Shyamalan is 1 for 4!

Rating: 2/10 (11 August 2004)

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS***
With the disappointment of "Unbreakable" and "Signs" my expectations for "The Village" we understandably low. Surprisingly, it still managed to fall way short. The premise of the film, as outlined in the trailers, would have proved much more thrilling (and in some ways more believable) than the story that unfolds.
The main problems with the film are these: 1) the "twist" can be spotted a mile away and when you realize what it is, you hope you're wrong because it's not only obvious, but uninteresting. 2) the film proves so unrealistic and to be almost laughably bad.
Shyamalan is still riding the coat tails of "The Sixth Sense" (an amazing film in every respect), but the public is starting to realize that it looks like he only has one good film in him. One should wonder why with a $60 million budget and the full support of the studio, why he couldn't get another giant name (Bruce Willis, Bruce Willis, and Mel Gibson in the past).
Could it be that the big names passed on the project? With any 2nd-tier director, this film would probably have gone straight to video.
***SPOILERS***
Let's look at the primary issues with the film that make it such a disappointment.
When it's revealed to the audience that the village is actually present day and isolated in a nature preserve (although they certainly knew this long before the film reveals it) and the creatures in the woods are simply village elders in costume, this opens up a whole can of problems in and of itself:
1) The handful of village elders must take endless turns running around the woods in costumes (day and night) to keep up the charade, yet no one has ever seen them going in or coming out...even though they're routinely caring an eight foot tall creature costume?
2) Walker (Hurt) won't break his vow to go to the modern day town for medicine, but sends his blind daughter instead? And what kind of mother is Alice Hunt (Weaver) in that she's unwilling to break her vow and go to town herself? Her son is on the brink of death and she does nothing? Not believable.
3) When Walker decides to reveal the truth to his daughter, he takes her to the cabin where one of the creature costumes is hidden. He tells her not to scream, but lets her discover the costume with her hands, to her horror and surprise. What kind of sadistic creep is this guy? Why not tell her what's going on instead of trying to scare the hell out of her? The simple (albeit weak) answer is that the director was simply trying to build suspense where he couldn't make it fit logically.
4) We won't dwell too much on the blind woman outrunning Noah in full daylight. I don't care how heavy the costume might be, it just doesn't wash. This conflict should have been resolved better.
5) Then there's the brief explanation by the director (in his cameo) about why planes never fly over the reserve. Whatever. Fine. We can let that one go along withe the fact that everything about the reserve is so mysterious, there must be all kinds of kids sneaking in, but I guess they never found the village.
6) Perhaps the most awkward element that is never addressed is why these modern day Americans, living as early settlers, decide to speak antiquated English instead of the more common tongue they all spoke naturally? The obvious answer is again the director needing to manipulate the setting no matter how unrealistic. In truth, there is absolutely no reason for these villagers to not speak modern English (except, perhaps, with the exclusion of profanity to help promote their idealized world).
There are other issues with the film, but I've probably wasted too much time on this weak piece of film-making. We all had such high hopes for Shyamalan after "The Sixth Sense". Perhaps it would be impossible to live up to them, but it's not too much to expect decent film-making from a man who, at one time, had the golden touch.