Underestimated

Rating: 8/10 (5 August 2004)

Frankly I'm shocked. The fact is simply that Shyamalan has created another story that is not what it seems, and yet again I hear audiences reacting negatively. Too many have come to expect two things from M. Night Shyamalan. First, that he makes horror films. Second, that there will be some awe inspiring twist at the end. Unfortunately neither is true and it leaves many feeling disappointed. What is true is that he makes movies that shatter preconceived notions. The Village looks to be about monsters in the woods when in fact it is about belief.
This film asks a question of it's audience: Is ignorance truly bliss? I can see from some of the negative reviews that in some cases it may be. It's easier to keep living the lie that is a "M. Night Shyamalan Horror Movie" and hate his films for being smarter than us, than it is to accept an interesting film that refuses to follow our pre-set notions of where a story should go.