A good film ruined.

Rating: Null/10 (2 August 2004)

What is disappointing about this movie is that the story does not come across as well as the actual filming of it. The cinematography, the location, the costumes, the decor, the camera movement, etc, were all done beautifully, but the story just isn't told as well as it could have been.
M. Night Shyamalan has decided for his trademark to be a filmmaker whose movies have a significant twist in them. In The Sixth Sense, he did this beautifully, while in The Village, he opted for a more deliberate, completely unsubtle, and "spoon-fed" twist. In addition to this sloppy twist reveal, Shyamalan brings it on far too soon in the story so that the rest of the film seems pointless and comical at times. It would have been much more poignant if Shyamalan had kept the twist until the end so that the events leading up to it came off as truly frightening instead of just semi-creepy (if that).
Shyamalan's choice of narrative flow for this film is what has ruined it from being considered on a par with The Sixth Sense, as well as keeping the cinematography of the film from getting the acknowledgment that it deserves.