“The Village” directed by M. Night Shyamalan is considered
by many as the film that marks his turn for the worst. This film was followed
by “Lady in the Water” and “The Happening” two films that, in my opinion, are
weak and pretentious.
There is a video version of this review you can WATCH HERE
Be aware that this review contains spoilers. It’s actually
more enjoyable if you have seen the film and know the story.
In any case the film’s plot can be summarized very easily.
The population of a small, isolated countryside village believe that their alliance
with the mysterious creatures that inhabit the forest around them is coming to
an end
I recently watched “The Village” again and I have to be
honest --- it struck a different cord in me. I remember watching this film in
theaters and feeling like I had been robbed. The whole marketing for this film
revolved around the creatures in the woods and this isolated village. I was
expecting a horror film, a thriller or something along those lines. I didn’t
get that. It pissed me off. And for years I was first in line to criticize this
film whenever I could. What I failed to realize at the time is that I wasn’t
watching a thriller or a horror film. I was watching a love story. The
marketing for this film was very well handled but it backfired. And that damage
is still felt today whenever this film comes up in a conversation.
Now with that said it might seem like I went the opposite way and now love this film. No, that’s not the case. But I certainly don’t think it’s a bad film anymore. M. Night Shyamalan is an extremely talented and skilled director. Much like Signs, Unbreakable or The Sixth Sense this film is beautiful to watch. It’s wonderfully shot. The compositions are original and narrate the action very effectively. There is a lot of suspense in this film achieved solely by the camera and the way the shots reveal the action taking place. The scenes are beautifully staged and the performances are top notch. The editing is flawless and the film goes by in a heartbeat. In that sense it’s an absolute masterpiece. As a director and most of all a viewer I was smiling from start to finish watching this after so many years. The film surprised me. I saw it without the “pollution” that its marketing had. Nothing backfired this time because I had no expectations. Well I did have one. I thought I was going to change the channel after 10mns. But I didn’t. I enjoyed the film very much. However even with this new found appreciation for the film I still think it has problems. Not the problems I thought it had. But other issues with the script. I feel like this script needed a few more months of development to solve some issues. However if it had to be shot as it was I think Shyamalan ended up with the best possible film.
The choices I don’t like in the film are choices I myself would probably go with if I had to shoot the film and couldn’t work for another year developing it further and solving the road blocks it has. Everything is fine in the film up until Lucius gets stabbed by Noah. The whole drama that drives the film from then on is a bit silly and really not that much of an obstacle for the main characters. Let’s be reasonable. A guy is dying and you send a blind girl to trek through some woods to reach a road somewhere and then get help? Why didn’t William Hurt’s character just do this himself? He could have even done it secretly if that was the issue. Nothing would be in jeopardy. I mean, Sigourney Weaver was the one taking care of Lucius. She was one of the founders of the village too so the secret would always be safe. Lucius would be healed and no questions asked. Why didn’t they just take care of it? I think know the answer to that question. It’s not interesting and it’s anti-climatic. But most of all, it’s not interesting. As I said, this is a love story. This is how Ivy saves Lucius from death in a race against time. That’s a lot more interesting than solving the film’s main conflict in 10 minutes.
Ignoring these problems is how I started to enjoy “The Village”. When I decided to not question those choices and just enjoy the ride however it goes without saying I still think this script could have used a little more time to try and solve these issues. A scenario on which Ivy could still go on her adventure and somehow still make sense for William Hurt or any of the elders to stay behind. A good solid reason. When I was watching the film I was waiting for at least some hint of explanation but it never came. Just send the girl and treat it as this unavoidable and perilous task that has to be done. And it’s beautiful dealt with, no doubt there. As I said, with the script as it is, Shyamalan did a hell of a job.
Noah’s attack disguised as one of the creatures is a clever idea but I would have removed the creature type sound effects the sound mix has when he’s stalking and chasing Ivy. That would have been more honest from a script perspective. I could also question the way the whole scene is staged. It’s not natural or realistic. It’s purely a visual masturbation. I think Shyamalan went a tiny bit too far there prioritizing aesthetics over story. But at the end of the day I love the scene and seeing it staged more realistically would have removed the suspense that makes it shine. It’s hard to decide.
One last thing I didn’t like was the clunky airplane exposition. Shyamalan himself explaining why no planes ever cross the skies in that area. Did we really need that? Ok, obviously some moviegoers would bring that up? So what? So many commitments had already been made up to that point in terms of credibility. Why bother coming up with some stupid reason to explain that. Sometimes less is more and I only saw that as a poor attempt to fill in gaps that really didn’t need to be filled. But even with all these issues I did enjoy watching “The Village” again and I changed my opinion on it. I think it’s a wonderful film to watch in spite of all its problems.
As I briefly mentioned before, this film is very well acted. The casting is spot on and I love Adrien Brody. He makes Noah work. Not an easy task. Bryce Dallas Howard is lovely to watch. She carries this film on her back towards the end. Also funny to see Jesse Eisenberg taking his first steps in major productions. Things turned out ok for him.
