Good movie hurt by expectations

Rating: 7/10 (1 August 2004)

After seeing this movie, I was sort of disappointed by how the whole story had unfolded. Then I thought back on the movie and I realized that the story was actually very good. What really hurts the movie is the way it was marketed. People are going to go in thinking that this is supposed to be a scary movie. Although there are a few jumpy moments, the story is much more than you would expect. It incites a lot of thought.
The other people around me left the movie disappointed by the "surprise" ending. Shymalan is going to be cursed forever by The Sixth Sense so now everyone is going to want him to top that ending, which he'll never do.
The Village had one of the more impressive casts that I've seen in a long time. The younger actors, Bryce Dallas Howard/Joaquin Phoenix/Adrien Brody, all out did the seasoned veterans, William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver. I was really impressed by Howard. She was great.
All in all, it wasn't a perfect movie. It's expectations will make many people disappointed. The best way to see it would be to just go in with absolutely no expectations and just enjoy it.