'The Village' shows 'Signs' of 'Sixth Sense'

M. Night Shyamalan has yet to make a commercial flop, and with his newest release it appears the streak will remain intact. The cast alone is worth the price of admission, as Shyamalan has assembled an all-star line-up complete with Academy Award winners (Adrien Brody and William Hurt) and others who will certainly be around for a while (Joaquin Phoenix and newcomer Bryce Dallas Howard in the lead female role). \nIn a small Pennsylvania town amidst the woods lives a group of less than 100 children and elders. Their way of life is simple: each adult fulfills a duty, everyone assembles for dinner and no one leaves the town under any circumstance. The reason for this is "those we do not speak of" lurk in the woods surrounding the town, and there is a mutual understanding that both sides respect one another's peace. There are even watchtowers and torches set up at the edges of town to keep watch on the creatures. \nAs the film's central love story starts to blossom, disaster strikes. A townsperson is severely wounded and requires immediate medication or he will die. Ivy (Howard), blind daughter of the town leader (played by Hurt), volunteers to travel through the feared Covington Woods and retrieve medicine. That about does it for the plot; it is quite simplistic, though, it will keep you hooked if for nothing else so you can see if you predicted the surprise ending correctly. Plus, revealing anymore plot points would spoil the twists. \nWhile the actors, most notably Phoenix, seem very subdued, the performances are entertaining and ultimately spare the plot from its dullness. Brody is very convincing as the village idiot and Howard does an amazing job as the blind Ivy. However, other than Ivy, the characters are rather one-dimensional. \nThere are elements of Shyamalan's previous films in "The Village." "Those we do not speak of" are seen in glimpses similar to the aliens in "Signs," and the "shocker" of an ending is reminiscent of "The Sixth Sense," though, it is maybe half as good as the surprise in his first hit movie. \nThe dialogue is one major downside of the movie. While the townspeople appear to be speaking in late 19th century discourse, it sounds awkward and forced at times. An English professor would fail this movie for an overuse of the passive voice. \n"The Village" hinges almost entirely on its trick ending, and for that reason it is something of a letdown. Perhaps Shyamalan should ease away from the surprises for a while, because it's ruining the surprise. Then again, we don't need another "swing away Merrill" ending.