. I go to movies to be entertained. I sit back, I watch, and I enjoy. Most of the time, a movie is just a movie.