The Village is nothing but humbug! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise

Rating: 1/10 (3 February 2005)

NO spoilers don't worry; I won't ruin the precious (!) story I surely am going to be criticized for this again, but at least I hope to reach some people M. Night Shyamalan is nothing but a phony storyteller! At first I just thought he was over-hyped and untalented but the more films he delivers, the more it becomes clear that he's actually laughing with his fans and audiences for keeping up with his lame so-called "mystery" tales. It wasn't my intention to watch Shyamalan's latest so quick after its releaseIn fact, after struggling my way through that dreadfully irritating "Signs" I took an oath never to waste time or money anymore on his films. Luckily for me, a friend wasted his money on this because, I assure you, "The Village" is absolutely worthless humbug. Shyamalan once made a partly successful film called "The Sixth Sense" using some stylish elements. Since then, he shamelessly repeats this formula and all you'll ever find in his films are an exaggerated use of ominous music and silence, a very slow tempo and a cast that is overacting in the opposite way (meaning they do their best to look depressed, unworldly and silent). Would somebody please tell the director that atmospheric aspects like these only work when you've got a story to tell? The premise of a little village inhabited by social outcasts who're terrified of the creatures living in the nearby forests is dull, ultra-thin and definitely not suited for a compelling mystery tale. And then, of course, there's the famous "twist-near-the-end" which pretty much has become Shyamalan's trademark. Well, the "twist" is this film is so ridiculous, so predictable and so pathetic that the entire project instantly turns into a comedy! Actually, I wouldn't refer to it as a twist but as a confirmation that our precious director is completely uninspired and overrated. What amazes me the most is that so many respected actors are almost battling to become part of this fake hype. Surely Sigourney Weaver and William Hurt know better than to accept awful scripts like this? Hopefully naive fans won't start shouting that opponents of The Village didn't "get it" and that the film actually contains several brilliant metaphors and underlying messages The only underlying message featuring here is that M. Night Shyamalan's constantly growing star-status is one giant hoax.