M. Night Shyamalan has been one of my favorite directors ever since that twist at the end of The Sixth Sense. A lot of people were disappointed with Unbreakable, but I thought it was a great story. Signs got better reception, and made more money, but some were still left feeling a little let down. So far, as far as I can tell, M. Night’s newest flick, The Village, is either enthralling people (like me) or inspiring a little Samurai seppuku upon leaving the theater. There was a group of teenagers outside of my local Cinemark who were pissed and talking like they’d just seen Gigli. I didn’t understand their rage. On the way into work this morning, the local shock jock was taking phone calls and about 90% of the listeners said they hated it. Again, I still didn’t get it.
Later in the day, I realized what would cause such a negative reaction. Chalk it up as marketing gone awry. I’ll go in depth after the jump.
(WARNING: SPOILERS)
Ok, last warning for all you spoiler-avoiding fans.
Because I’m a fan of Shyamalan’s work, I would not have been the target of advertising for the film. When I saw The Village trailer for the first time, it never occurred to me that the marketing would be the reason so many people seem ticked off after seeing the film. But with a little hindsight, I get it now. The Village was sold as a scary, monsters in the woods, creepy jump flick. In fact, there was only one time I jumped, and that was near the beginning of the film. The movie wasn’t really about scary things after all. It was a morality tale about sheltering yourself from the real world.
Hands down, M. Night is a brilliant story teller. I figured out the twist before it happened, but that didn’t stop me from smiling at the absolute genius who made the film. At the end of her journey, when Ivy Walker climbs down the other side of the fence surrounding what turns out to be a massive game preserve that the people of the village have been living in for twenty years, you have to say “unbelievable.” The village elders, led by the former American History professor, William Hurt, were just scared souls who couldn’t overcome the tragic happenings of their former lives. The monsters in the woods turn out to be an act the elders put on to scare the younger generations and keep them from traveling too far away.
In the end, The Village is about humanity and fear, not scary monsters and things that go bump in the night. I can see now how some people might be feeling a bit “tricked” right now. But I’d encourage them, and you, to see it more than once. Appreciate Shyamalan’s work for what it is; master storytelling at its finest.
Comments (1)
He reminds me of Shirley Jackson.
Posted by eRobin | August 2, 2004 5:38 PM
Posted on August 2, 2004 17:38