M. Night Shyamalan outdid himself this time... **Spoilers**

Rating: 8/10 (22 June 2005)

I will start this review off by saying that I am NOT a fan of the work of M. Night Shyamalan. In my opinion, he relies too heavily on the "essence" of the unexpected and the end result are stories that are only mildly eerie, but not as effective as I'm certain he planned.
With that said, yes I was one of those irritating people that did not enjoy "The Sixth Sense" because I had it figured out from the very beginning. I picked up on the major giveaway right from the get go and therefore, the rest of the movie was a bore for me. "Unbreakable" nearly bored me to tears and I can't tell you when I was so disenchanted by a movie as I was with "Signs." However, I decided to give "The Village a chance, and am glad that I did. The imagery that M. Night creates with the 19th century village seemingly lost in time, sort of a "Witness," from a suspense movie maker's viewpoint is both chilling and strikingly realistic. Not many times have I believed in a character as I did in Ivy Walker (played with stunning realism by Bryce Dallas Howard) and I found myself creeped out far more by the people of the village than I was with what could possibly be out in the woods. Ivy Walker though, is the innocence of what humans are and one can't help but feel every pain she feels and see the world in a different light through her sightless eyes. I am not, in any way a fan of Adrien Brody, but he must also be commended for a job well done as the simple, bumbling, but oh so human, Noah Percy.
The movie is not fast paced and those who expect non stop thrills and chills will be sorely let down. However, if you pay close attention to the film, you will see that each scene as it unfolds is necessary to the story, to why the elders of the village are as guarded as they are and why it is imperative that they "keep secrets" as Lucius (Joaquin Phoenix) accuses his mother, Alice (Sigourney Weaver) of.
I must admit that I did not expect the twist at the end of the movie and that led to my feeling that M. Night did actually outdo himself with this film. In all of his other movies I "saw" the end nearly from the beginning of the movie, and was disappointed before it ever arrived.
Being a professional author, a storyline is important for me, with a work of this caliber. Your blood and guts or schlock movies, one doesn't always expect a great storyline and that's not what brings the crowd in, but for a thriller/suspense movie, a storyline that grabs the watcher is imperative. Mr. Shyamalan has succeeded in doing so with this movie and I give him all proper respect.
M. Night weaves a brilliant storyline in this movie, absolutely brilliant and I would highly suggest this movie, if for no other reason, than simply for the stunning storyline.