MOVIE REVIEW FOR "THE VILLAGE" STARRING BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD, JOAQUIN PHOENIX,
AND WILLIAM HURT

If M. Night Shyamalan were to retire and never direct again, he would have
already cemented himself as one of the most creative and dazzling directors of
all-time. "The Sixth Sense" is one of the highest grossing films of all-time.
"Unbreakable" might be the most ingenious idea for a film ever constructed.
"Signs" showed that a film could deliver just as many thrills as it did moments
of deep insight and religious ideology. With "The Village", Shyamalan sticks
with his tendency for the surprise ending and delivers a tense, psychological
journey into the very fabric of society. Wholly different than anything else he
has done, "The Village" might be his most polished effort to date. Some will
love it, others will hate it; whatever the position, no one can deny its
creativity.

The film revolves around a village nestled deep within the heart of the
surrounding woods. The village is comprised of a few families and their
children, all of whom seem to live a very 'Little House On the Prairie' type of
life. Soon, however, we learn about 'those we do not speak of' -- creatures who
inhabit the surrounding woods, holding a truce with the townspeople; if the
townspeople do not venture into the woods, the creatures will not venture into
the town. All of this is tested when Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix) decides to
venture into the woods just long enough to be spotted by the creatures, setting
off a string of events that warn the townspeople that the creatures do not take
kindly to visitors from the town.

Bryce Dallas Howard, the daughter of Ron Howard, turns in one of the most
incredible debut performances I have ever seen as Ivy Walker, a local blind girl
who falls in love with Lucius. She cannot see, but recognizes certain people by
the color they give off, though she never agrees to tell Lucius just what color
she sees when he is near. Adrien Brody, fresh off his Oscar win, displays a
different range of acting talents here, portraying Noah Percy, a mentally
challenged man who is quite fond of Ivy, but not so fond of Lucius when he
discovers that Ivy and Lucius will be married. Sigourney Weaver stars as Alice
Hunt, Lucius' mother, and William Hurt takes on the commanding role of Edward
Walker, the senior spokesman for the town. The remainder of the cast -- Brendan
Gleeson, Michael Pitt, Cherry Jones -- is just as accomplished.

This film is told with a less aggressive pace as some of Shyamalan's other
films, though none have been fast going. We watch things unfold slowly and we
actually start to expect the twist before the twist unfurls, though we find that
we have still not been prepared for what Shyamalan delivers. I liked how I
thought I knew what was going to happen, and did for the most part, but was
still handed something altogether different. Shyamalan has a strange way of
bringing that to pass, and I think that he has mastered the art of twist endings
with "The Village".

The performances achor the film, especially those of Bryce Dallas Howard,
William Hurt, and Joaquin Phoenix. I thought Sigourney Weaver could have been
given more with which to work, and I was anxious to see more about the unspoken
love between Hurt and Weaver -- they brought it up but never really settled it.
I also thought Adrien Brody, an incredible actor, was wasted on a role that was,
for the most part, disposable -- any other character, theoretically, could have
served the same purpose. The most joyous aspect of the film was watching how
the actors reacted with one another, especially Phoenix and Howard -- great
chemistry.

I expect "The Village" to be panned by a lot of critics for the surprise ending
and for the overall visual style of the production, but I thought it was
absolutely amazing. Shyamalan never does wrong in my eyes, and though I was
prepared for a letdown with this one, I was more than pleasantly surprised.
Expect Bryce Dallas Howard to start appearing everywhere, and expect William
Hurt's career to start sizzling once more. Hurt is one of those actors who is
consistently good...we just forget he is out there. "The Village" is a sterling
addition to Shyamalan's resume and I can't wait to see what he has in store for
us next.

Bryce Dallas Howard (Ivy Walker)
Joaquin Phoenix (Lucius Hunt)
Adrien Brody (Noah Percy)
William Hurt (Edward Walker)
Sigourney Weaver (Alice Hunt)
Brendan Gleeson (August Nicholson)
Michael Pitt (Finton Coin)

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

RATED PG-13

THREE AND A HALF POPS

Billy Ray