M. Night Shyamalan maintains the elegance and class that established him as one of the finest of his generation. It’s sad to see how such a gifted artist was able to completely mess up his following projects. I hope that he makes a triumphant comeback because this guy knows film. It runs deep in his veins. When he’s at his best you get something wonderful and memorable.
Anyway I would love to hear what you think about “The Village”. Have you watched recently? Do you still hate it like many do or did you find a new way to enjoy it as I did? I’d love to hear what you think.
Now with that said it might seem like I went the opposite way and now love this film. No, that’s not the case. But I certainly don’t think it’s a bad film anymore. M. Night Shyamalan is an extremely talented and skilled director. Much like Signs, Unbreakable or The Sixth Sense this film is beautiful to watch. It’s wonderfully shot. The compositions are original and narrate the action very effectively. There is a lot of suspense in this film achieved solely by the camera and the way the shots reveal the action taking place. The scenes are beautifully staged and the performances are top notch. The editing is flawless and the film goes by in a heartbeat. In that sense it’s an absolute masterpiece. As a director and most of all a viewer I was smiling from start to finish watching this after so many years. The film surprised me. I saw it without the “pollution” that its marketing had. Nothing backfired this time because I had no expectations. Well I did have one. I thought I was going to change the channel after 10mns. But I didn’t. I enjoyed the film very much. However even with this new found appreciation for the film I still think it has problems. Not the problems I thought it had. But other issues with the script. I feel like this script needed a few more months of development to solve some issues. However if it had to be shot as it was I think Shyamalan ended up with the best possible film.
The choices I don’t like in the film are choices I myself would probably go with if I had to shoot the film and couldn’t work for another year developing it further and solving the road blocks it has. Everything is fine in the film up until Lucius gets stabbed by Noah. The whole drama that drives the film from then on is a bit silly and really not that much of an obstacle for the main characters. Let’s be reasonable. A guy is dying and you send a blind girl to trek through some woods to reach a road somewhere and then get help? Why didn’t William Hurt’s character just do this himself? He could have even done it secretly if that was the issue. Nothing would be in jeopardy. I mean, Sigourney Weaver was the one taking care of Lucius. She was one of the founders of the village too so the secret would always be safe. Lucius would be healed and no questions asked. Why didn’t they just take care of it? I think know the answer to that question. It’s not interesting and it’s anti-climatic. But most of all, it’s not interesting. As I said, this is a love story. This is how Ivy saves Lucius from death in a race against time. That’s a lot more interesting than solving the film’s main conflict in 10 minutes.
Ignoring these problems is how I started to enjoy “The Village”. When I decided to not question those choices and just enjoy the ride however it goes without saying I still think this script could have used a little more time to try and solve these issues. A scenario on which Ivy could still go on her adventure and somehow still make sense for William Hurt or any of the elders to stay behind. A good solid reason. When I was watching the film I was waiting for at least some hint of explanation but it never came. Just send the girl and treat it as this unavoidable and perilous task that has to be done. And it’s beautiful dealt with, no doubt there. As I said, with the script as it is, Shyamalan did a hell of a job.
Noah’s attack disguised as one of the creatures is a clever idea but I would have removed the creature type sound effects the sound mix has when he’s stalking and chasing Ivy. That would have been more honest from a script perspective. I could also question the way the whole scene is staged. It’s not natural or realistic. It’s purely a visual masturbation. I think Shyamalan went a tiny bit too far there prioritizing aesthetics over story. But at the end of the day I love the scene and seeing it staged more realistically would have removed the suspense that makes it shine. It’s hard to decide.
One last thing I didn’t like was the clunky airplane exposition. Shyamalan himself explaining why no planes ever cross the skies in that area. Did we really need that? Ok, obviously some moviegoers would bring that up? So what? So many commitments had already been made up to that point in terms of credibility. Why bother coming up with some stupid reason to explain that. Sometimes less is more and I only saw that as a poor attempt to fill in gaps that really didn’t need to be filled. But even with all these issues I did enjoy watching “The Village” again and I changed my opinion on it. I think it’s a wonderful film to watch in spite of all its problems.
As I briefly mentioned before, this film is very well acted. The casting is spot on and I love Adrien Brody. He makes Noah work. Not an easy task. Bryce Dallas Howard is lovely to watch. She carries this film on her back towards the end. Also funny to see Jesse Eisenberg taking his first steps in major productions. Things turned out ok for him.
M. Night Shyamalan maintains the elegance and class that established him as one of the finest of his generation. It’s sad to see how such a gifted artist was able to completely mess up his following projects. I hope that he makes a triumphant comeback because this guy knows film. It runs deep in his veins. When he’s at his best you get something wonderful and memorable.
Anyway I would love to hear what you think about “The Village”. Have you watched recently? Do you still hate it like many do or did you find a new way to enjoy it as I did? I’d love to hear what you think.
Thanks a lot and talk to you soon!
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