Seems like people are pretty evenly split on this film... I'll cut to the chase and say that I liked it. Now I didn't like it enough to buy it on DVD when it comes out, and maybe my positive review comes from the fact that 30 minutes prior I had come out of the very weak comedy Anchorman and this was vastly superior.

Nah, this is a good flick on it's own merits. And oh, BTW, this will be a spoiler-free review.

I feel kind of sorry for Shyamalan... he's really been put up on a pedastal, and it seems like people have higher expectations for his films. To be honest I think that people are waiting to see him fail. No pressure, though. Really.

Another thing that kind of detracts from the experience is the fact that you know going in that there is some sort of twist to the ending of his films. I have to say that for most of the film my mind kept working on what the twist would be instead of just kicking back and enjoying the ride. I did suspect what part of the ending would be fairly early on, but I didn't know the full extent until it was revealed. Oh, and the couple next to me whispering through the whole movie had a bit to do with dulling my enjoyment of it as well.

People, can you WAIT until the movie is over to ask questions if you don't understand what's going on? Do you not think that whatever question you have will be answered within the next 90 minutes or so? YEESH.

Ok, sorry, I'll move on now...

If a had to describe The Village in one word, I'd have to say: creepy. It was creepy in the same way that going in the basement late at night before finding a switch at the base of the stairs is creepy: Your rational mind knows that nothing will happen, but there's still that lingering feeling that something might. And in this case you know that eventually something will happen.

The basic story is that of a village in the late 19th century, established in a clearing surrounded by woods. There are mysterious creatures that live in these woods and the villagers are not to cross into their territory. An agreement was established long ago between these two groups, which keeps each from crossing the boundary. Although there is a level of fear, the villagers manage to live a happy existence overall, while watching the borders carefully just in case.