Same old, same old

Rating: Null/10 (2 September 2004)

I went into Shyamalan's latest offering with a fair number of preconceived notions based on having seen his previous 'big three' of 'The Sixth Sense', 'Unbreakable', and 'Signs'. That is, I was expecting to see a twist, to jump in my chair once or twice, and to be treated to some wonderful cinematography. Shyamalan's 'The Village' fits that description exactly, except, unlike 'Signs' or 'The Sixth Sense' I wasn't left muttering 'wow' as the credits rolled. Instead I was shaking my head and wondering 'why?'

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Shyamalan's abilities as a director are wonderfully displayed in this film. The opening montage, detailing village life to a beautiful violin solo, set the scene better than any ten minute prologue could. In rapid succession we meet the key characters in the film, with the exception of Bryce Dallas Howard's Ivy, who is introduced a little later. We see Joaquin Phoenix being grim and thoughtful, we see William Hurt mourning the death of a friend's seven year old son, and we see Adrien Brody laughing irreverently at the aforementioned funeral. Straight away Shyamalan makes it clear who is who, and saves us the trouble of awkward introductions. For those who like the hard and fast style of 'The Sixth Sense', you're in for disappointment, however. Shyamalan goes back to the 'good old days', with the first third of the film surprisingly devoid of any suspense or fear. Rather, he takes the time to introduce his audience to the world in which the movie will take place- with only subtle allusions to 'those who we do not speak of'. By doing all of this, Shyamalan makes us care when the village is suddenly threatened. Too often directors throw us in at the deep end and expect us to care. Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ' springs to mind, here.
This first third is, surprisingly, quite gripping. You care when Sigourney Weaver tells her son, Joaquin about her past. You laugh (somewhat inappropriately) at the actions of a masterfully played mentally deficient character (Adrien Brody again proves his flexibility).

It is the final portion of the movie that leaves a somewhat bitter taste in my mouth. While there are moments that make you cringe or even leap a little, it all seems a little underplayed. Since we've all been there before, we're all waiting for that inevitable twist. Likewise, we're so used to his customary 'scares' that when they come, they feel just a little less scary than they were in his previous films. Maybe we're outgrowing his style, or maybe he's just running out of ways to have music build to a crescendo and then punctuate it with a loud sound.
There are some magical moments in the film, don't get me wrong, but they're few a far between- as Shyamalan tries in vain to keep too many characters, a setting the audience isn't used to (that of the early 19th century), and his own mythology together. When the twist comes, unfortunately, most of us had already got it. When it comes, you're left a little disappointed. It just felt as if Shyamalan was trying too damn hard to come up with something, and as quickly as you see it, he just forgets it ever happens.

If the film has a redeeming feature, it is the quality of the acting and the marvelous cinematography. Adrien Brody and Bryce Dallas Howard are show-stealing. While Brody plays a mentally deficient character with a remarkable blend of sincerity and humour, Howard's debut performance simply melts your heart. Joaquin Phoenix and William Hurt, however, deliver substandard performances for actors of their caliber. This is partially the fault of Shyamalan's script, but the entire time I struggled to figure out what emotion the two were trying to express. Sometimes it's obvious, but, and this is especially true in Hurt's case, sometimes it just seems like yelling for yelling's sake.
If you're expecting to be scared senseless, 'The Village' may prove a waste of time for you. Get some cash and rent the original 'Dawn of the Dead' or even 'Signs'. If you want to see some wonderful cinematics and some solid acting, go along, but don't expect to be blown out of your seats. 'The Village' is Shyamalan gradually taming the beast that is his writing, and, sadly, it is nowhere near as fearsome as those that went before. Worth a look, certainly, but in the end, it's not going to satisfy nearly as much as some of his earlier films did.