Exceeded Expectations

Rating: 1/10 (30 July 2004)

Let me clarify, it exceeded my low expectations. Meaning it was lower than I possibly could have imagined.
After having the previews of this movie crammed down my throat everywhere I turned I half expected them to show a preview for this movie at the movie's showing. Even IMDb is littered with banners and annoying flash advertisements. Hype this big always leads to some amount of let down.
But I was not prepared for laughably bad movie I was about to see. Now I am not a fan of M Night much. I didn't care for many of his films and I think they received a bit too much praise just for their 'clever' twists. I use clever lightly because the twist in The Village is just trash.
The movie was ruined before anyone even sits down to see it. The previews make this movie seem like a horror movie, period. The 'atmosphere' of horror is barely present. The whole 'horror' aspects of the movie is just a big clichÃ© with no real wit or 'cleverness' about it. Instead the atmosphere is broken up into extremely horrid and forced dialogue between characters that you can't help but laugh at.
Before you jump on me about 'its not a horror film' I know, I half expected it not to be since M night is so 'crafty'.
***spoilers**** About 1/2 way through the film M Night throws away any surprise in the ending by revealing that the monsters are in-fact, the elders of the village just scaring people to keep them inside the village (big surprise there). He also makes the mistake of actually showing one of the monsters early on and you can tell its a sort of biped animal in a red robe insanely similar to their yellow ones. Anyone can at least come up with the suspicion that it just might be the villagers. Hell things like that are English 101 material.
So, if you have the slightest chance to have your thoughts wander during the movie (which you will, trust me) you can ask yourself the simple question: "Why would they want to keep them in the village?" Then adding in M Night's 'twist' love its easy to guess the ending.
I figured most people weren't surprised at all about either of the 'twists'.
An avid movie goer could even spot it far before they tell you. The elder's speak of Guns and Alleys and Dumpsters. All of these things would not be in the vocabulary of the children. This village had no alleyways or dumpsters yet the old lady says to Ivy "My daughter was killed by 3 men in an alley". Yet Ivy doesn't bother to ask 'whats an alley?' Rifles were the firearm of that 'era' so the term 'guns' wouldn't be used and dumpster follows suit.
*** Spoilers ***
Overall I feel robbed. M Night has somehow managed to 'typecast' himself as a director. The only thing that would surprise anyone from him is if he made a movie without some lame twist at the end.