Release Date: July 30, 2004 Studio: Touchstone Pictures Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Screenwriter: M. Night Shyamalan Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody,
William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver Genre: Drama, Romance, Supernatural, Thriller MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for scenes of violence and frightening situations) Official Website:
TheVillage.movies.com
Plot Summary: In M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village," the Academy
Award-nominated filmmaker, who brought you "The Sixth Sense" and "Signs,"
assembles an all-star cast, including Joaquin Phoenix and Sigourney Weaver and
Academy Award-winners Adrien Brody and William Hurt, to bring to the screen the
thrilling tale of an isolated village confronting the astonishing truth that lies
just outside its borders. At first glance, this village seems picture perfect, but
this close-knit community lives with the frightening knowledge that creatures
reside in the surrounding woods. The evil and foreboding force is so unnerving
that none dare venture beyond the borders of the village and into the woods. But
when curious, headstrong Lucius Hunt plans to step beyond the boundaries of the
town and into the unknown, his bold move threatens to forever change the future of
the village.
Feudalistic America is hardly
a riveting subject for America’s new master of suspense and director M.Night
Shyamalan certainly makes the most of this microcosm of entertainment, populating
it with terror, twists, and topicality.
His newest frightener deals
with a small village, surrounded by woodland, where deadly creatures stalk and
kill any man or animal that dares to cross into their territory. The community is
lead by a group of elders (including William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver and Brendan
Gleeson) who strive to maintain a peaceful symbiosis with these deciduous dwelling
animals. They achieve this feat by removing any objects bearing the colour red and
maintaining a ring of fire around the bounds of this hinterland.
However, not all the occupants
wish to stay in the environment and young Lucius (Joaquin Phoenix) personifies
this rebellious notion. It is his relationship with Ivy (Bryce Dallas Howard) that
forms the emotional core of this film and the scene in which they express their
love for each other is both touching and melancholic in tone.
Still, the performances from
the rest of the ensemble leave a lot to be desired, as William Hurt barks out his
lines in dogmatic fashion and Sigourney Weaver wishes she was still fighting
aliens; thanks to the woefully small part she receives. But, the blame cannot rest
solely on the shoulders of The Village’s cattle like cast, as the script is
full of embarrassing dialogue that wouldn’t look out of place on Dawson’s Creek.
Nevertheless, there is much to
enjoy about film; a trio of horrifically suspenseful sequences shake the popcorn
from your trembling hands and the conventional Shyamalan- dénouement twists keep
viewers from boring under the weight of a Brontë-styled narrative. Playful
inspiration also comes from American gothic novels and the inclusion of various
references to horror movies of old, (Psycho, Nightmare on Elm Street
and The Village of the Damned), making the film rich on the surface, if not
a little hollow underneath.
The finale contains more
twists than a Chubby Checker album and this is probably the point where viewers
will split in their opinions over the film. But, whether you enjoyed the twists
and turns of Signs, Unbreakable and The Sixth Sense or were
turned off by this carnival-esque entertainment, The Village is interesting
cinema and worth catching in towns, cities and villages all over the country.
