The Village is one of the most eagerly awaited films of 2004, but hype can truly destroy a decent film, especially
when marketed deceptively. This is M. Night Shyamalan''s latest thriller, but suspense is not the name of the game and that may lose many, many viewers.
This film revolves around the people of a small village in rural Pennsylvania, where the children have grown up in isolation away from the burdens of the outside world. Of course, the main reason they have been disconnected from the towns beyond is that there are monsters in the woods that surround the village, and no one dares enter those woods. Nevertheless, they are all quite happy - that is, until red marks show up on their doors one day, signifying a growing threat. When one of their townspeople is fatally injured, however, they have to face their fears and consider going into the outside world for help. Joaquin Phoenix, Bryce Dallas Howard, Adrien Brody, William Hurt and Signourey Weaver star.
The movie has everything going for it - a great, creepy setting, a superb cast and a director that is known to create the best of psychological and supernatural thrillers. The marketing campaign has been scary and stirred up lots of hype... There''s just one catch - The Village is a drama.