Movie Review

The Village

Given the nature of M. Night?s past films, it is difficult for any moviegoer to watch the Village without certain expectations. All of Night?s previous films have focused on the supernatural, secrets and faith, but most moviegoers remember his movies because of their surprising twists. Looking through some reviews of The Village, I can see that reviewers focus almost exclusively on whether or not the ending was plausible or if it was too predictable. Night is no doubt completely guilty for this. His movies do rely heavily on what happens in the end, but reviewers should be able to see through the last ten minutes of any movie and view it in its entirety.

It is a bit difficult, in the beginning, to adjust to the old-style dialogue that makes you feel a bit like you are watching the History Channel. In particular, William Hurt seems to be overplaying his 19th Century dialogue in his long speeches. Joaquin Phoenix?s character, Lucius Hunt does not have much to say, but when he does have something to say it comes in the form of a carefully crafted speech. Night, who was and still is soft spoken, is probably inserting part of his own demeanor into Lucius. When most horror movies are trying to appeal to a hip, trendy crowd, moviegoers may find the setting and characters laughably old fashioned.

Although The Village contains an impressive cast, the big star is newcomer Bryce Dallas Howard (daughter of director/producer Ron Howard). Despite her great connections, she absolutely deserved the role of Ivy Walker. Her character loses vision at a young age because the village does not have access to medicine. This isolation and need for outside provides the main conflict for the film. Howard does a magnificent job in convincing the audience she is truly blind. Unfortunately, Night?s story uses this weakness to put her in all sorts of precarious situations. To me it became somewhat reminiscent of some of things Emma Watson?s character went through in Red Dragon. It is scary enough to be in the dark woods with monsters -- but to be to be blind and alone? Critics will probably laugh at these contrived situations.

Entertainment Weekly reported that Kirsten Dunst was looking at the role, but luckily that did not happen as she would not have been able to come anywhere close to Howard?s performance. Ivy and Lucius form a strong bond and it is disappointing they do not have more screen time together (as opposed to Kirsten and Toby?s together time in Spider-Man 2, which I believe damaged the movie). While some reviewers saw Ivy?s dialogue with Lucius to be overly corny, these are some touching moments where Night shows a great flare for being a romantic.

Before you completely write off the movie as a dramatic romance, which at its heart it may be, there are some good thrilling moments. However, for those expecting non-stop monsters, you might be disappointed. Night excels at developing a hold on the audience with his sometimes awkwardly long shots, his concentration on detail and relentless foreshadowing. Although the plot of his movies sometimes appears contrived and set up for a certain finale, the characters are genuine, flawed and it is hard not to empathize with them.

A good ending might be important to the success of Night?s films, but characters always drive the heart of his films. Sixth Sense would not have had such great box office legs if the audience had no connection with Malcolm and Cole. Unbreakable suffered not only because of the poor ending, but also because the characters completely failed to connect to the audience. No ending could have saved it. Signs had great advertising and really delivered in terms of scariness. Yet, in addition to the classic horror, there was a great connection with the Hess family. In their isolation and helplessness, the characters show fear, pair and become real.

The Village is no different. Reviews that debate the ending at the expense of the rest of the movie probably have missed the point. Beyond the horror, it is a story about going to extreme and excessive lengths to save those you love and there is nothing supernatural about that.

Jason's Grade: B+

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