See The Village!

This does not contain spoilers, but I've been hearing some negative chatter about M. Night Shyamalan's The Village, and I need to counter it.

I just saw the film not an hour ago. When I walked out, I was still shaking. Back home, I dropped two forks and spilled a drink and just gave up. So here I am.

Do not allow scared, cynical reviewers keep you from seeing this true achievement in the art of filmmaking.

Who knows? Maybe later, I'll write a REAL review.

Thanks, Sailor! Oh, and

and spilled a drink

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Was it milk? I hope you didn't spill any milk, 'cause then I'd have to cry over it.

I'm tempted to say it was!

(but it was soda...):lol

.... Sorry, Sailor, but I saw it and hated it.

Don't get me wrong - every single one of the actors had wonderful, realistic performances...

... but when it came down to plot points, M. Night lost considerably when it came to this one. I read a book with the same "twist" ending years (6? 7?) ago, so I had the ending figured out before the opening credits.

I thought it was drawn-out, predictable, and every "shock" moment was a cheap shot.

I saw Manchurian Candidate. While the original was a classic, this remake is a decent effort.

I haven't seen The Village yet. Hopefully tomorrow -- but the reviews have not been kind from what I've seen...

better yet...

...if you can find it, see the 3-hour 'expose' of shyamalan that was a thinly-diguised but almost plausible tout for the movie!... now, THAT was a real masterpiece!!!

Re: better yet...

that 3-hour thing was a hoax, wasn't it? And it pissed off a lot of people...

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I haven't seen The Village yet. Hopefully tomorrow -- but the reviews have not been kind from what I've seen...

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See, that's what I'm talking about. M. Night has managed to anger the Hollywood elite, and they are after him.

The audience I saw it with uttered collective gasps at key points.

Oh, and the part about the plot? That it was predictable? The key to a great storyteller is that you know what's going to happen BUT YOU DON'T CARE. Because it has a sense of inevitability.

Ever hear the term "catharsis?"

I'm writing a review of The Village for another board. So far I've got 3 pages of single-spaced notes. The more you bring to the table in seeing the film, the more you get out of it.


So if you like car chases, gratuitous sex, explosions and contrived "surprise" endings, my guess is you won't find much in The Village. If, however, you enjoy the power of myth, understand a little bit about psychology, and appreciate a great storyteller, this is your movie.

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I have to see it to make judgment. But "Unbreakable" and "Signs" disappointed me -- especially "Signs." And I wouldn't call myself a Hollywood elite.

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Yeah, I didn't see the 3-hour thing. But it was a big hoax. I was kind of interested in it until Sci-Fi announced it was all a big lie. I've read a lot of articles about M. Night, and one in particular (Entertainment Weekly) made me think he's a big egomaniac - but that still didn't stop me from seeing his movie.

Oh, and the part about the plot? That it was predictable? The key to a great storyteller is that you know what's going to happen BUT YOU DON'T CARE. Because it has a sense of inevitability.

Ever hear the term "catharsis?"

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Yep... I have. But I still didn't feel any from "The Village". And so far from the ending being "contrived" - that's exactly what is was. The entire movie is based around the "gasp" moment at the end when you realize what's actually going on. There's even a scene implanted in the movie that once the ending is discovered, it becomes entirely void - the only reason M. Night included it is to throw the audience off.

Car chases, sex, explosions... nope, not my type of movie. "The Village" is something I was really excited to see. The next on my list is "Garden State," but that's not playing around me anywhere...

Anyway, I'm certainly not trying to argue or anything. Everyone I watched it with hated it, too, but as I was leaving the theater there seemed to be a pretty even mix between who enjoyed it and who thought it was terrible.

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The entire movie is based around the "gasp" moment at the end when you realize what's actually going on. There's even a scene implanted in the movie that once the ending is discovered, it becomes entirely void - the only reason M. Night included it is to throw the audience off.

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People who believe the Village was all about a "surprise" ending are completely missing the point. It was an allegory, a mythical telling of the hero's journey, a treatment of what fear means and what it can make people do.

It's also about ordinary people rising to meet extraordinary circumstances.

As I said, the more you bring to the table, the more you discover in the film.

Re: better yet...

Perhaps I worded that wrong.

I think it's very easy to tell M. Night based his entire movie around the twist ending, so other, more important elements (everything you mentioned) are lost. I thought as a director he was too wrapped up with the ending to be concerned about anything else, and throughout the film it showed.

Anyway, that's all I'm going to say.

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And I had completely the opposite reaction.

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I felt the same way about "Signs" -- but apparently a lot of people enjoyed it. I thought it was totally manipulative and contrived, and I resented that.

Haven't seen the Village yet, but will tell you what I think.

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I'm not going to comment on the Village because I haven't seen it yet. But, as for his past works, so far the only one I didn't care for was Unbreakable. You have to remember that Knight's key signature is the fact that he works from the ending back. He adds small clues through out the film that most don't pick up on until they've watched the movie a few times. I liked Signs and Six Sense. I was impressed with the details dropped in through the entire movie. I'm expecting the same from Village, but won't get my hopes up.

As for the documentary... I watched bits and pieces of it and the more I saw, the more I felt manipulated by Knight. I disagree with his approach for marketing. Not to mention the "director" of the documentary was a bad actor... It was so obvious he was scripted. I have to say I'd hoped he wouldn't go the commercial route. He has a unique voice. I hate to see him get lost in the Hollywood crowd. And based on principle, since he made the fake doc, I will wait until the movie comes out on dvd. Just because of the blatant attempt to increase movie sales.

