Gifted but not ready for prime time

Rating: 5/10 (10 February 2005)

M. Night Shyamalan is a gifted filmmaker who knows how to visually present characters and background. But, as in his previous efforts, he is a poor story teller. At the heart of all his films has been one simple idea - an idea that will always have you asking yourself afterwards - is that all there is? His films are more like episodes of Twilignt Zone; predictable and more suitable for a 25 minute telefilm format. 'The Village' is a beautifully photographed film and well acted but the heart of the story is obvious and you find yourself impatiently waiting for more than an hour to confirm your suspicions if you had not guessed it already from the previews. Or perhaps you recognized the plot line from at least 2 children's books published during the last decade, 'Sang Spell' by Phyllis Reynold's Naylor and 'Running Out of Time' by Margaret Peterson Haddix. In any case, 'The Village' is a disappointment with enough logic plot holes to drive a ... er... plow through. M. Night has a great visual sense. I think he needs to stop doing it all himself and let someone else either write, produce, or direct, while he takes on just one film role. He is not ready to do it all by himself.