Forces you to take time to stop and think...

Rating: 7/10 (11 August 2004)

If Alfred Hitchcock were alive today, would critics and audiences be as unkind as they are to M. Night Shyamalan? Just as Hitchcock's name was the draw for viewers then, "a M. Night Shyamalan film" is the hook today. People see the phrase and already have preconceived notions about the film. Shyamalan, like Hitchcock, experiments with characters and stories.
"The Village" is no real horror movie. Going to the theatre thinking you'll get a good, visceral scare is probably going to result in disappointment. "The Village" is a drama, maybe an "intellectual suspense", and has the trademark twist. It's unfortunate that Shyamalan prides himself so much on twists because his movies could probably stand on their own as dramas or well-crafted tales.
The dynamics between William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver, Joaquin Phoenix and Bryce Dallas Howard make it watchable alone. Some give Shyamalan flak for his cameos, but he's simply following in the footsteps of Hitchcock and Stephen King. Go expecting a story and a twist (or two), have some patience, and you'll be well rewarded.