The Village 7/10

Rating: 7/10 (7 June 2015)

As good as The Village is as a film, it's pretty apparent to see here that M. Night Shyamalan started to stray away from his strong suit, the supernatural, and go towards different story lines. The Village is extraordinary just from a casting standpoint; bring the likes of Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, Sigourney Weaver and William Hurt. Each character had to be precise and some highly articulate in order for their roles to be pulled off perfectly. It's not often to say that I felt Phoenix's character lacked while Bryce Dallas Howard portrayal of Ivy Walker was terrific. Shyamalan was lucky to get such a great group of actors and actresses for his film, along with his consistent partner and great composer, James Newton Howard. Howard's score for The Village is just as good as it was in Sings and it really sets the tone and mood for the story. Shyamalan tried to pull off a twist like The Sixth Sense with many clues, and short cut-off scenes to the past, but it just didn't get the hype he hoped for. It's not a horror film which many people thought because of what the trailer represented but an unsettling drama with only a couple intense moments. I'd still recommend The Village to anyone but I also see why so many people were disappointed because it isn't the typical Shyamalan film by any means.