Victim of past success

Rating: Null/10 (31 July 2004)

The problem here is M. Night Shyamalan is a victim of his own success. After the genre-transforming "Sixth Sense," with its now famous twist ending, audiences expect Shyamalan to jolt us no matter how intrusive it is to the story. And he's happily obliged by reworking the formula with "Unbreakable" (What makes Bruce Willis indestructible?) and "Signs" (Are the aliens real?).
"The Village" is ultimately one long waiting game. While it envelopes us in its impeccable recreation of an agrarian society, the plot is hellbent on shattering our preconceptions. And knowing that, we watch it waiting for the revelations, not engrossed in the tale, despite a star-making performance by Bryce Dallas Howard.
When the director finally reveals his hand, the "twists" are predictable and maddeningly unimaginative. I expect audiences, who wanted to conceal the end of "The Sixth Sense" to insure their friends' enjoyment, will be anxious to reveal all to save their friends' $10 for a ticket.
It's not that Shyamalan doesn't have a point here. He's clearly making a statement about post-9/11 America. But the moral is overshadowed by his obligation to shock us.