June 24, 2007

THE VILLAGE

If you haven't seen the movie The Village and you still plan to see it, don't read this post.

I don't do scary movies. I hate them. But when I saw the preview for The Village years ago, I always wanted to be brave enough to watch it. I finally did yesterday, and I'm really glad I did. It wasn't really that scary...at least not in the way a horror movie is supposed to be. On the contrary, the ending reveals something far scarier than monsters.

The Shyamalan™ ending isn't nearly as gut-socking as the revelation of opening the Box of Secrets: Utopias only work at gunpoint. A select few act as "Aristotelian gods" (what a delightful new phrase I've learned) and decide how the masses should live, but the only way they can enforce their society is through manipulation and fear. And though they think their society more moral and just than the outside world, it is a society based on lies. These things play out in the real world; I just didn't expect such a lovely allegory in this movie.

And naturally I found the exact opposite of the River Kwai experience when I looked up reviews of the movie: people hated it. Obviously I don't have the same opinion on what makes a compelling story as the majority of movie reviewers! But I personally think if they hated it, they missed the forest for the trees.

Or maybe, if I may be so snarky, they're the type of people who really think we could live in peace and harmony if we halted all progress, with some college professor to lead the way.

Posted by Sarah at June 24, 2007 09:57 AM | TrackBack
Comments

I didn't like The Village (although I really did love Shyamalan's earlier stuff), but it was because I saw the ending a mile off.

That, however, might be due to the fact that I live in Jersey Devil territory, in the New Jersey Pinelands. So, there was something a wee bit familiar in the monsters.

Posted by: airforcewife at June 24, 2007 12:24 PM

I liked The Villiage, but DH and I had figured it out....in like the first 15 minutes...

which I am unsure, if we were supposed to or not.

I will say, I could have stood the suspense for a while longer.

Although I must say this sort of fits in with the child rearing post you worte the other day.

Posted by: armywifetoddlermom at June 24, 2007 04:08 PM

Heh, maybe I'm just dumb, but I still felt a mild "aw nuts" when the guy drives up in the car. I guess I didn't see the ending coming exactly like that. But I'm normally the type who lets a movie wash over me...while my husband sits there guessing out loud what will happen in the end the entire time. I don't normally try to guess at movies.

I suppose maybe the utopia lesson wouldn't have worked so well if I knew all along that they were being kept there by trickery. But I thought it was an amazing admission for Hollywood: planned societies don't work!

Posted by: Sarah at June 24, 2007 04:16 PM

Have you seen Unbreakable? It is not the story you think. Check it out!

Posted by: 2Hotel9 at July 3, 2007 07:03 PM