I feel like I would be doing the movie going public a favor

of "The Village." But then again, why shouldn't

everyone else have the same chance to learn the horrible truth?

Is it Disney World? Is it Peachtree City? Is it the theatre

parking lot?

M. Night Shyamalan, a director whose work has been very trendy

to like since the incomprehensibly popular mess, "The Sixth

Sense," skyrocketed Bruce Willis, of all people, into the

serious actor stratosphere, may have finally put the kibosh on

his oh-so-clever movies.

Touted for its cinematography and haunting score, it sounds

to me like the Shyamalytes are reaching for anything they can

to boast about. It does have some nice imagery, but there is

nothing particularly new here. The soundtrack is befitting the

eerie surroundings, but the two sustained notes played to heighten

the tension are all too familiar. Gushing about the way this

movie looks and sounds is like going on about the brilliant costume

design in "Anchorman."

As for the story, asking questions concerning details of the

plot is not wise. Much like the elders who impose their weary

beliefs on their unsuspecting children, the audience is asked

to accept what they see at face value. Fine. I can do that.

Oddly disturbing clues slowly pile up making us more and more

anxious to venture into the woods. As the final revelation approaches,

each nagging question is answered with dramatic economy. All

the little payoffs are satisfying in their own way except for

the big one awaiting on the other side of the trees.

It makes for a great statement about innocence and corruption,

but it is all too brief and poorly thought out. It's as

if the filmmaker runs out of time and suddenly loses interest

in the project. "Let's just get this over with." he

seems to say. Unfortunately the audience is in agreement.

The actors play their Amish-like roles with conviction pulling

you into their isolated world of simple pleasures. Bryce Dallas

Howard in her first starring role as the spunky, blind girl,

Ivy gives the film its one point of light. Her performance points

to greater things to come. Joaquin Phoenix as Lucius Hunt is

the young stoic short on conversation but long on courage. William

Hurt as Edward Walker, the patriarch of the bunch uses his paused

speech pattern to full effect. The movie would have been ten

minutes shorter without his histrionics. Adrian Brody plays the

village idiot with all the restraint of Jim Carrey. Eventually

he pays for it.

The presence of Sigourney Weaver as Alice Hunt does little to

spice up the proceedings. She underplays her character, supposedly

reined in by the suffocating constraints of a puritan existence.

I must admit, the story is thought provoking. After it's

over, you will be asking yourself a lot of questions. Some of

them will be about the plot twists. Others will be about practicalities

like where they get their clothes. There is plenty more to ponder

here, much of it connected to the ending. Is this a cautionary

tale? Is it an exercise in mood enhancement? Is it a wistful

longing for days gone by? Is it a rip off of H.P. Lovecraft or

Rod Serling?

It's a little bit of all of these. The worst that can be

said about "The Village" is that it is unbalanced.

There is plenty of buildup to make you squirm in your seat until

you are on the edge of it. When you get to the precipice and

fall off at the end, you suddenly wake up like it was all a long

bad dream.

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