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My Rant:

For my local media screening of “The Village,” an edict was issued from on high (meaning the studio, not our local PR firm) stating online and radio journalists were not allowed to see any of the advanced screenings of M. Night Shyamalan's newest film until Thursday, July 29th (just half a dozen hours before it actually invaded theaters). Other media people were allowed to see it – TV, print, and so on – days earlier, but not online or radio critics. So what I'm wondering is, what makes a talking head on TV less likely to give away something from the plot than someone who works online or on the radio? What keeps local newspaper reporters from spoiling the story when an online or radio person can't be trusted to keep the twists a secret? The answer: nothing. Nothing stops those smiling faces on TV from inadvertently blurting out a plot twist. They've done it before and you can bet they'll do it again. Nothing stops a newspaper reporter from putting a line or two they shouldn't into a review. I've read things that made me cringe where journalists have forgotten a plot point wasn't known by the audience before the last 15 minutes of the movie. It happens all the time.

Does this anger me? Does being thought of as less trustworthy than a local TV personality piss me off? You betcha. Actually, it frustrates me more than anything. It makes my job much harder given there's less time to write a review before the movie opens. Does anyone actually think online critics go to hundreds of movies each year just so they can spoil someone's enjoyment by revealing the ending of a film? I know that's why I sit through dozens of disastrous movies, boring films that make me rethink what I do for a living, just so I can say so-and-so did it with a knife in the bedroom. Come on. This isn't “Clue.” The point isn't to be the first to reveal the killer. The job is to inform the public if a movie is or isn't worth forking over $10 or more to see. If you can't write a review or report on a movie without spoiling the ending, you shouldn't be a critic.

What does this rant mean in terms of whether or not you should see “The Village?” Nothing - and everything. What it does is explain my state of mind as I sat through the screening. This was one of those movies that needed to live up to all my expectations and more, just to get a passing grade from me. So with that frame of reference, I offer you my spoiler-free review of “The Village.”

My Review:

A small community of people live an idyllic life in a little town far away from any other cities. The town is ruled by a group of kindly elders who keep the peace, respond to the needs of the townsfolk, and set down the few laws that are necessary to ensure the happiness of all. There's just one little catch: the village is surrounded by mysterious forest dwellers (referred to as Those We Don't Speak Of). No one is allowed into the woods, and no creatures from the woods are supposed to enter the town. And so life goes on in this sleepy little village until the day Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix) asks permission to go into the woods. What follows is…the rest of the movie, and pretty much anything else I could say that occurs after that point in the story may be considered a spoiler (It's a good thing I started this review off with such a lengthy rant, otherwise it might just consist of one paragraph and a quick summation).

M. Night Shyamalan's “The Village” might not be what you expect. Or it might be exactly what you thought it would be. Some twists are very predictable, others are well-hidden until the big reveal. And I expected a flat-out thriller, and what do you know? There's more of a love story in this movie than I anticipated. Shyamalan also managed to create a few geniune edge of your seat moments, which is nice considering that's what he's famous for doing.

I still haven't said whether or not I like this movie. That's a tough call. I've been wavering between giving it a glowing endorsement (the acting alone is worthy of an 'A') and a flickering nod of approval. It gets off to a sluggish start and then takes a while to get to anything jump-out-of-your-seat-worthy. And there's about 20 minutes toward the middle of the movie that pretty much creep along at a snail's pace. It's not until the last 30 minutes or so that "The Village" really starts to cook.

As far as acting goes, William Hurt, Joaquin Phoenix, and Adrien Brody make sitting through the slow parts of "The Village" worthwhile. Speaking of Brody, he's probably got the second most difficult task in the movie, and he demonstrates why he's considered one of his generation's best. But as much of an ensemble act as this is, it's newcomer Bryce Dallas Howard (with the most difficult role in the film) who totally steals the show. She's a rare find, a fresh face with talent and a mesmerizing screen presence. Surrounded by some of the best actors around (including all the aforementioned and Sigourney Weaver and Brendan Gleeson), Howard makes them pale in comparison.

I wouldn't say “The Village” is M. Night Shyamalan's best (I still don't believe any of his follow-ups have topped “The Sixth Sense”), but it's definitely not his worst either (“Unbreakable” holds that honor in my book). It is what I'd call his strangest movie, one that is likely to polarize audiences and wind up having an almost equal split between supporters and detractors.

Beautifully shot and populated by a terrific cast, “The Village” is worth visiting if only to see what all the hoopla's about. It does deliver some thrills, a few chills, and the appropriate number of unexpected twists. The only problem is, you have to wade through a lot of repetitive scenes to get to the big payoff.

GRADE: B

"The Village" was written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan and is rated PG-13 for a scene of violence and frightening situations.

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