Delayed Reaction: The Village

The Pitch: M. Night Shaymalan tries to find another twist that we don't see coming, this time by evoking a Salem Witch Trials feel.

How I Came Into It: I knew the twist already. Shaymalan's work has been laughed off for a while now and it's really hard to go back and try to be excited by it.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) Shaymalan's work in the days of The Village was vintage campfire story-telling. There's some setup, a few spooky beats, and a nifty third act twist. When it works, it's great. Everyone has a story about the first time they saw The Sixth Sense and when they knew Bruce Willis was dead (For me, it was a couple minutes after the big reveal. I'm not a very perceptive person). The Village has a great twist in that vein and it must've been fun to see it unspoiled. And Shaymalan certain cast it as well as he could. Joaquin Phoenix (post-Gladiator), Adrien Brody (post-Pianist), William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, and Brendan Gleeson were all on board. Bryce Dallas Howard is quite good making what she can out of an almost impossible role (Correction: An absolutely impossible character). There's a lot of talent hard at work in this.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: Yes, the twists have become an albatross around Shaymalan's neck at this point. Here's the thing though, I've rewatched Unbreakable and The Sixth Sense and still liked them. A good twist can add to the initial experience but a good movie is still rewatchable. Knowing the twist killed The Village for me entirely. It doesn't help that the twist doesn't really make sense. It's hard to believe they could keep this lie up for so long or that they could live in that wildlife shelter undiscovered for that long, or that the security guard would just be cool with helping Ivy out. It's ridiculous that she can travel through the woods with such success too (SHE'S FUCKING BLIND!!!). Blaming the twist would be shortselling everything that doesn't work in the movie.

Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend