The Village (2004)
The Village is a riveting, edge-of-your-seat chiller with a stellar ensemble cast. As his isolated, tight-knit community lives in mortal fear of an oppressive evil inhabiting the forbidden woods just beyond their tiny village, one determined man (Joaquin Phoenix) dares to boldly step into the unknown and confront the astonishing truth.
Classification: Suitable only for persons of 12 years and over
Starring: William Hurt, Adrien Brody, Brendan Gleeson, Sigourney Weaver, Joaquin Phoenix, Judy Greer, Frank Collison, Bryce Dallas Howard
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Members Reviews
Reviewed by: Z. F. from N.Somerset
a bit creepy to start with
A good clever film which does start off a bit creepy.The characters are believable and well acted. The film keeps you interested and intrigued through to the end. Would recommend
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Reviewed by: Kevin Stanley
Try Not To Scream
M. Night Shyamalan's tale The Village is played out in the small Pennsylvanian homestead of Covington at the turn of the last century. The story revolves around the uneasy truce that the townsfolk share with the creatures that inhabit the bordering woods. Bryce Dallas Howard stars as Ivy Walker and Joaquin Phoenix takes the role of Lucius Hunt. They produce similarly stoical performances, proving that in this instance less is more. Adrien Brody, Sigourney Weaver and William Hurt round out the cast with satisfactory contributions in what are fairly minor roles. Cinematographer Richard Deakins creates a fiercely stylish backdrop that he gives real life to, imbuing his villagescape with eerie lighting and the dull autumnal hues of pre-technicolor clothing. Oppressive mist hangs as though dead in the air whilst leafless trees sway in the wind. James Newton Howard's atmospheric score completes the portentous and eldritch ambience that is in the very fiber of the film. The horn and string arrangements keep hearts fluttering through the quieter moments until the pounding drums and thundering bass almost induce cardiac arrest in the more terrifying scenes. That writer/director Shyamalan is savvy enough to allow his audience only the briefest peripheral glances of his demons naturally attenuates our fear of them. He demonstrates an apparently innate predilection for horror, an effortless ability to create tension and knowledge of his viewer's expectations. He only disappoints slightly with poor pacing midway through. Shyamalan fans will expect an epochal twist and won't feel let down when it hits, as it has considerable impact. Overall, The Village isn't perfect, but certain sections are simply masterclass standard examples of how horror should be done. Just remember, do your very best not to scream.
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Reviewed by: JAC
Not all it seems?
Quite a good film. Neat twist to the end.
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Reviewed by: Carole & Mark
Should be titled 'Why Bother?'
We watched this expecting something along the lines of Sixth Sense and Signs. What a disappointment - pointless watching it, and by the twist in the end we'd given up caring. Find something more useful to do than watch this rubbish!
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Reviewed by: Mick
Pretensious Rubbish
Sorry could not sit through this appalling film. How could anyone sit down and write this. Where was the story - the adventure of a journey and discovery - the sympathy with the characters. Please can we return to good simple stories of adventure. Wells, Buchan, Ambler etc
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The Village
 
Genres:
Thrillers
Drama
Horror

Run Time:
103 Minutes

Subtitles:
English
English Hard of Hearing

Languages:
English

Countries:
USA

BFI Classification:
Suitable only for persons of 12 years and over

Release Date:
31/01/2005

Production Year:
2004

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.85:1

Colour:
Colour

Special Features:
  • Deconstructing The Village: -Shooting The Village, Casting, Boot Camp, Editing & Sound, Scoring The Village, Those That We Don't Speak Of
  • 4 Deleted Scenes
  • Bryce's Diary
  • M. Night's Home Movie
  • Production Photo Gallery
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