A rare creative thought; but poorly written...

Rating: Null/10 (8 August 2004)

"M. Night Shyamalan's The Village" did nothing more but live up to my expectation of a summer horror blockbuster with predictable clichÃ© twists.
I must say though, the music in the opening credits (about the only thing worth mentioning) was outstanding; with breathtaking crescendos leading into beautiful climaxes and gnawing intrigue-that you can't help but wonder why Mr. Shyamalans feature didn't follow the same trajectory.
The actors and actresses were plucked wonderfully from the garden of Hollywood-but sadly-did nothing for "The Village". Adrien Brody's performance as Noah, a mentally handicapped villager, was less than mentionable compared to his usual standing ovation worthy portrayals-only the inevitable when he's handed a terrible script. Mr. Shyamalan again disappoints with his poor writing skills and amateurish style that he actually claims to own. I still wonder why he even dared to put his name up in the credits for that. I pitied the perfectly good actors and actresses that you saw hold back perfectly good emotions because the script lacked the words to say and never even offered. You see Ms. Weaver nearly bursting over her poorly constructed Old English-and spilling her guts to the viewing world.
If M. Night Shyamalan did, however, deny any relation to the screenplay-you can applaud his for his creative thinking and brilliant plot that you don't see to often now in this day. But you pat him on the back and ask him why he ruined a perfectly good idea with a sour writer. There were some bits of the movie that were, in fact, successfully executed that left me on the edge of my seat-looking through my fingers ready to shield myself from any unsettling scenes.
I applaud "The Village" for its originality and suspenseful moments, with hope that M Night Shyamalan never picks up a pen (or claims to) again.