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I didn't see the documentary, so I don't really care too much about it.

But it looks like "The Village" doesn't need any outside help! It's making tons of money. Apparently everyone's going to see it.

Night's writing and his whole approach to storytelling is well worth study.

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The second week is actually the measurement of a film's success. Remember "Hulk"? Big business the first week, then dropped over 60% the second. If "The Village" couldn't hold on for more than two weeks, it'll be a disaster for Shyamalan.

A friend of mine just reviewed it -- he didn't like it, found it predictable and manipulative. He loved the Sixth Sense and Signs... he's the kind of average Joe that loves movie and can easily be entertained. He wasn't impressed by The Village and thought it was Shyamalan's most pretentious and weakest film.

Interesting perspective...

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I have to wonder, Ray, about your friend's reaction to the film (as well as my own.)

I enjoyed Sixth Sense very much, found Unbreakable to have an interesting topic but most of the really good issues went untouched, and Signs was acceptable but nothing too special.

When it comes to the Village... have audiences grasped onto Shamaylan's 'formula' so well we are tired of the whole concoction? Is that why we're feeling manipulated - because his movies always follow the same thread, so we can identify more easily his persuasive hints in the film?

I keep thinking back to the 'Entertainment Weekly' article I read that interviews him. He talked about this formula, which he described as being the secret to a blockbuster.

After a few more of his films, is he still going to be as successful? Maybe one of the problems I feel is he's not raising the bar as a director, he's just recycling the same old plan.

Actually, his next project his to direct the film version of _The Life of Pi_, so I was glad to hear that bit of news.

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People who believe the Village was all about a "surprise" ending are completely missing the point. It was an allegory, a mythical telling of the hero's journey, a treatment of what fear means and what it can make people do.

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The Village WAS all about the "gotcha" ending, and I'll tell you why:

Too much emphasis put on Ivy's ability to "See" colors, building up some kind of supernatural talent. It's just a red herring, there to throw us off the "reality" trail that the movie was on.

And I don't buy the "hero's journey" bit, unless you can point out how it's a specific arc, and not just a few generalities.

Now, I didn't hate the movie, but it also wasn't all that grand. For one thing, the dialogue was very stilted, even though it's supposed to be "period-correct."

It's okay, but it's not a triumph of filmmaking or anything. Too much about itself.

Re: better yet...

I feel is he's not raising the bar as a director, he's just recycling the same old plan.

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And I believe it's exactly the opposite.

Like I said, you get out of this what you bring into it. And if you can't see the classic Hero's Journey in The Village, I'm astonished.

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Katie, that's exactly what my friend said. We're so used to his "tricks" that he figured out the "trick" ending like minutes into the film, so the rest really bored him. Like you said, he felt that the film, like all his films, work from the ending up and that becomes predictable -- that Shyamalan is a one trick pony.

He also thought that Shyamalan's Hitchcock like cameos were a parody in itself -- that Hitchcock he isn't. He didn't care for the acting much except for Howard and Brody...

He loved Signs though, which I think was not very good.

I'm glad to hear that he's directing The Life of Pi... that would be a change for him. He's a good director... but his script writing has suffered through his own "how I can trick them" obsession. I guess we were spoiled by the Sixth Sense (which was great in almost every way a film like that should be)... it's hard not to be disappointed by his later films.

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He also thought that Shyamalan's Hitchcock like cameos were a parody in itself -- that Hitchcock he isn't. He didn't care for the acting much except for Howard and Brody...

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Yes, I thought Howard was very good in her role, especially for a film debut! Brody was excellent... I liked Phoenix too, but his role isn't very big to give him really good marks for performance. I was watching Ebert and Roper and was astonished when Ebert said Brody had a terrible performance... but he didn't elaborate on how it was bad. And the Hitchcock thing... I dunno, hopefully he doesn't try that again with Pi? When I see him it's just another reminder: "Hey! I made this movie! Hey! Don't forget!" .. Kind of pulls you out of the story, especially with Village.

Sailor, the more I think about the film, I can't say my judgement on the actual movie has changed. However, the idea of the movie - the psychology, the fear... that's good stuff.

I wanted to add that the Sci-Fi Channel's "documentary" is playfully reminiscent of earlier times, when film greats like William Castle were involved in a great deal of "ballyhoo" with their film publicity.

I saw 'The Village', loved It !!! Yeah, It was a bit draggy in midstream, but the actors were superb, William Hurt especially. I figured It out a bit too soon, granted, but the twist an basic plot was fresh and interesting.The premise, new and interesting.Joaquin gave a great angst-ridden performance.Maybe too much angst...but thats O.K, I forgive him.I can understand an agree with many of the criticisms mentioned here, but still....I had to love It!!!!
Love an suckermarks, Carybelle

I really liked The Village. In fact, I have really liked all four Shamaylan films so far. Yes, the twist ending has become a trademark, but audience expectations drive that as much as his own desires when making a film.

I think he's in a catch-22: people expect a twist so they go in looking for it instead of sitting back and letting the movie play out. If he doesn't deliver a twist, he risks alienating the core audience he has built up.

I agree with Sailor in that there is a lot more to Shamaylan's movies than the twist ending.