A huge disappointment. Shyamalan's first poor film.

Rating: 4/10 (14 March 2005)

I have been a huge fan of M. Night Shyamalan's movies since "Praying With Anger". Although I have never had the pleasure of meeting him, he is, in fact, a neighbor of mine. "The Village" is his first colossal disappointment. It falls short on many levels, in many ways. Firstly, the dialog is painful and often inane. It is hard to fathom how such a poor script got by even the most basic editing. The musical score is too loud, too jolting and not 'in tune' with what is occurring on screen. The story is a boring mess. William Hurt is a strain to watch as he speaks with painfully and inappropriately long pauses in a monotone that baffles. Signoury Weaver is wooden and plastic. Her presence detracts from the film. Bryce Dallas Howard and Joaquim Phoenix are the only actors to perform with depth and feeling. They are the only saving grace of the movie and are a pleasure to watch. The gifted Adrien Brody stuck with the role of village idiot is a non-factor. The movie isn't a complete waste as Night delivers some intriguing footage from time to time, enough to keep it from being a total bore. But the tale itself is so absurd and pointless if not unjust and the 'twists' so lame that I give the film only a 4 out of 10.