Finally, the cure for Insomnia!

Rating: Null/10 (13 October 2004)

The Village is actually a much cleverer film than many people give it credit for. I thought that using the wood from the forest surrounding 'the village' to whittle a cast of actors was ingenious. This technique, however, must be fraught with difficulties? Surely Adrien Brody's lawyers will have carefully noted the extreme likeness between their Oscar winning client and the carving who represented the mentally handicapped 'character'?
The ambitious director, producer and writer burden that Shyamalan has handed himself appears to be a negative influence on his career. I would like to think that he might rise from the ashes of this horror (that's descriptive, not genre) and focus on one aspect of film-making and excel in it. The writing bit is probably the first area that he could strike off.
Some of the lines in The Village were so clumsy that they appeared as though they had been formed with the same chisel used to fashion the blind girl.
"Don't stray too near to the forest we are forbidden to pass into by ancient rites and laws because of the bad things that live there, Noah!"
"Oh! Look! He's found the bad things special costume that we hide in here under the floorboards that he has pulled up while we put him in here for being bad!"
"Are we at the weird shed at the edge of the forest with the bad things in it that we are not allowed to see?"
Aaaargh! Awful. Do anything else, but do not see this film.
If you haven't seen this film and are planning to go despite the repeated warnings, I suggest this simple survival kit:-
1)One of those little aeroplane pillow thingies - You can catch up on some shuteye and still miss nothing.
2)A gag - This isn't a comedy, but at times you will feel like laughing out aloud. This could spoil the show for clinical insomniacs, button up.
3)Pulse tester - Some people may look like they are asleep...
1/10 Useless.