The Village: Quality film - now get off Shyamalan's back.

Rating: 8/10 (31 July 2004)

Unfortunately a good percentage of people are judging this film based on their view of writer/director Shyamalan, his previous films, and their expectations.
The problem with doing that is that it's nearly impossible for this film to please anyone with a strong preconception. If you're not a Shyamalan fan, you're going to be tired of twists. If you are a fan and expecting one, it's not going to have the same effect on you as The Sixth Sense. If you want a twist or DON'T want a twist, you're going to be hard to please.
So leave all that at the door and just enjoy the film, and base your impressions on how the film stands up on its own accord.
As in Signs and Unbreakable, Shyamalan leaves you guessing (you weren't really "guessing" in The Sixth Sense, unless you were forewarned the movie had an unexpecting twist). Those two previous films build up the suspense in a way such that you KNOW something dramatic has to come forward to explain things.
The "twist" here isn't really one thing but several, which I won't reveal. The cynicism you may view the village, its customs, its fears, and its elders is toyed with constantly.
In the end, this is another psychological thriller, but it operates on a different level than you may be expecting. That may disappoint or please you. If you stop setting expectations for this film, you'll probably see things as I have: this is a quality film that rewards your attention, fits together well, and makes you think.
I do feel the script may be a little light. It seems like the kind of story that could be told just fine in an X-Files, Twilight Zone, or Outer Limits episode in 23-42 minutes. The film is "stretched" to two hours. But it's understandably stretched. Beautiful scenery, music, performances by the cast, and tension...lots of tension, fill the space.
The cast is almost overstocked with award-winning actors and actresses. Out of this "all-star" line up, an unknown shines brightest. Bryce Howard really steals her scenes. One almost expects that Shyamalan fills time with half a paragraph in the script that basically says "Bryce: Wow us for a few minutes." William Hurt and Cherry Jones (you may remember her as the police officer in Signs) are also very effective. The rest of the cast is solid.
The music and visuals are great - a real pleasure to take in.
The unfortunate fact is people are rating this "pass or fail." The most popular rating for this film is a "10." The second-most popular is a "1." No one can justify either of these extreme scores. They either walked out pleased or disappointed, and let their emotion (and desire to influence the overall rating) take over.
Overall, I rate it an 8/10. It's a combination of a well-made film that entertains. It doesn't wow you like Spider-Man, nor is it the modern day equivalent of Citizen Kane. But it gets the job done, and does so on a level that far exceeds most garbage that Hollywood produces.