Fearless Writer ... Reviews

Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Bryce Dallas Howard, Adrien Brody, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver
Director: M Night Shyamalan

Some people seem to dislike M Night Shyamlan’s movies for the same reason some don’t like Quentin Tarantino’s works: they have a unique style, they’re usually clever in some way, and you kinda know what you’re going to get before you sit down and devour them. Check out some message boards and you’ll see film geeks bemoaning the fact that all Shyamalan’s film’s have a twist, that they’re all style over substance, that this or that doesn’t make sense.

Much of this is just simple envy, the sort of bitter displeasure at others’ success that says more about the person criticising than it does about the recipient. Shyamalan is a terrific young filmmaker and has not let his fans down yet, mixing surprise and suspense while not being afraid to include a few arty bits of cinematography and symbolism.

With The Village, however, he came very close to blotting his copybook. It’s still a good movie by the standards of most LA directors, but totters on that line where clear creative vision and self-indulgence co-exist.

Reiterating the synopsis is pointless: suffice to say there are a few moments of sheer terror, there are a couple of good plot twists and Shyamalan gets the best out of all his actors. But in a few things – the obtuse use of colour, the film’s “message” and the hokey 19th Century dialogue – Shyamalan’s hand is dangerously close to his penis. Let’s hope the downward spiral doesn’t continue.
VERDICT: 3.5/5 stars

ON THE DVD
DECONSTRUCTING THE VILLAGE A range of mini-featurettes that cover all the usual bases, from the specifics of the shoot to editing, scoring and the difficulties of making a believable monster. Many of the interviews are done during the shoot, so some of the actors are still in “he/she/it is so wonderful mode”, but there’s also plenty to absorb – especially from Night.

DELETED SCENES These are done the smart way, with intros from the director, then the scene, then an explanation for why each was cut. The best is perhaps the “ghost story” tale relating how a creature took August’s brother.

BRYCE’S DIARY The actress takes us through the shoot by reading passages of purple prose from a diary she kept. Quickly grows tiresome.

M NIGHT’S HOME MOVIE An artefact from Shyamalan’s formative years, here he recreates the idol-stealing scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark, replete with gardening gloves and a German Shepherd “monster”.