"Heed the warning bell, for they are coming."

Rating: 6/10 (23 July 2005)

M. Night Shyamalan has made some of my favorite movies: The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Signs. Now he has written another movie that has what is now known as the "twist ending," something he is becoming synonymous with in The Village. I wouldn't dare give away the quick turn to the left the movie takes, but I will say, it disappoints to a degree. It is not a ridiculous ending, but what could have been if Shyamalan had trusted his original premise of a 1890s Pennsylvania countryside village terrorized by creatures who patrol the surrounding woods. We get the usual eerie mood that Shyamalan has given us before. The Village excels in the isolating feeling that we got in Signs. I might be the only person to admit to liking Signs, but I appreciated the humanized battle between one family and invading aliens. Here in The Village, we have one town, cutoff from the rest of society trying to battle a race of creatures who limits their abilities to even treat their sick and injured. The pace of the movie is slow and moody, especially through the orange tint and effective soundtrack. The village is lead by a counsel of elders, including Edward Walker (William Hurt) who is father to two daughters, including the blind Ivy (Bryce Dallas Howard). Ivy has a childhood fling with the local mentally challenged man Noah (Adrian Brody) but ends up falling in love with Lucius (Joaquin Phoenix), who is the first to suggest leaving the village to gain medical supplies. After Noah causes harm to Lucius, Ivy decides she's the one to go out into the woods and find medical help. This is where the movie goes from moody mythical theater to that movie with a "twist" ending. I wanted more, dammit. I don't think I'm the only one. I was intrigued by the creatures, and I didn't like how Shymalan dealt with them. Sure, there is a certain amount of interest and logic to how the movie played out, but it could have been more. I didn't hate this movie, but I kind of hated how it ended. Mr. Shyamalan, for your next movie, perhaps the best "twist" is no twist at all.