M. Night Shyamalan's rock bottom

Rating: Null/10 (24 May 2018)

1/4
When I saw Signs, The Sixth Sense, and Unbreakable for the first time, I knew that M. Night Shyamalan's direction is what took the cake right off the bat. He makes very intelligent, character building, paced flicks that usually include a pretty revolutionary plot twist at the end. I thought that he wasn't responsible for any really bad movies... Then I saw The Village, and I was so far from entertained, enthralled, or astonished that I could barely understand it. In all of my time spent watching movies, this is one of the worst let downs, especially considering its Shyamalan's work.
This movie (and your enjoyment of it) is completely reliant on that which you (as the audience) don't know. The minute you know anything about this movie, it spoils. That being said, I was fortunate enough to go into this movie blind and without bias. My analysis of this movie will not contain any spoilers (if you insist on seeing it) but will cover the plot.
We are introduced to a village fully surrounded by a forest. The village features a lush landscape and is presented to us with a very fluid, slow cinematography (perhaps the best element of the film is Deakins' skillful use of the camera). This is a quaint little village, complete with its own customs and politics (thriving is no word to describe it). No one leaves the village for fear of "Those We Do Not Speak Of", the mysterious "predators"of the forest.
As far as character science goes, the denizens of our village are classified by age groups. Your generic young adult is full of curiosity about the world that lies beyond the forest, and the elders are all the hardened, emotionless yet caring lawmakers.
First, you have Lucius Hunt, a reserved studious young man, and our lead male. This character is wooden in expression, manner, and life. Joaquin Phoenix brings no charisma to this character whatsoever, and thankfully for the second half of the movie he gets "benched".
Ivy is our lead female, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, and definitely the movies standout preformance. She is a half-burnt our light in a rusty old cellar, and as movie-goers, our only day of hope that the tide will turn for the better. She has a crush on the very dull Lucius.
Another misplaced character takes the form of a mentally ill adult. His character, played by Adrien Brody, comes off as very annoying and it's never quite clear what his purpose was. He kept a playful backdrop (albeit see-through) while Lucius and Ivy were trying to create the impression of a suspenseful drama. He really clashed the theme of the movie in my opinion. The directing directly corresponds to the acting here. Take charge, Shyamalan. You can do way better.
Ivy makes the pivotal, groundbreaking discovery about her village at the end of the movie. That's when it hits you. It was a very lame secret. Did I really have to sit here for 2 whole hours to get here? Shyamalan packages this as one of his famous plot twists, hoping you don't see just how unsatisfying of a conclusion it is and unravel the whole movie like dropping a yarn ball down stairs.