where's the love?

Rating: 10/10 (18 January 2005)

There are films that come out that live up to all the hype and leave you with such a lasting impact that your somehow changed by them. The Village is that type of film to. The Village is the 3rd horror/thriller from writer/director M.Night Shyamalan following his mega hit "Signs". Well after The Village came out I noticed a strange pattern to Shyamalan's film...he makes the more mainstream film then he follows it up with a more personal artistic thriller that the public never quite gets. Well this pattern was proved correct so far when The Village didn't live up to the hype that was set by Signs. Is that Shyamalan's fault that the average person isn't smart enough to get his more personal artistic thriller? You damn right it is. If this film is too smart for you people then go watch Charlie's Angels or something because your official brain dead.
Script wise...God,Shyamalan is my hero here. Not only is he a master story teller but he makes me(a person who really hates dramas) really dig the drama of the film. This isn't your standard thriller, this is a more dramatic classic horror story then a thriller. This film is about characters...not the damn creatures. The creatures serve the plot but...they are NOT the plot. That's important. Here we grow to know the people in the village and understand them and their fears. It's that understanding of the characters that gives the film it's REAL TERROR. If you don't spend time with the characters and get to care about them...then what's the point of putting them in danger when we don't even care. Hollywood makes so many horror movies. They make film after film with stick figure characters that get put through hell that you only really watch to see them die. Here Shyamalan crafts a perfect tale of love and then tests that love put putting it through terror. This film is about humanity and how they are willing to deal with things beyond their control. The characters here are so well written and the story so well played out that you just can't help but to love it. Then there's the spoken words... god, they're so poetic that it's gives the film a real fair tale feel that takes this film to a whole other level. To hear the characters talk is just amazing to hear...it's masterful. I loved hearing every line and I never wanted the film to end. Then I really loved the way the film was structured. This film has it's own of telling it's story and of back tracking so you understand what's going much better. What I also liked was the morals of the film...the Elders of the village started the village to get away from the horror of society but human natured proved that the horror they thought they left behind still found them. It's amazing to watch.
Cast wise...Oh my god. Talk about an all star cast. And I just don't mean because they're big name actors...no it's because they're all great actors and bring real class to the film. First you have the star, Bryce Dallas Howard, and I do mean star...not only because she stars in this film, but because she carries this whole film. She's the daughter of former TV star and award wining director Ron Howard...but here Bryce breaks the hold by being a real actress and not just a girl who's trying to act just because her Dad is famous. Here, Bryce brings so much to her role as Ivy Walker that with just a movement of her eyes she can send your heart beating. God, she's an amazing actress and is so natural with the setting.She has this down to earth personality that you really care about and cheer for. Give me an hour and a half with Bryce and you can keep your slutty Lohan and big butt J Lo. I'd rather watch a real actress any day. Joaquin Phoenix is great as always and really under plays his own personality and gives the character of Lucius a real sense of reality that never goes away. Another thing I like is that the actors brought so much to their characters then I'm sure was in the script. Another great surprise was Adrien Brody who plays the ill Noah Percy who through out the film is amazing. At first glance you think he's just playing the village crazy but if you really pay attention you'll see there is more to his craze then what meets the eye. There's a reason why he acts the way he does and when it's revealed...it's amazing.
Directing wise...wow.Shyamalan delivers more than I ever thought he could. He delivers a lot of movement to the camera and a voyeur way of shooting that makes us feel more personal with the film. This film is master story telling at it's best. Shyamalan really keeps up the amazing script with an even more amazing way of telling the story. There's there's the SINGLE SHOT scenes that left me in awe. God, talk about amazing. They were done so well that we felt the same danger that many of the characters felt. Not only does he use the camera to tell the story but he also uses every trick in film make it to use it to tell an even better film. There some scenes were everything goes silent and with the film's directing...it impacts you harder.Shyamalan is the first director I've seen to really use sfx to his talent.
At the end of the film, I was left with an impact in my deepest core. I LOVE THIS FILM. This film is the type of film I want to make. This film is the bar for me and if I could make a film just half as good then I could die a happy film maker.