Audiences don't get it (its not about creatures in the woods)

Rating: 10/10 (28 February 2005)

Haven't you noticed all of the reviews that don't like this movie are always the ones that sound like--"OMG THIS MOVIE Like Totally SUX!!1"--That's because modern audiences aren't intelligent enough to understand artistic film. We're all too busy watching mindless violent and utterly stupid movies. Audiences don't understand, this movie is not about creatures in the woods. And if you don't like that, then I am by no means saying you don't have the right to dislike this movie--that's simply your personal view--but to say it "sucks" is not fair whatsoever.
While I'll admit this movie was marketed differently than it should have been, we were expecting horror and got drama. We went to see The Village expecting a "OMG THIS IS Like The MOST AWESOMNESS TWISTY ENDING EVAR" instead of investing time in the characters and reaching the deep center of The Village.
I'll start by saying The Sixth Sense and Signs are not about ghosts or aliens, just as this is not about 'creatures in the woods'. These are what film enthusiasts refer to as metaphors. The Village is one of the, as well as bravest, most metaphorical films of our time. Whether or not it was 'scary' isn't important now is it. I think it's fine if your disappointed about it not being scary, as matter of fact it's what kept it from getting a 10 from me, but The Village isn't meant to be horror. The 'bad color' clearly represents blood and violence, the villagers traveled to their obscure area to escape this. That is why the 'bad color' is not allowed, it attracts 'those we don't speak of' which represents the people of the towns. That's why they are located in the surrounding woods.
Audiences do not pick up on this anymore because, frankly, we're stupid. We're issued pure crap on a daily basis and come to find it the norm.
Now, about that supposedly so important twist ending. I won't give anything away (like you really care, the rest of the movie means nothing to you, hypocrite) but I would like to state that the twist ending is very clever and while it may not bowl you over, like The Sixth Sense's ending did, it will surprise you and don't lie to yourself and say 'you knew all along'. Look at some of the reviews that say this movie "SUXXORS The BIG ONE!!11", all of them are from ignorant twelve-year olds, or ones with the mentality of a twelve-year old, who claim to be such 'movie bufs'. The twist ending only solidifies the rest of the story, which is about something more than a village surrounded by woods infested with monsters.
The movie uses something called symbolism, which is something modern audiences don't get. "The Bad Color", "The Creatures in the Woods", "Those We Don't Speak Of", these are metaphors. The Village is really about innocence. The Villagers were afraid of these monsters because, due to their innocence, they didn't know much about them. Fear and innocence are powerful messages that very few movies express today.
I wonder what would happen if The Village had come out after The Sixth Sense. Would your opinion be different? I grant it would be. Stop comparing different movies with each other because their directed by the same man. When you go see a movie take the time to invest your time in the characters and let the story unfold before your eyes and maybe you'll enjoy more movies and maybe be able to actually say you understand film. If in the end you didn't like The Village , that is your opinion, but to go around saying "THIS IS Like The WURST MOVI EVAR MADE Like OMG!!!oneoneone" is simply showing your ignorance.
I wrote this to possibly shed some light on what The Village is really about. I'm not saying you have to like it, but the reason no one liked it is because no one understood it. If you got the innuendos and symbolisms and simply didn't like it, I don't find you a hypocrite. It's those that go around saying "TEH TWWIST ENDIN IS GAY" that shouldn't even be allowed to watch movies like this, movies with a point.
Good cinema is rare, but a good audience is an endangered species.