I Felt Cheated -- Minor Spoilers

Rating: 6/10 (18 January 2005)

I loved the Sixth Sense. I loved Unbreakable. Signs I would not miss. The Village...I would not visit.
Rather than being a witness to an outstanding filmmaker, The Village pays homage to excellent marketing. The trailers for the movie (and I know the old argument about judging a movie by its trailer) paint the film out to be a thriller. And there were at least two times in the movie where I was frightened. But come on...I expected much more.
The movie can be seen as an allegory of isolationism and its effects on people. The idea of isolation to except the pressures of a world gone mad are as old as time. But what is particularly horrific in this case is that the adults in the village have misled their own children into thinking that they have been born into a different time. They have, in effect, robbed their children of the freedom to make their own decision and to track their own course in life. Maybe the children would be stronger for having to endure the grief their parents ran from. But, because of the justified dishonesty that the parents practice, we (and they) will never know.
When I have told friends about the movie, I am asked the same question: why was it promoted as a horror film? Because if people knew the real story of the film, they wouldn't care to see it. I guess I can't fault Shyamalan...like me, he has bills to pay.