The beginning of Shyamalan's fall from grace

Rating: 4/10 (13 January 2013)

2004's THE VILLAGE marks the beginning of M. Night Shyamalan's fall from grace as director, following the double-whammy of THE SIXTH SENSE and UNBREAKABLE. SIGNS was okay, but THE VILLAGE displays the kind of self-indulgence and sense of make-believe that scuppered the likes of the progressively worse LADY IN THE WATER and THE HAPPENING.
Despite the novelty of the storyline (in which an Amish-style community are terrorised by monsters in the woods, but nothing is what it seems), THE VILLAGE falls flat purely because of its sense of artificiality. The performances are all mannered and stilted despite the considerable talents and experience of principle cast members (including Weaver, Hurt and Brody) and the storyline seems gradually more and more silly as it unravels.
Come the end, instead of being wowed by the umpteenth twist (although I'd already guessed some of the major ones), you're left thinking: is that it? This is cinematic evidence of Shyamalan's extreme narcissism, a shame given his undeniable talent at the earlier stage of his career.