7) The Village
Verdict: Ughhhhhh
With every new M. Night Shyamalan movie released—the most recent example being After Earth—I somehow always forget just how much I don’t care for how he makes films. I rarely remember specifically what is so awkward and off-putting about each of his post-Unbreakable efforts, but every new one is a rather effective reminder (even though I didn’t mind After Earth that much).
I’ve wondered for years whether I was unfair to The Village (the first Shyamalan movie I openly hated). Whether it was due to youth or to a blind adherence to the tastes of Roger Ebert, I never cared much for it. So, I was actually a little surprised when I didn’t completely hate the movie the second time around.
I have to admit that I was unfamiliar with the unconventional acting styles of William Hurt and Joaquin Phoenix and had jumped to the conclusion that they were terrible. However, the movie relies so heavily on the twist, for which Shyamalan has come to be known and criticized, that it feels entirely deflated on a repeat viewing. So whatever points it gained in my mind for misevaluating the quality of the performances it subsequently lost by the premise being absurd when you’re aware of the secret from the start. That made it a slog from beginning to end this time rather than feeling like I had been cheated. Not exactly an improvement. Plus, the trademark awkward Shyamalan dialogue didn’t help things either.
In many cases, as I’ve heard several critics assert, seeing a movie for the first time is mostly an act of removing all preconceived notions of what it might turn out to be and allowing yourself to see it for what it is. You don’t know what a movie is until you’ve seen it, and I find it difficult, perhaps impossible, to appreciate a movie on its own terms on first viewing. Trying to guess what happens, or anticipating the moments you saw in the ads, can be really distracting. That’s all removed the second time, or the third. You can stop asking yourself “Is this good?” or “Do I like this?” and just submit yourself. Even if your mind isn’t completely changed, you can develop a perspective with a deeper understanding of the material, or the accomplishment of being able to say I survived watching the entirety of John Carter and all I have to show for it is this lousy listicle.
