X
- 2004
- PG-13
- Buena Vista Pictures
- 1 h 48 m
- 2004
- PG-13
- Buena Vista Pictures
- 1 h 48 m
Summary The thrilling tale of an isolated village confronting the astonishing truth that lies just outside its borders. (Touchstone Pictures)
Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan
Written By: M. Night Shyamalan
- 2004
- PG-13
- Buena Vista Pictures
- 1 h 48 m
- 2004
- PG-13
- Buena Vista Pictures
- 1 h 48 m
The Village
44
7.1
Where to Watch
Summary The thrilling tale of an isolated village confronting the astonishing truth that lies just outside its borders. (Touchstone Pictures)
Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan
Written By: M. Night Shyamalan
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 40 Critic Reviews
44
28% Positive
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
48% Mixed
19 Reviews
19 Reviews
25% Negative
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 40 Critic Reviews
44
28% Positive
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
48% Mixed
19 Reviews
19 Reviews
25% Negative
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
Made with such elegance, atmosphere and wonderfully mannered performances it will nestle deep inside your head, refusing to budge. The more you ponder it, the better it becomes.
It gives nothing of the plot away to say that there's a fine line between an ''Aha!'' and an ''Oh, brother!'' Whether you feel The Village crosses that line may hinge on whether you think Shyamalan's screenwriting ability is beginning to lag behind his skill as a director.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 308 User Ratings
7.1
64% Positive
196 Ratings
196 Ratings
25% Mixed
77 Ratings
77 Ratings
11% Negative
35 Ratings
35 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 308 User Ratings
7.1
64% Positive
196 Ratings
196 Ratings
25% Mixed
77 Ratings
77 Ratings
11% Negative
35 Ratings
35 Ratings
Sometimes I think the people in the top places for rating films are working a separate agenda. I've seen awful movies get 9 stars and ones like The Village get 2. Really? US was the worst movie I've seen in years and just because it's Jordan Peele, an awful incohesive ridiculous movie is getting rave reviews.. THE VILLAGE however, is story telling at its finest. The imagery, scene setting, storyline and acting are all A+. I wish I invented such an incredible story to tell at family night. It was spooky, interesting, and kept me on the edge of my seat as the plot changed lanes, broke hearts, thickened, and revealed an incredible love story. I give this movie a 10 because this kind of creativity is a rare commodity. It seems if a film is not about racism or senseless violence it gets no love. What a shame that so many of us are addicted to a sort of repetitive culture in arts and entertainment. I recommended this film to all who appreciates an out of the box story. There are so many lessons inside.. and let's not pretend we've never wished for something similar. Most people don't have the balls to pack up and move off of the grid... this was such an inspiration to watch. I wanted more! Lucious. I would go as far to say that this is one of Night's best films.
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Beautiful film. Stunning. Gorgeous cinematography, masterclass performances from the cast, and a beautiful, haunting score. The negative reviews likely have to do with the way this move was marketed. People went in thinking they would get a horror film, and instead got a love story.
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The film's payoff raises more questions than it answers, which may be Shyamalan's intent in this political parable of fear.
A watchable film for awhile that unravels in a muddled last act likely to send many opening-weekend filmgoers home head-scratching and grumbling.
Everyone here sounds trapped in a high school staging of “The Crucible,” and after about an hour, this high-toned creature feature wears out its welcome and starts to seem rather boring and pretentious, the two greatest sins any movie can commit.
The real mystery at the heart of M. Night Shyamalan's latest: How does he persuade actors like Sigourney Weaver and Adrien Brody to act in his supremely lame movies?
It's bad enough to make parable a four-letter word.
I'd like to say two things about myself before starting this review. First of all, I almost always agree with critical ratings for movies. Second of all, I like to go into movies without knowing anything about them except their critical ratings and/or Oscar/Golden Globe performance. I watched The Village because of a friend's recommendation, knowing nothing about it or its director, M. Night Shyamalan. Halfway through the movie, I knew it was great. After it was over, I was certain it was one of my favorite movies ever. Much to my surprise, I found out later that it had mixed critical reviews at best. To this day, however, this is by far my favorite film of 2004. My theory is that too many people went into this movie knowing at least one of two things: the director of the movie and everything in the trailer. Shyamalan is known for making movies with silly twists and awful dialogue, so I think too many people failed to give this movie a fighting chance. And the trailer made this movie look like a cruddy horror movie. I certainly wouldn't have watched it after watching the trailer, and if I had liked what I saw in the trailer, the movie probably would have been disappointing. So to those who haven't seen it, know that this movie tells a love story. The setting of the movie does not make the movie. The plot twists (though very well done I think) do not make the movie. The suspense/mystery helps make the movie engaging, but does not make the movie. As it should be with any great movie, the characters make the movie, and the three main characters (acted superbly by Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, and Adrien Brody) are interesting, believable, and imperfect.
