An unfortunate mis-step, but I hope its part of the directors DVD collection in about 15 years

Rating: 5/10 (1 August 2004)

Expectation: ex.pec.ta.tion. noun: the act of anticipation. , a looking forward with hope or pleasure , a reasonable chance. (Source: New Concise Dictionary)
Expectations, when it comes to a Hollywood production, rarely result in matching the height of its publicity. I think back to Godzilla, The Matrix Sequels and Planet of the Apes as just a few films in recent recollection that burst onto the scene amongst a glut of television promotions, newsstand headlines and fast food tie-ins. Their mass marketing teams were good enough to grant each of these films good opening week-ends and each may even have made money for their studio bosses, but average Joe Public was duped and word soon got around about the disappointment of the venture.
So when M. Night Shyamalan's new film The Village started to hit theaters with teasers and trailers throughout the spring months I was immediately hit with an expectation based on the directors track record alone. The Sixth Sense, Signs and Unbreakable were all exceptional films, two of which have their standing in the top grossing films of all time. M. Night has become the Alfred Hitchcock of our day in his manipulation of an audience and his revelations in the final chapter. The particular allure of The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable was brought by the final pages of the secretive script and people in mass began talking to friends, family and co-workers about the 'I didn't see it coming' endings.
The trailers for The Village looked as promising as any other summer scare. Lacking the big names of Willis or Gibson, M. Night instead went with a familiar if not paparazzi hunted group of talented actors. Joaquin Pheonix, Adrien Brody, William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver are ordinary villagers in Covington Pennsylvania who live their lives in a Little House on the Prairie environment. They eat dinners at long tables, bake their own bread and eat their own livestock. It is a peaceful place, a tranquil settling. Or is it?
At the village border is a forest marked with yellow flags, burning torches and lookout towers. Teachers impart the history of the village, frightening the youth with stories of creatures that embark upon the woods.
'We have always had since the day we settled here a gentle understanding with a the creatures who live beyond our borders. We do now sway into their woods, they do not come into our village. It is a truce.'
Also forbidden is the color red (for reasons not particularly clear, but a between the lines explanation can be found) and the rules of the village are upheld no matter the cost. When a young villager dies, Lucius (Pheonix) offers to leave the town in search of the next village where he can find medicine for those that are ill. But the elders are not willing to risk the life of someone traveling into the land of the creatures and they hold back young Lucius from attempting his journey.
However, an accident of jealousy leaves a villager in desperate need of medical attention and this time, a young blind woman named Ivy (Bryce Dallas Howard in an exceptional performance) petitions an elder to go into the woods and trek to the nearest doctor. Her wish it granted and the movie runs from a state of paranoia to a M. Night does Blair Witch Project.
Writing a review for a M. Night film is like reading a who-dunnit book and stopping before the last chapter. We have to pull ourselves from revealing anything that the audience might not foresee to give them the same sense of revelation as we felt days earlier. Major plot points are kept from the writing as to not sway you into finding out the films secrets and we dance around the issue with anything but grace or agility.
I can say that The Village does have two twists, both of which you could probably figure out since you know to look for them as soon as the drapes reveal the theatre screen. I actually found it a distraction trying to connect the dots one step in front of the director's imagery instead of enjoying the film as a whole.
That said, I was not overly impressed with this production and maybe I can go as far as to say that I was disappointed on how it resolved. The premise and the director gave hope that this might be one of the scariest movies to hit the screen since The Exorcist, but instead, I felt teased like someone was tickling my foot with a feather Â– enjoyable but ultimately annoying.
In this crazy world of special editions and director box sets, I think it might take about 15 years and 9 or so more films before this one is accepted for anything more than a good attempt that failed to win over a mass audience. When M. Night is given the royal treatment of a directors set much like Stanley Kubrick, I like most will hope that The Village is part of the collection. For like Kubrick's The Shining, this film was not one of the best, but it wouldn't seem like a complete set without it.
In the meanwhile, my disappointment will have to stew and hopefully, M. Night can follow the great Hitchcock model and quickly erase our memories with a better effort.