A+, not for the crank 'em out as fast as we can make 'em movie junkie

Rating: Null/10 (3 August 2004)

First of all, I love this movie. I can't say that I left the theater with the overwhelming feeling, rather it's something that crept up on me. M. Night has a talent that is rare and absolutely refreshing in today's pre-packaged, preservative laden, look-at-this-actor-he/she's-oh-so-hot, gimmicky, production line-movie world. That said, if you're looking for a pre-packaged, preservative laden, production line-movie, this is Not the movie for you. At this point, I could go into the whys and wherefores that make Shymalan movies so Incredible (to myself) but I'll limit my musings to The Village. I was not hit by the full impact of this movie until discussing it later with friends. No, the movie is not the 'horror' trailers made it out to be, but being a Shymalan fan, I knew from the beginning not to expect the blood and guts gore that resonate so well with horror-genre favorites.
Shymalan's particular brand of horror is unique and utterly psychological. Plots, story lines, characters, and visuals wriggle their way under your skin only to work their way back out in unimaginable places at unbelievable times. A psychological brick to the head as a person waits in line to pay for the Big Gulp and Twizzlers, if you will.
The Village- a quaint, picturesque, perfect, peaceful town governed by the Elders. The same Elders that systematically instill fear into the townspeople and their own children in an effort to protect them from the harsh realities of a world gone amok. Young men and women that live in absolute terror of the unknown- 'Those we do not speak ofÂ…'
Shymalan's characters create a place that is to be the antithesis of the one they left behind, but in doing so, the characters create a world far more complex, ritualistic, and terror-laden than the previous. A new world complete with murder, mayhem, madness and all the intricacies produced by nature and by defect that are human.
My preservative-laden take: Jim Jones goes Pennsylvania Dutch, pulls an Anne Heche, and a whole town goes along for the ride.