The Village
Originally Written: July 2004
It’s not for a lack of interest that the latest supernatural thriller from writer-director M. Night Shyamalan rates lower than his previous three (“The Sixth Sense,” “Unbreakable,” and “Signs” all rate 4 stars in my opinion)- “The Village” held mine. Nor is it a lack of craftsmanship- cinematographer Roger Deakins (“Fargo”), production designer Tom Foden (“The Cell”), editor Christopher Tellefsen (“The People vs. Larry Flynt”), costume designer Ann Roth (“Signs”), and especially composer James Newton Howard (who writes his most brilliant score for Shyamalan yet) make the production values of “The Village” every bit as meticulous as they were on the earlier films. Nor is it a lack of acting chops- though there is one significant weaklink (Adrien Brody’s Noah is too cliched a case of mentally-challenged “wildchild” to merit casting such a fine actor, though he has two scenes of powerful merit), the major players in the cast- William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Brendon Gleeson, Joaquin Phoenix, and particularly the radient Bryce Dallas Howard (director Ron’s daughter)- inhabit their characters beautifully, and make you believe their motives.
So what’s wrong with “The Village?” Besides Brody’s character, there’s the pacing. I can’t see it needing to be shortened, and thank God it’s not longer. The 105 minute running time is par for the course for Shyamalan, but boy did it not move, and I don’t mean in the good, compelling Kubrickian or Tarkovsky-esque way I can stand. We’re talking old-fashioned watch checking. Maybe it was because I just had to go to the bathroom really bad, and waiting till the end of the movie was not the easy way to go, but so little happens in each scene, I think I would have had difficulty sitting still regardless.
Also, there’s the “big twist” we’ve come to expect from Shyamalan. Though I love that I didn’t see it coming (though maybe I just wasn’t perceptive enough), I’m not sure I love the actual twist. For those unaware of the story, here’s a rundown- in 1897 Pennsylvania, a community- led by a group of “elders”- has isolated itself and established the town of Covington. Around the town is a forest, where mysterious creatures keep the town isolated from civilization. In exchange, the people of the town do not venture into the woods, nor do the creatures venture into the town. However, a series of events begin to fracture this fragile agreement.
Now, from that summary, can you see where Shyamalan is heading? If so, you’re indeed smarter than I am when it comes to “The Village.”
Without giving the twist away (I have too much respect for Shyamalan to do that), let me explain why it doesn’t quite work- logic gets in the way afterwards. With every other Shyamalan thriller, it doesn’t. Not for me, anyway, and not when you consider the story being told. After “The Village,” you ask questions you shouldn’t be asking. In keeping with the themes of “The Village”- faith, fear, taking care of you own- the twist, and the denoument, works. In its’ ability to suck you in, and tantilize you to watch it again to work it out for yourself, “The Village” fails where its’ predecessors suceeded. In short, by the end, “The Village” has shown its’ hand to the viewer, and the viewer won.
It should be the other way around. Instead of risking your money on another game, you just want your money back.
