Yay. Enjoyable/not to be over analyzed

Rating: 4/10 (23 August 2004)

I saw The Village last night with no preconceptions except, "didn't he do SIGNS! PAH!". Hoping that this would be more sixth sense and less unbreakable/signs, I went along to see this film. The village, in my humble opinion, exceeds the quality of the sixth sense. This Shyamalan guy has a really great sense of timing and suspense. The atmosphere is incredible, especially in a cinema with really loud surround sound. Well done to whoever did the sound on this film as well, without that it may possibly have been as laughable as people are saying.
The village is, and I am saying this without feeling the slightest bit of shame, really creepy. The lack of gore and the fact that we are given only sneaky peeks of scary things makes it frightening. It would not be at all scary if we'd been shown even the slightest amount more gore/scary stuff.
The film is about a newly formed village of people kept inside the boundaries through blind fear of "those we don't speak of". No wonder nobody speaks of them, they're HORRIBLE! They are honestly really messed up, if I thought they existed I'd soil my pants too. I know that, after a while, as the mini society progressed, people would begin to question and become more and more curious about the towns outside of this little village, especially since the towns seem so much more developed, but it works because the village has only just been formed. Everyone, except for the elders, was raised there and accepts that way of life because they know of no other. They don't really have time to think about what might be better, they're too busy worrying about whether they're wearing the "safe color" or not and making sure that they have no trace of the "bad color" on or around them.
This film leaves you with a lot to think about and judge on a moral or even a "there are holes in this narrative" kind of way, although I kind of like the way that this narrative reveals itself. If you're nit picky or you try to work things out as every second of the film is unveiled before your eyes, please don't bother, you'll only complain. Enjoy as a passive audience member, not a connoisseur. Just make sure you see it when the 12-15 year old kids are tucked up in bed or your enjoyment may be spoiled by screaming girls.