(Spoiler)Themes of Universality and Social commentary pervade this thriller

Rating: 8/10 (2 August 2004)

For me The Village was a giant social commentary wrapped in the guise of a thriller, the best apart about this is that it was never apparent until the end when it was revealed that The Village was in modern times. Once this revelation took place all of events of the movie took on a different meaning. If you look back on Nights last film signs there was a definite religious undertone and statement being made, from my perspective Night was again trying to make a statement; this time about the evil of man, the power of love, and the capability for strength in all of us. When Lucius got stabbed my initial thought was, WOW, but then I thought how will they defend themselves without Lucius, who was clearly the strongest and bravest member of the village. That single act sets the stage for Shymalan's commentary to take center stage; you just don't realize it until it's over. The stabbing of Lucius by Noah, makes the attempted utopia a failure all of the elders were trying to escape the pain of loss that they believed was brought on by modernity, they were some how convinced that if removed from those circumstances they would be safe from the evil of man and the pain of human emotion. By having Noah commit such a heinous act Shymalan is showing that the capability for passion, rage, and violence exists within even the most innocent. Shymalan balances that by making Ivey the heroine, blind and alone Ivey was easily the most vulnerable member of the village but drawing upon her love of Lucius she finds the strength to kill Noah and save Lucius. Ultimately I think the most interesting question raised is how much would we give to get back what we lost ? The villagers forsook modern life and all its accoutrements including vital medicine under the seeming belief that money and possession drove man to evil acts, and reverted back to an ancient lifestyle devoid of material wealth in favor of sharing working toward a common good. But when the utopian concept is proved wrong, by Noah they still want to go on. I think this was daring effort by Shymalan and it builds nicely on the themes he has covered in previous movies. It might seem like a stretch but that's what I got after seeing the village.