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The crucial point of the M. Night Shyamalan movies is the twist. If done right like in the “The sixth Sense” or “Unbreakable” it is an amazing experience. Here it weakens the movie. I fully enjoyed the setting, premise, actors and story until the reveal aka trwist. To be fair the twist is not garbage and I see a bit of creativity in it. It just failed to convince me and a lot of the other audience. The story is set in the remote “village” “ Covington in approx 1897. The inhabitants life seemingly in peace but there are monsters inhabiting the surrounding forests. The people have made a pact with “Those we don’t speak of” how they call these. The events start to unfold when a man named Lucius is injured and his soon to be wife the blind Ivy wants to safe him but the only medicine is beyond the forest. I stop here to avoid spoilers. I like the atmospheric story and setting. It was intense, scary and immersive. However like I said the reveal / twist harmed the movie a lot. It feels forced or lets say like an idea that looks good on paper but fails in reality. It would be far better without it just keeping to the premise. The actors were excellently chosen. Bryce Dallas Howard as Ivy is amazingly good and fully convincing. Joaquin Phoenix, William Hurt, Adrien Brody, Sigourney Weaver and the other actors also deliver a really good performance. In this regard it is a really strong movie without a doubt. I also praise the sets, visuals and costumes. They improved the atmosphere and immersion. Overall this is a really good movie that could be in the 9-10/10 range without the harming twist. I still give a 6/10 because of the atmosphere, story up until the twist and great acting.
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When you turn on a movie from Shyamalan, you don't know what to expect. He has an uneven directing career too much. The Village seems good mystical thrillers with dystopian elements to begin with. It's also a lovely cast, and then towards the middle of the film, things start to fall apart. The rules by which a fictional society lives are too primitive and stupid. The only thing that makes a good impression about the film is the ending. Rarely in a thriller can she be sustained in the right dark tone, but even here she looks somewhat stupid
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There were some interesting shots that did not fit at all and some movement styles were out-of-place but overall I quite liked the look even with the grinding faults. Most of the time the sound wasn’t that interesting but in some scenes it sounded like nectar. The music was excellent to compliment the subtle and sexy mix. Oh dear oh dear what a bad story. If you trick the audience, they will revolt. A good film with an ending that ruins repeat viewings is a terrible movie. This is an average movie with an awful ending. There are some moments of suspense ruined by the memory of the ending. There are some interesting points that are not explored enough. The culture clash done well could have been fascinating. The acting was half fine and half dreadful. Technical adequacy and excellence mixed with storytelling hell.
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Bryce Dallas Howard is a gem. It's fine if you don't buy it, just watch her and Joaquin Phoenix share their childhood.
The Village
M. Night Shyamalan, the writer and director, over the years has managed to create his own followers, fans with a specific voice and taste. Now I might not be strongly one of the members of the elite group but his grammar is something I understand and occasionally fall for. And this is what I love the most about his films. It is not something that actually makes you think or makes your head spin with jaw dropping visuals, what it is, is a slow burn and what it does is make you fall for it, slowly, like falling in love. It could happen within two hours or just an instant. And his films does spiral out, does advance in a way that every scene lacks a missing puzzle.
And it is always that one missing puzzle. So it can happen that you can fall in that one moment. But this one works somewhat different than his usual films. In fact it works in the opposite direction. Usually his film starts somewhere in the middle of the desert and then finds a proper track as it ages. The film ages and things start to make sense as every element falls into places. What we have here is outrageously arrogant.
Yes, I understand that the storyline asks for the film to make sense, have correct order from the first stage and it also asks for the chaos to flood in and upset the expected outcomes. But when the film shines the light on the hidden matter, where it is anticipated to check off all the avant garde activity into certain mannerisms, the film keeps that vacant and us, strangely alone in the middle of the woods. The Village could not be more isolated, it makes sure you feel the same way after you've had its tour.
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Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
Golden Schmoes Awards
• 5 Nominations
Italian Online Movie Awards (IOMA)
• 3 Nominations
