Adrien Brody, Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Judy Greer, Sigourney Weaver ...( see more  see more... ) , William Hurt , Brendan Gleeson , Michael Pitt

At first glance this late nineteenth century village seems picture perfect. However, this close-knit community lives with the frightening knowledge that a race of creatures resides in the woods around...( read more  read more... ) them. The villagers share the fear of the evil and foreboding force that lurks outside. So frightening that one dare not venture beyond "The Village" and into the woods. Despite the advice of his elders, a curious and determined Lucius Hunt has a burning desire to step beyond the boundaries of the town into the unknown. Town leader, Edward Walker warns Lucius of the danger amongst the town's outskirts, and Lucius' mother, Alice Hunt advises him to stay at home and spare himself of the greed and desires that exist in the outside world. Only Ivy Walker, a beautiful and mesmerizing blind woman with an unusual wisdom beyond her years, matches Lucius' strength. Her fearless nature and gift-like perception are beyond anything Lucius has ever known. Both Lucius and the mischievous Noah Percy admire Ivy passionately, though her heart only has room for one of them. Her devotion eventually leads her down a forbidden path where terrifying truths are revealed. The ominous presence of the unknown boils over into chaos for the town, with one's bravery being the only thing that can save them. The truce between "The Village" and the creatures is ending.

Flixster Users

59% liked it

423,617 ratings

Critics

43% liked it

195 critics

PG-13, 2 hr.

Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan

Release Date: July 30, 2004

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DVD Release Date: January 11, 2005

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Stats: 30,055 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (30,055)


  • January 29, 2010
    seriously? i was hoping for an imp land
  • December 11, 2009
    The Idea of the Movie was very interesting but it lacked with some details. Over all enjoyable if you dont count the revealing.
  • September 22, 2009
    Shyamalan needs to pull out a few new tricks from up his sleeve, that said though, I found this to be quite entertaining!
  • December 15, 2008
    Interesting movie, but its just not my thing.
  • September 27, 2008
    To my surprise, my cousin had never seen The Village, and asked me about it. So I insisted that she come over and watch it with me.
    This is by far, my favorite of M. Night Shyamalan's work. I really enjoyed the story of this movie, and the big plot twist at the end. I was one wh...( read more)o wondered why Bruce Willis never changed his clothes, in The Sixth Sense. This film did keep me guessing a little while longer.
    I thought that this film was very well cast. Bryce Dallas Howard is stunning, and she was great as Ivy. I like her in this film so much, that every time I watch it, it almost makes me forget how dreadful Lady In The Water was. Joaquin Phoenix was wonderfully cast as Lucius. I think that he is a very gifted actor. The chemistry between these two characters is very believable. That is refreshing to see because it always helps the audience to connect with the story more. William Hurt is a brilliant actor. I love him in The Big Chill and Children Of A Lesser God. I was very happy to see him playing the role of Edward Walker.
    This is one of those films that I will watch again and again. If you are a fan of M. Night Shyamalan, The Village has to be on your list.
  • February 9, 2010
    what the heck I only saw a little bit of it and it was just awful
  • February 7, 2010
    I thought the first bit of the movie was awesome until the end i have this thing where i hate the end of m night shamalons movies when he reveals the villans with the exception of sixth sense i find it incredibly cheesy
  • January 31, 2010
    It was complicated to understand because it wasn't described that much. But I liked it.
  • January 30, 2010
    its an ok kind of movie!!
  • January 18, 2010
    a bit confusing, you really have to pay attention, it was pretty awesome tho! it was a reeally suspenseful movie, with strange twists and turns

Critic Reviews


May 4, 2005
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

It's hard to care about situations that have been designed only to obscure the ultimate twist. full review

August 7, 2004
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

Shyamalan, far from being a master of suspense, hasn't yet figured out that the shadowy things you glimpse out of the corner of your eye are always scarier than those you're allowed to gaze upon direc... full review

July 30, 2004
David Edelstein, Slate

Dumb's the word. full review

July 30, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

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. full review

July 29, 2004
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

A film of great elegance and skill that's often delicious to watch, but its surprises don't surprise; in fact, they fall a little flat. full review

July 29, 2004
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

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

July 29, 2004
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

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

View more The Village reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • karthu1993
    July 24, 2008
    beautifully directed. night shyamaln is great. bryce was superb.
  • TagurlT
    April 6, 2008
    i guess it depends on how picky you are about movies. I really have no idea at all why people are putting it down. It was great, had an original plot, and was a bit of a thriller.
    The truth behind the whole red hooded things ( whatever their called ) is queit a surprise ( will make you jump off your seat!. ) watch it. its worth it.
  • jacfalcon
    March 20, 2008
    Wow, I'm sick and tired of people whinning about this and other movies like it. This movie was very good. It hada great twist! I can only agree with two things people have said, is that they should stop advertising it as horror, and you do expect some kind of twist.
    However, the horror advertisment doesn't ruin the movie, and as logn as you can't figure out the twist, it is still good! In fact, if you know that theres a twist, but you still can't figure it out, it must be a PRETTY DARN GOOD TWIST! It is the same reason Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock stuff was so popular. People WANTED a TWIST!!!
  • deadlynightshade87
    September 9, 2007
    The only reason some people don't like M. Night Shyamalan's movies is because they don't understand them. I must be terribly rude and say that if you don't like his films you are too simple-minded to get them. The fact is, Shyamalan has never written a horror film. All of his films are psychological feasts. They are all about something, not just meant to be scary. They all have morals. They are not meant to scare, but to enlighten. Remember the conversation that the elders have behind one of the buildings? It's in a video on this page, and it's written out just above this in the recent reviews section. Remember that? That is what this movie is about. It's not about creatures in the woods or anything even close to that. It is all there in that one dialogue. If you didn't know that, you missed the entire meaning of this film.
  • alkapone111
    June 24, 2007
    TERRIBLE MOVIE !
  • shemakesmovies
    June 12, 2007
    People who went to this movie hoping for another M. Night horror movie were undoubtedly disappointed. So disappointed, in fact, that they didn't catch the beauty and purpose of this amazing film. I loved it.
  • songbee
    April 16, 2007
    The acting in this movie is just incredible. One of Shyamalan's best movies. This movie and Signs are my favorites of his.
  • scorpioox
    March 19, 2007
    The Village starts out as a great movie, but it then crashed, burned, and should have been taken out into the backyard and shot. A BIG letdown at the end. I thought M. Night had higher standards.
  • lankylad1
    February 21, 2007
    the front cover ruined it for me....it makes it look scary, so thats wat i expected. i waited the whole way through the movie for someone to die...it says #1 worldwide thriller... well it didnt thrill me.. i expected more from M. Night Shyamalan.
  • MissJessiMarie
    February 20, 2007
    i like this movie because it's a mystery!! i don't think it's supposed to be scary...the media people just think scary always sells, but I'd take a "thrilling mystery" over a scary, gory movie ANY day!! People who don't like this movie are already to accustomed to the horrifically disturbing movies...

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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The Village Trivia


  • What 70's band was featured in the Steve Guttenberg disco bomb "Can't Stop the Music"?  Answer »
  • Which movie featured a 19th century village living in mortal fear of creatures that lived in the woods near where they were settled?  Answer »
  • Never go into the woods. Joaquin Phoenix leaves his isolated village to fight his fears in the forest.  Answer »
  • __erminator __ocus Pocus __ternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Miami __ice Al__ens Casino Roya__e Deck the Ha__ls Sn__tch King Kon__ 12 Angry M__n  Answer »

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