Tuesday 5 July 2011

The monsters in the woods

I like stories about monsters. I especially like stories about monsters in the woods. The Village has these things. It's almost entirely about these things. The people in this village are afraid of 'those they do not speak of'' in the forest. It's one of those films about the fear of the unknown. I would gladly sit through hours of mystery before anything is revealed. Like I did with Lost. In The Village you only get glimpses of the monsters - big things in red cloaks with long claws. Your imagination fills in the rest. These people have enough childlike innocence to believe the monsters are real. They run away and hide in the basement and do a lot of cowering. It's a film that sets itself up for easy criticism, especially towards the end. 'Well that wouldn't happen,' says eighty percent of its audience. Give your story a big twist and that's all anyone will have an opinion on. I prefer the first two acts, with all their myths and tension. Even though I sort of already knew the twist, I was taken in by it. We become like the characters - afraid of what's in the woods and looking forwards to the scary bits. And we're eventually let down like them.

Nobody's winning any awards here, but it's tense and fun. If you aren't too cynical you might just be taken in by it. Having said that, I'd still like to see the other film. The one that ends differently. There's an interesting world to be seen in something like this. Like the the piles of pebbles in Blair Witch, or even the nasty things that live beyond 'The Wall' in Game of Thrones. It's the unknown that makes people debate and argue and analyse freeze frames, not neat twists. The Village could have been a lot more.

9 comments:

  1. Shaggy Dog Story.

    Heh.

    Actually, I got a friend to tell me the plot in detail cause M.N.S. irritates me.

    So I can only say that the plot was irritating.

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  2. I think this is the only film I've seen by Mr Night. I've heard he likes his twists.

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  3. This is one film I actually have seen! I loved this movie for its suspense and immersive atmosphere. It's definitely one of my favorite movies M. Night Shyamalan has done, way better than The Last Air Bender for sure.
    But as you know I'm not a big movie buff so my opinion on this may not hold up to criticism.

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  4. I actually went to the cinema to see it, and enjoyed the first section very much. Then it did all go a bit 'meh' for me - just couldn't suspend enough, I'm afraid. DON'T SEND THE BLIND GIRL! I did like the monsters though.

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  5. I have yet to see this right throught to the end. Have started watching it and for various reasons never made it. I went off Shymalan after the incredible terrible appaling shockingly awful The Last Airbender....so you have heard he likes his twist endings too huh?! I thought I was the only one..hahahaha!

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  6. It is a bit sad that twists often don't live up to expectations, but films like this - that are tense, and don't show you what you're scared of - are the best kinds of horrors/thrillers I think. I, for one, was terrified by the end of the Blair Witch Project, but I haven't seen this one yet!

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  7. Sydneylk - I remember seeing a trailer for it when it first came out, and it stuck in my memory all this time. I like how it's based on an idea, like the best books.

    Titus - Exactly! If one of the old people had gone she wouldn't have had to have known at all. It just makes things difficult. But I suppose she couldn't see the outside world after all, so she can still live in the amish paradise.

    Brent - Maybe only watching the first half is the best thing to do. I couldn't tear myself away though.

    Ruth - I liked how understated Blair Witch was. He's staring at all the wall but it's scary staring. That witch is better kept invisible.

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  8. Chris- his twists tend to thud, for my money.

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  9. you speak the truth. personally i also cant get enough mystery and build up regardless of what comes at the end, its just a great feeling. sadly it seems a lot are more concerned with the end result "what do i get out of sitting through hours of build up?" ugh

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