The Village
July 30, 2004; Regal Falmouth #1
* * (out of 4)
The sad part about writing this review is that I know there is a good movie here. I’m aware that I went into the theater with the wrong mentality the first time, that I let the massive promotional machine tell me what to expect, and it is because I didn’t get that that I was disappointed with The Village. Unfortunately, I was so disappointed with it that I have no real desire to sit through it again in the correct frame of mind, and see the movie that I suspect is probably sitting underneath.
The Village is an isolated community that is entirely self-supporting. The residents have cut off all contact with “the towns” outside their borders, and prefer to live with their own, unconcerned with the goings-on in the rest of the world. The only thing that concerns them is the occasional appearance of creatures within the woods that surround their village. When these creatures enter the village, apparently for no reason, the townspeople begin to worry that their way of life may be coming to an end. More than that, after a crime is committed, the noncommunication with the towns must be abandoned in order to gain access to more modern medical treatments. This is the background for a dangerous life triangle between a blind girl (Bryce Dallas Howard), the quiet town skeptic (Joaquin Phoenix), and a mentally disabled man (Adrien Brody).
The promotion behind The Village made it look like a horror movie in the vein of M. Night Shyamalan’s other efforts. What disappointed me is that there is nothing frightening to an audience in this movie. The horror aspect comes from the villagers, and the realization that the way of life they’ve come to know and love may soon be forced to come to an end. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see this during the viewing, and because of it did not enjoy the film at all. Maybe I would on a second viewing, but I have no desire to.
There are other problems. Like most of Shyamalan’s films, this has a stellar cast. Unlike most of his films, I feel he wastes many of them. Sigourney Weaver is ever-present but given nothing to do; Joaquin Phoenix spends much of the film comatose and not a factor; Adrien Brody, though he handles the part of a handicapped man well, isn’t given a chance to show the talent that propelled him through The Pianist. Only William Hurt, as the unofficial leader of the village, and Howard achieve what they need to in order to make the film work. Everyone else felt flat and unimportant. To be fair, Howard performs nicely in her leading role debut.
It seems that as Shyamalan improves his directing skills, his writing begins to suffer. He tries but doesn’t achieve the level of anxiety that he did in Signs nor can you sympathize as much for his characters. It’s obvious to me now that he was making a movie much different than his others, but should have told his distributors to promote it as such. Anyone who gains interest via the preview or promotion is bound to be disappointed. Perhaps when I’m decently removed from my first viewing, I’ll be able to sit down and watch The Village again to see the true movie. But for now, I can’t recommend it.
July 30, 2004; Regal Falmouth #1
* * (out of 4)
The sad part about writing this review is that I know there is a good movie here. I’m aware that I went into the theater with the wrong mentality the first time, that I let the massive promotional machine tell me what to expect, and it is because I didn’t get that that I was disappointed with The Village. Unfortunately, I was so disappointed with it that I have no real desire to sit through it again in the correct frame of mind, and see the movie that I suspect is probably sitting underneath.
The Village is an isolated community that is entirely self-supporting. The residents have cut off all contact with “the towns” outside their borders, and prefer to live with their own, unconcerned with the goings-on in the rest of the world. The only thing that concerns them is the occasional appearance of creatures within the woods that surround their village. When these creatures enter the village, apparently for no reason, the townspeople begin to worry that their way of life may be coming to an end. More than that, after a crime is committed, the noncommunication with the towns must be abandoned in order to gain access to more modern medical treatments. This is the background for a dangerous life triangle between a blind girl (Bryce Dallas Howard), the quiet town skeptic (Joaquin Phoenix), and a mentally disabled man (Adrien Brody).
The promotion behind The Village made it look like a horror movie in the vein of M. Night Shyamalan’s other efforts. What disappointed me is that there is nothing frightening to an audience in this movie. The horror aspect comes from the villagers, and the realization that the way of life they’ve come to know and love may soon be forced to come to an end. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see this during the viewing, and because of it did not enjoy the film at all. Maybe I would on a second viewing, but I have no desire to.
There are other problems. Like most of Shyamalan’s films, this has a stellar cast. Unlike most of his films, I feel he wastes many of them. Sigourney Weaver is ever-present but given nothing to do; Joaquin Phoenix spends much of the film comatose and not a factor; Adrien Brody, though he handles the part of a handicapped man well, isn’t given a chance to show the talent that propelled him through The Pianist. Only William Hurt, as the unofficial leader of the village, and Howard achieve what they need to in order to make the film work. Everyone else felt flat and unimportant. To be fair, Howard performs nicely in her leading role debut.
It seems that as Shyamalan improves his directing skills, his writing begins to suffer. He tries but doesn’t achieve the level of anxiety that he did in Signs nor can you sympathize as much for his characters. It’s obvious to me now that he was making a movie much different than his others, but should have told his distributors to promote it as such. Anyone who gains interest via the preview or promotion is bound to be disappointed. Perhaps when I’m decently removed from my first viewing, I’ll be able to sit down and watch The Village again to see the true movie. But for now, I can’t recommend it.
posted by Matt S. at
4:14 PM
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