How Many Idiots Does It Take to Run "The Village?"

Rating: Null/10 (31 July 2004)

Okay, I'm a fan of M. Night's movies. I've considered him one of my favorite movie-makers in mainstream Hollywood. "The Sixth Sense" introduced us to an original genre of "twist endings," (which some films pre-MNS had like "The Usual Suspects, but only edited or delivered differently.) "Unbreakable," my favorite one of all, showed true character development of a superhero. "Signs" focused more on faith and destiny (not aliens like most viewers focus on). I loved all three of these films because they were well-made and thought-provoking.
As for "The Village," I was disappointed. M. Night's formula failed in this film. I left this movie focusing more on the lack of substance in the film and asking more questions about the empty plot lines rather than speaking about the twist or surprised ending. Was is a twist ending? Sure. Was it a surprise? No. I had it figured out early into the movie.
Now, this disappointment may be my fault because, like in all M. Night films, I try to figure the surprise ending and analyze the movie, but this movie just didn't deliver. I can blame it on the promotions and commercials because the movie was not a thriller nor scary. I can blame on the editing because the revelation of the "secret shed" came too early into the movie, which watered-down the "twist" ending. However, if you pay attention to the opening credits, M. Night wrote, directed, and produced this movie, so the blame will have to go on him.
M. Night, the great film-maker he is, has cornered himself into a type-cast.
He will forever be known and expected to produce movies with surprise endings. It is the viewer's expectation for him to top each movie he makes, yet "The Village" falls flat. I would rather he make a well-made film without a twist/surprise ending than try to use the same dried-out formula.
Don't get me wrong. There were some positive things about the movie. The acting was flawless by the main characters. The camera work was unique, especially the Noah and Lucius "shocking" scene. The romantic plot with Ivy and Lucius and their scene on the front porch talking about "dancing" added romance and humanity to the story. Even M. Night's messages about the evil in the "outside" world, the treatment of people, and the irony of trying to escape sorrow and pain were discussion-worthy, however, this message was subtly expressed only through one-liner dialogue. In his previous films, he left clues that the viewers missed and gave covert history in the storyline which were pieced together in the end, but in "The Village," he lacked the substance, making the movie very anorexic.
As a viewer, I wanted my money back because I expected more out of M. Night.
A movie-maker is supposed to progress after each movie, not digress. In his case, he took a step back this time. I sometimes wonder whether M. Night would still be a successful movie-maker if "The Others" had come out before "The Sixth Sense." Would everyone still rave about HIS "twist-endings?" I guess we'll never find out. I just want him to redeem himself after this movie. Otherwise, I'm kicking him out of "The Village." :)