Film reviews
The
Village, Dir; M Night Shyamalan, Cert; 18
It’s
had something of a panning in the press, by all accounts, this one.
However, occasionally a film comes along that gets torn to pieces by ruthless
hacks and as a result, public opinion becomes rather sheep like and the
movie is forever labelled a “turkey”. Sometimes however, that
movie is actually pretty good.
This is one of those moments.
A lot of the criticism of this film stems from its supposed unbelievability,
but hold on just a moment – this is a FAIRYTALE for Heaven’s
sake, albeit a rather macabre one, so it’s not SUPPOSED to be totally
believable. You’ll be telling me you don’t believe in Father
Christmas next…
Anyway, the story is set in a close knit community who are seemingly socially
trapped within their own confines because of “those we do not speak
of” who are believed to dwell in the nearby woods. These creatures
have left the village alone recently, but there exist legends of people
who have dared to venture through the woods never to be seen again.
It’s a pretty slow moving film from the start, and that is another
aspect that has been condemned by the media. Has nobody ever told these
people that some of the acknowledged classics (“The Godfather”,
“The Conversation”, “Citizen Kane” etc. etc.) are
all slow burners too? It didn’t do THEIR reputation much harm.
I’m not suggesting 'The Village' is on a par with any of those movies,
but I’m merely pointing out that, if you stick with it, it does get
better as it goes on. There is some fine acting throughout, from a beautifully
assembles cast – Joaquin Phoenix and newcomer Bryce Dallas Howard
(Ron Howard’s daughter) both do a sterling job but the accolades
must go to Adrien Brody for his portrayal of the slightly backwards kid
Noah Percy, who has an unhealthy obsession with the film’s leading
lady Ivy (Howard).
A few surprises, some magnificent camerawork and despite what the critics
say, this is probably M Night Shyamalan’s best work to date. Ignore
those heathens! 8/10
Tone E
Odeon
Online
