The Village

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Bryce Dallas Howard, Adrien Brody, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver and Brendon Gleeson.

Director: M. Night Shyamalen

Release Date: 2004

Running Time: 1hr 48 minutes

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Rating: PG-13

Format: DVD

Synopsis:

A small village, believe they are cursed by a strange creature that lurks in their forest, warning them not to go outside the village! 

M. Night Shymalen delivers quite possibly one of the best thrillers of the early naughties! Shyamalen is full of surprises, "Signs" wasn't necessarily full of surprises, however you wern't always sure what you were going to see and that is exactly what happens with this movie. He allows his actors to inform his audience about a monster, a creature that is lurking in the woods next to their village however Shyamalen didn't intend for you to see lots of this creature. He wants your imagination to go wild, what could possibly be lurking in those woods? A creature from another world? Reportedly the trailer for this film confused audiences who mistook it to be a horror movie. It's not a horror movie but it will have you on the edge of your seat!

They live by extremely strict rules, they are not to leave the village otherwise the monsters beyond their boundaries will surely attack them! Bryce Dallas Howard's performance is absolutely mesmerizing. Howard is remarkably convincing! Her character Ivy is mysterious and quiet, as strange as it sounds, due to her blindness she is very much a free spirit, she does not feel fear like the rest of the people in her village. Joaquin Phoenix who also starred in M Night. Shyamalen's "Signs" delivers one of his best performances as Lucius Hunt, he cares deeply for the people in the village, especially Ivy, they both share a very interesting relationship. Joaquin Phoenix and Bryce Dallas Howard work beautifully on screen together!

Adrian Brody's acting is absolutely incredible, Brody plays Noah Percy, a young that is believed to have a form of autism. It is however not determined, none the less Brody's performance is remarkable. Convincing and realistic. Each character really will take you by surprise, you're never quite sure what's going to happen. M Night Shyamalen has done a fine job in directing his actors. The suspense and tension that is created just by his actors alone is absolutely brilliant!

I love the colour tone that is used beautifully alongside the cinematography, it really works with the storyline and the environment in which it's set. Dark, mysterious and completely secluded. Please be patient with this film, you won't see anything major straight away, that however is part of the beauty of the film. It's unexpected, the ending will take you completely by surprise. It's not what you expect. I love the creativity that has gone into the look of the creature and the concept behind it. This isn't something made by the special effects department, it is real. It's very clever. The mystery behind the story is what makes it so captivating.

The only disappointing factor of this movie and it was the same with "Passengers" is that once you know what's going to happen you are never surprised in quite the same way ever again. Don't get me wrong that doesn't mean to say that this is one of those movies you will only want to watch once as everytime you will notice something new. I suppose any movie with a major twist is a bit like that, there are however movies that will surprise you everytime upon viewing. Those are the most impressive. I was blown away, you will fool your mind into believing all sorts until you are told. The relationships are tense between each character, they are desperately trying to protect their people.

A thriller not to be missed! Remarkably real and mesmerizing!

DVD Special Features:

Deconstructing the Village: 

A featurette on how M Night Shyamalen came up with the story, how he designed the village. The casting of the actors, an insight into the actors going through boot camp to understand their environment and their characters more, composing the soundtrack and coming up with the amazing creatures that you see on film.

Deleted Scenes:

Five very interesting deleted scenes introduced by M Night Shyamlaen, he explains each one individually telling you why he chose to keep them out of the film.

Bryce's Diary:

Bryce Dallas Howard reads segments from her diary during the filming of the movie.

5/5 stars