A thriller with a dash of drama

Rating: 10/10 (2 November 2004)

I do not understand how anybody cannot commend Shyamalan on his latest venture. The film was vintage Shyamalan, with slow camera work and lingering moments of silence foreboding an atmosphere of doom.I wasn't bored even for a moment as many others have commented because the story gripped me and kept me interested with subliminal moments of dialogue or scenery which we have come to recognise as the trademark of this film-maker.
The character of Bryce Dallas Howard(Ivy), the blind, innocent country lass was scripted perfectly albeit a bit too honest... Joaquin Phoenix(Lucius) delivers a flawless performance and we can identify ourselves or at least somebody we know with his unabashed courage or is it curiosity....??? Sigourney Weaver(Alice) as Lucius' mother plays a subdued role and is not the fiery mother we expect her to be.. The dialogue and situations in this film are expertly handled and is a treat for moviegoers, though i have found many who are not impressed with the movie.Perhaps they are satisfied with only fast-paced action flicks and raunchy bedroom scenes...and when an actual story is unfolded brilliantly on the screen, they fail to recognise it..
SPOILER UP AHEAD.............
About the twist..Well,i would say that there are basically two twists in this film...the first one is fairly recognisable early on in the film..that there are no "creatures of the woods" as such..but the reason for the creation of this myth, to scare the villagers into submission and staying within the boundaries of the village is revealed with the panache and poise of a master craftsman towards the end of the movie... the village is actually created by a group of individuals.."the elders" to stay away from the evils and violence in modern day society i.e the 21st century.. which has led to tragic losses for the elders when they were a part of mainstream society.
For hardcore Shyamalan fans like me, it was a bit of a letdown because of the high emotional content and lesser shock value, but again i was impressed by the cinematography, the editing and the well written script which managed to hold the film together.
Hollywood is increasingly turning out formula films at an alarming rate and it is heartening to occasionally see a film that's different and also keeps the viewer coming back for more.
Kudos to Shyamalan..We need more scripts from him in the near future to keep us thrilled and shifting in our seats and not just eye-popping graphics in high budget films turning us into mindless zombies.