The Village: Critic Reviews

What really lurks within those woods is (fear not: no spoilers here) a very mixed bag.

In his latest foray into the realm of the supernatural, M. Night Shyamalan turns an artful gothic tale into a homework assignment.

Though it's not as contrived as 2000's Unbreakable, The Village disappoints.

The Village proves two things: [Shyamalan] is a master of the old-school film craft that emphasizes atmosphere and character over action; and he is riding a one-trick pony and that poor pony is nearly dead.

A bewildering disappointment.

A Grimm brothers fairy tale taken to the Outer Limits.

So meaningless and distanced in its details that it hardly stands a chance of wooing even the most willing fellow traveler.

The Village is Shyamalan's weakest story.

Shyamalan's best film since The Sixth Sense.

The film has a strong, sometimes jolting musical score. But the song that will go through many viewers' minds is never sung in the movie. It's that old Peggy Lee standard, Is That All There Is?

While The Village might not blow the door off its hinges in terms of frightening you, it does something more significant: It leaves the door ajar, beckoning us to enter a different realm.

For those who just want a good scare, rest assured the best (and worst) of it comes across as Wait Until Dark meets The Blair Witch Project.

Dangerously dour.

The Village is a colossal miscalculation, a movie based on a premise that cannot support it, a premise so transparent it would be laughable were the movie not so deadly solemn.

A sometimes engrossing shocker with a surprise ending that isn't especially shocking or surprising.

Shyamalan deftly turns a familiar fairy tale into an eerie scary tale.

Shyamalan, as usual functioning as writer, director and producer, plays on our expectations like a virtuoso while subverting them.

Shyamalan's most mature and least showy film to date.

The Village often wavers, but it never completely fades away.

Another mediocre lunacy from the overrated M. Night Shyamalan.

Shyamalan's least satisfying post-Sixth Sense effort.

The Village pours on creepy atmosphere, but this dud is too intent on delivering its liberal 'message' to actually deliver the kinds of scares it promises in the terrific trailer.

Far more interesting as a trip than a destination.

It's the lack of a genuine wizard behind the curtain that robs The Village of much of its suspense, but the movie has merits that go beyond goosebumps.

Not only is The Village not credible, its shallowness makes it dislikable.