Quite possibly one of the worst films I have ever seen

Rating: 1/10 (4 August 2004)

Just returned from viewing "The Village." As the credits rolled, we sat in stunned silence. This movie is: terrible, boring, ridiculous, boring, badly written, boring, badly directed, and (did I mention?) boring.
Bryce Dallas Howard was amazing, and I can't wait to see her in a REAL movie. She will undoubtedly be a star soon.
Some of our favorite moments (which caused us to shriek with laughter on the ride home): --Joaquin Phoenix "nervously" reading his letters to the town elders. --All of the scenes where people whisper urgently about "the BAD color." (And, by the way, why is gold "the good color"?) --The 3 or 4 scenes near the end looking up into the waving trees. --Each of Adrian Brody's idiotic, over-the-top scenes. --The many, many scenes where people just stood around looking at each other.
Two or three -very- brief scenes WERE actually well done: --The scene where Phoenix grabs Howard's hand at the end of the dance --The scene on the porch with Phoenix and Howard --Part of the (otherwise absurd) scene with Howard asking for help near the end of the movie. But M. Night Sham messed this scene up, too.
I enjoy many types of movies, including slow-paced character studies, dramas, and thrillers. (I liked all 3 of MNS's previous films.)
However, I honestly don't understand how -anyone- could recommend this terrible mess. I may really mail my ticket stub to MNS and ask for my money back. Not even worth a rental. REALLY, REALLY bad.