Forget who the director is and you may enjoy it

Rating: 7/10 (6 September 2004)

One must not expect too much from M Night Shyamalan. He made the fatal mistake of producing his best film first, meaning it could only go downhill from there. Unbreakable and Signs (IMHO) were not as bad as everyone made out, they just weren't as good as The Sixth Sense and the same goes for The Village. If this had been the first film by M Night Shyamalan I feel that public opinion would have been higher.
The twist at the end was expected and therefore guessed pretty quickly, but if you look beyond it and see the movie as a whole it is something very beautiful. Shyamalan has used colours so well, they are integral to the story but also he allows them to beautify the screen. The dullness of peoples clothes and the buildings is contrasted by the bright yellows of the cloaks and torches and the reds of the flowers and beasts.
The true winners of this movie however are Joaquin Phoenix (his best performance yet) and a surprisingly good debut by Bryce Dallas Howard. The love story between them and the way M Night Shyamalan allows it to blossom is mesmerising. The Village is an okay horror/mystery film but is a really amazing love story. I still look forward to his next project.
7/10