Another movie from Shyamalan. It's not bad, but not on par with the rest.

Rating: 8/10 (23 April 2005)

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Bryce Dallas Howard, Adrian Brody, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver This is M. Night Shyamalan's fourth movie now. I loved his first three movies to pieces, and I walked into this one with high hopes. Unfortunately, my expectations were not met.
The movie is set in the late 1800s in a small village that is cut off from the rest of the world. The inhabitants are not to venture off into the woods or ever go near the woods, because that is where "Those we do not speak of" live. Those we do not speak of are creatures that the people of the village have a truce with. They leave each other alone and exist apart from each other without disturbing each other. In the village, they hide the colour red for they believe that this colour will upset or anger those they do not speak of.
But then strange things start happening. Those they do not speak of enter the village one night and leave red marks on everybody's doors. A few days later, many animals are slaughtered and skinned and the bodies are left all over the village grounds. Many people believe that they should leave the village, but the elders decide that they can still salvage the situation and hopefully patch things up with their "friends." But then a tragedy occurs in the village. One of the young men, Lucius, (Phoenix) who makes his intentions to marry one of the young women (Howard) known is stabbed by a jealous individual (Brody). The only way that Lucius can be saved is if somebody leaves the village, goes back to the towns, and gets proper medication. Otherwise, he will die in a matter of days.
The girl he was planning on marrying, Ivy, who is blind, volunteers to go to the town to get the medicine for her fiancé in hopes of saving him. The elders object to this course of action, or at least they would if her father didn't let her go without telling the rest of the elders. He lets her in on a few secrets but doesn't let her know too much. Just enough to help her get to the town, get the supplies, and get back.
As in all of Shyamalan's movies, there's a twist. But this one is a little more predictable than the other ones. I saw it coming a ways off, and I found this movie to actually be pretty boring. It wasn't great, but it wasn't horrible. Overall, it had a pretty mediocre feeling to me.
Bottom Line: 3 out of 4 (worth watching)