flawed, but worth your time

Rating: Null/10 (31 July 2004)

The Village is not Shyamalan's best film as you will probably read in every review. The beginning was very rough (mainly the dialogue) and parts of it seem to be out of order. However, it is just as spellbinding and thought-provoking as Signs or The Sixth Sense. The twist (no spoilers here) caught me completely off guard and, at times, I thought I had guessed what was going to happen next, but couldn't have been more wrong. Granted, I did not leave the theater paranoid for my safety (as I did after Signs), but I left satisfied with the ending and sincerely impressed.
Joaquin Phoenix has the top-billing and will surely win your praise (I've come to believe he can do just about anything acting-wise), but Bryce Dallas Howard's portrayal of the fragile, but strong-willed and witty Ivy steals the show. Sigourney Weaver and William Hurt were mediocre, I thought. I would rather have seen character actors in their roles. Adrien Brody is fantastic (don't believe the critics).
Kudos to the cinematographer. This film was beautiful to watch.