2005-01-26 20:51:54尚未設定
The Village
(reviewed on 25/1/05)
The Village (森魔)
year: 2004
country: USA
directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
Usually, the settings in mystery films or psychodramas are not quite what they seems. With that in mind, I should say 'The Village' is a unique example as the audience will later find out what lies beneath is just something hardly even matters. And as surprising as it might have promised, nothing's really happened in the film.
Set in the year 1897, the film tells the story of an isolated, tiny village in Pennsylvania, surrounded by the forbidden woods where some mysterious creatures, called "Those We Do Not Speak Of", live in. The deal between the village people and the creatures in legend is that: as long as the people don't enter the woods, the creatures won't assault them. But the situation is altered when some young men attempt to enter the woods, leading to the creatures entering the village and leaving red warning signs on doors. And red in the story is a taboo, a "bad colour", we are told.
Honestly speaking, 'The Village' was one of my most anticipated movies in 2004. I mean, how can you not be excited with its all-star cast, featuring Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver, plus a new rising starlet in Bryce Dallas Howard? Besides, this film also offers the most possibilities among the director's body of works, as we all know 'The Sixth Sense' is about ghosts and 'The Signs' is about aliens, but 'The Village' might be about ghosts, aliens, or any other natural or supernatural themes.
Generally, the film is quite well-acted, and the gloomy and creepy atmosphere of the first half of the film does well to sustain our interest for the ultimate revelations. Yes, I mean we know (almost) everything at the mid-point of the film, and it's a very, very stupid idea to say the least. So if you want to remember 'The Village' as a classic supernatural thriller and let Those We Do Not Speak Of haunt you forever, walk out when the film arrives the hour mark.
As for the final 'revelation', of which M. Night Shyamalan is deeply obsessed with in most of his movies... can you call that a twist after all? (**start of SPOILER**) I mean, isn't it just normal to find the outside world a little bit different than your own when you've been living in a completely isolated place for such a long time? So why should I be surprised at all? Should I recall the old costumes of the village characters and be amazed by them? Or should I appreciate the way they intentionally speak in plural terms (say, "I want to go to townS", gosh!)? (**end of SPOILER**) Don't expect anything inspiring from this so-called thriller, it's just a single plot being made into 108 minutes - and that plot is not even worthy.
Provided with such a good cast and setting, it's sad to see the whole production turns out to be just a waste of resources for the filmmakers and a waste of time for the viewers. Billed as a thriller, the film offers hardly any horrific moments. Sometimes we'll lament the directors for manipulating the audience with scenes of shock; however, you'll miss those horror tricks badly when you see this film, because Shyamalan doesn't even bother to scare his audience. Maybe he considers 'The Village' an art film, I'm not sure.
The first half of the film also tells the romantic story between the two young protagonists, Lucius (played by Joaquin Phoenix) and Ivy (Bryce Dallas Howard). It's sad to see by the end of the film that their relationship is left so undeveloped and exists only to make the twist possible. When you think about it, 'The Village' could have been so much more: even if the final surprise doesn't work, the film could still be a decent outing if the director at least tried to tell a story before that.
But he doesn't - Shyamalan probably thinks that one plot twist is enough to carry an entire movie. With all due respect, 'The Village' promises to be the howler of the year.
rating: 5/10
The Village (森魔)
year: 2004
country: USA
directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
Usually, the settings in mystery films or psychodramas are not quite what they seems. With that in mind, I should say 'The Village' is a unique example as the audience will later find out what lies beneath is just something hardly even matters. And as surprising as it might have promised, nothing's really happened in the film.
Set in the year 1897, the film tells the story of an isolated, tiny village in Pennsylvania, surrounded by the forbidden woods where some mysterious creatures, called "Those We Do Not Speak Of", live in. The deal between the village people and the creatures in legend is that: as long as the people don't enter the woods, the creatures won't assault them. But the situation is altered when some young men attempt to enter the woods, leading to the creatures entering the village and leaving red warning signs on doors. And red in the story is a taboo, a "bad colour", we are told.
Honestly speaking, 'The Village' was one of my most anticipated movies in 2004. I mean, how can you not be excited with its all-star cast, featuring Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver, plus a new rising starlet in Bryce Dallas Howard? Besides, this film also offers the most possibilities among the director's body of works, as we all know 'The Sixth Sense' is about ghosts and 'The Signs' is about aliens, but 'The Village' might be about ghosts, aliens, or any other natural or supernatural themes.
Generally, the film is quite well-acted, and the gloomy and creepy atmosphere of the first half of the film does well to sustain our interest for the ultimate revelations. Yes, I mean we know (almost) everything at the mid-point of the film, and it's a very, very stupid idea to say the least. So if you want to remember 'The Village' as a classic supernatural thriller and let Those We Do Not Speak Of haunt you forever, walk out when the film arrives the hour mark.
As for the final 'revelation', of which M. Night Shyamalan is deeply obsessed with in most of his movies... can you call that a twist after all? (**start of SPOILER**) I mean, isn't it just normal to find the outside world a little bit different than your own when you've been living in a completely isolated place for such a long time? So why should I be surprised at all? Should I recall the old costumes of the village characters and be amazed by them? Or should I appreciate the way they intentionally speak in plural terms (say, "I want to go to townS", gosh!)? (**end of SPOILER**) Don't expect anything inspiring from this so-called thriller, it's just a single plot being made into 108 minutes - and that plot is not even worthy.
Provided with such a good cast and setting, it's sad to see the whole production turns out to be just a waste of resources for the filmmakers and a waste of time for the viewers. Billed as a thriller, the film offers hardly any horrific moments. Sometimes we'll lament the directors for manipulating the audience with scenes of shock; however, you'll miss those horror tricks badly when you see this film, because Shyamalan doesn't even bother to scare his audience. Maybe he considers 'The Village' an art film, I'm not sure.
The first half of the film also tells the romantic story between the two young protagonists, Lucius (played by Joaquin Phoenix) and Ivy (Bryce Dallas Howard). It's sad to see by the end of the film that their relationship is left so undeveloped and exists only to make the twist possible. When you think about it, 'The Village' could have been so much more: even if the final surprise doesn't work, the film could still be a decent outing if the director at least tried to tell a story before that.
But he doesn't - Shyamalan probably thinks that one plot twist is enough to carry an entire movie. With all due respect, 'The Village' promises to be the howler of the year.
rating: 5/10