Village

Village Widescreen DVD

M. Night Shyamalan's THE VILLAGE finds the renowned writer-director crafting a suspenseful story of a small community whose inhabitants are plagued by fear of the unknown forest that surrounds them. For years they have kept a truce with mysterious creatures in the woods by vowing never to breach a clearly defined border. However when a young man Joaquin Phoenix becomes determined to explore the nearby towns his actions are met with menacing consequences. Shyamalan continues his remarkable streak of entrancing and entertaining thrillers THE SIXTH SENSE UNBREAKABLE SIGNS with THE VILLAGE. A meticulous filmmaker Shyamalan displays his penchant for setting up a fascinating atmosphere in every aspect of the movie from its distinctive color scheme to its intentionally genteel dialogue to its outstanding cinematography courtesy of Roger Deakins. Renowned cast members Phoenix William Hurt Sigourney Weaver and Adrien Brody are excellent but the true standout is Bryce Dallas Howard daughter of director Ron Howard who embodies the heart of the film with her vulnerable but fiercely vital performance. Like Shyamalan's other movies THE VILLAGE has a distinct twist that offers shocking revelations but this film's overwhelming sense of menace is what is sure to resonate with viewers long after it's over.

Village Full Frame DVD

M. Night Shyamalan's THE VILLAGE finds the renowned writer-director crafting a suspenseful story of a small community whose inhabitants are plagued by fear of the unknown forest that surrounds them. For years they have kept a truce with mysterious creatures in the woods by vowing never to breach a clearly defined border. However when a young man Joaquin Phoenix becomes determined to explore the nearby towns his actions are met with menacing consequences. Shyamalan continues his remarkable streak of entrancing and entertaining thrillers THE SIXTH SENSE UNBREAKABLE SIGNS with THE VILLAGE. A meticulous filmmaker Shyamalan displays his penchant for setting up a fascinating atmosphere in every aspect of the movie from its distinctive color scheme to its intentionally genteel dialogue to its outstanding cinematography courtesy of Roger Deakins. Renowned cast members Phoenix William Hurt Sigourney Weaver and Adrien Brody are excellent but the true standout is Bryce Dallas Howard daughter of director Ron Howard who embodies the heart of the film with her vulnerable but fiercely vital performance. Like Shyamalan's other movies THE VILLAGE has a distinct twist that offers shocking revelations but this film's overwhelming sense of menace is what is sure to resonate with viewers long after it's over.

The Village [VHS]

Even when his trademark twist-ending formula wears worrisomely thin as it does in The Village, M. Night Shyamalan is a true showman who knows how to serve up a spookfest. He's derailed this time by a howler of a "surprise" lifted almost directly from "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim," an episode of The Twilight Zone starring Cliff Robertson that originally aired in 1961. Even if you're unfamiliar with that Rod Serling scenario, you'll have a good chance of guessing the surprise, which ranks well below The Sixth Sense and Signs on Shyamalan's shock-o-meter. That leaves you to appreciate Shyamalan's proven strengths, including a sharp eye for fear-laden compositions, a general sense of unease, delicate handling of fine actors (alas, most of them wasted here, save for Bryce Dallas Howard in a promising debut), and the cautious concealment of his ruse, which in this case involves a 19th-century village that maintains an anxious truce with dreadful creatures that live in the forbidden woods nearby. Will any of this take anyone by genuine surprise? That seems unlikely, since Emperor Shyamalan has clearly lost his clothes in The Village, but it's nice to have him around to scare us, even if he doesn't always succeed. --Jeff Shannon