The Village

[Lavindathar]

<font color="cyan">

Ok, I saw this for the first time tonight. I just want to know, what was the point of this movie? I never bothered watching/renting as I heard the film sucked, but I bought it the other day just to check!

This is coming from a guy who owns over 500 DVD's, who loves films, and just thought it was plain lame.

I thought Signs & Unbreakable were ok, and I really liked the Sixth Sense (all by the same guy if ya didn't know), but this? This sucked.

The two major plot twists were very dissapointing, and to be honest, the whole film didn't have a point. Nothing happened.

Fair enough, I didn't see the two major plot twists coming, but they weren't very good and they didn't add to the story.

Plus it was totally unrealistic...

If you have a preserve where aircraft can't fly over, and with guard posts only every 10miles, do you really think no-one would have wandered in to check it out? Total b/s. Also, they'd never get clearance to stop flights overhead. Oh, and as if Kevin the guard wouldn't grass Ivy in for living there.

Ok, I know it's a film, but I just really want to know the whole point of the movie.

I don't mind slow paced films, as long as they have a good ending. This didn't.

At the two major plot twists, I just thought to myself "oh. Ok.". Surely they wanted more a reaction than this?

Please can someone point out what I'm obviously missing?</font>

[Azred]

<font color = lightgreen>The point is that you cannot run away from tragedy and loss.

definitely some spoilers below....
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All the elders had suffered loss, so they decided they would run away from society and try to create a world where everyone would be happy. Yeah, right--not only did loss follow them there but tragedy was hiding amongst them.

Isn't it funny, though, that even though we are told that "those of whom we do not speak" aren't real when Ivy is in the woods we react as if the red-robed figure is real? We react that way because the red-robed figures could be real...and we don't expect it.</font>

[Link]

I thought they merely told us that "those of whom we do not speak" were based upon a local myth. This means that, when we find out that Ivy is followed/attacked by one of those creatures that we think "the local myths were true after all, and the elders didn't know!".

That was my line of thoughts anyway. And yes, I too thought the movie sucked bigtime. The only scary moment was when the 'creature' suddenly ran underneath the hideout towards the village. That, and perhaps the scene where Ivy hides behind the tree, the camera dodges away to film her horror-stricken face, and we see the creature suddenly behind the tree as well (a lot closer, in each case).

[Lavindathar]

<font color="cyan">I understand what your saying, but surely in a film, with so many good films out, they need more than this?

And I got the tradgedy and loss message.

True though, that when Ivy is attacked, I thought that it meant the myths were real.

But what I'm thinking is, even with all these plot twists, I never really got excited by them.

Just not a good film I don't think.

So Azred, did you like it or not?</font>

[Stratos]

The Village was pretty boring, yes. I didn't think The Signs was any good either. Sixth Sense and Unbreakable were good.

[Thoran]

Well it's a film more akin to Unbreakable than 6th Sense... a bit too character centric for many to enjoy I think. Personally I thought it was one of Shyamalan's weaker efforts, but even so I don't think it was a bad movie... I don't think he's made a bad movie. I think people get hung up expecting some big shocking plot twist (which was a central theme of 6th sense, his most popular movie), but the 'plot twists' weren't really central to the film, or even important for that matter. IMO the real theme of the film is about fear and how people cope with the unknown... xenophobia mixed with a fairly anti-progress subtheme.

The problem is that as a character based film it seemed to lack the focus of Unbreakable (his best movie by a wide margin imo). I think maybe he was overreaching a bit on what he was trying to accomplish, too many characters sharing screen time means your focus is constantly getting pulled back and forth and can't really center in on any one.

[Azred]

<font color = lightgreen>Yes, I did enjoy the movie. I agree, though, that Village is to date his weakest film. I suspect he realizes this, too, so his next project should be an improvement. [img]graemlins/beigesmilewinkgrin.gif[/img] </font>

[Intrepid]

I'm sorry, but Unbreakable was not good, i really didn't like it, but that is perhaps that i was expecting a serious movie and got a comic book tale with actors.

Anyway, i did like the village, but it seemed a little dodgey, and i saw the time twist coming, (although i thought thay would be in the 60s and they left the 60s so i was partially right). I liked the symbolism of colours, but to me it seemed that the people lived in constant fear, fear perhaps worse than that of living in the real world.
I really didn't think it was a good government system of keeping people scared by wearing costumes to stop them knowing the truth, seems rediculus and teribly oppressive to me, i would not want to live in that situation even if i had suffered a loss.

[Intrepid]

Note: it said "choc thanks you for submitting to him, we are taking you back to the village".
it made me smile.

EDIT: although that could be because it's 5 am

[ 07-05-2005, 02:58 PM: Message edited by: Intrepid ]

[Azred]

Originally posted by Intrepid: it said "choc thanks you for submitting to him, we are taking you back to the village".

<font color = lightgreen> [img]graemlins/laugh3.gif[/img] Beware the power of Choc! He sees all...he knows all...and he is everywhere. There is no escaping from the Choc! [img]graemlins/petard.gif[/img]

By the way...Unbreakable is supposed to be a comic book tale. [img]graemlins/beigesmilewinkgrin.gif[/img] It is interesting that it includes a twist on the age-old tale of the Hero being set onto the Path--the Guide who shows the Hero the Path turns out to be the Hero's Nemesis. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img] </font>

[ 07-05-2005, 05:27 PM: Message edited by: Azred ]