Summer Movie Mania: Week 7

Although we're more than 7 weeks into the summer movie season, I'm keeping track by way of the number of movies I've seen and when I see them. A much better proposition if you ask me, since not every week has a movie worth seeing.

Case in point: this weekend was the release of Alien Vs. Predator, but instead of partaking in what will inevitably be a disappointment, my friends and I decided to check out M. Night Shyamalan's newest movie The Village.

Plot-wise, The Village centers upon a seemingly archaic village at the turn of the century (last century, that is). Isolated by the surrounding woods, its citizens live in quiet fear of the creatures that inhabit their boundaries. This has held true for many years, but when tragedy strikes, the boundary must be crossed.

Suffice it to say, it doesn't stand up to his first film, but it was serviceable. Notably, the acting was top-notch, but content-wise, I think Manoj needs to lighten up a little bit, or even add more complexity to what is becoming a series of decreasingly clever movies. That's only slightly decreasing as well, I suspect mostly because Mr. Shyamalan does not want to have people always expecting a twist at the end. "Was there a twist?" One might ask? Well, yes. And no. We somewhat figured it out after a bit, but if you don't pay attention, you'll probably miss it.

Looking back upon the film, there were numerous holes in the plot that I think would warrant some good questioning. I can't divulge, since doing so would uncover what subterfuge Mr. Shyamalan has wrought, but it's somewhat disappointing that a writer of his caliber would overlook such glaring discrepancies. Even so, I was gripped by the tension each scene possessed. The acting, the setting, the music, every little detail was well thought-out and executed quite well. It made the movie entertaining, and although slow at points, the experience was satisfying.

In summary, The Village would stand above Signs and below Unbreakable in the Shyamalan canon. I look forward to seeing what he'll come up with next.

Overall score: 3 out of 5 stars.