The Village
I recently had the pleasure of seeing the (much-debated) Village by M. Night Shyamalan. I have to say, I've never seen reviews as mixed as the ones for this movie. Essentially, its one of the most amazing pieces of cinematography I've ever seen. Every shot was dynamic, original, and extremely beautiful. I was satisfied with every performance: I loved Joaquin Phoenix as I usually do, I was touched by Adrien Brody's tragic role, and I was pleasantly surprised by Bryce Dallas Howard's strong, honest performance.
So why the horrible reviews? I'll tell you why. It wasn't all that scary.
That's it.
It had some elements of suspense, but it wasn't anything compared to other scary movies.
Why is this a problem? Because it was marketed as a suspense thriller. The previews make it look dark, ominous, and just plain creepy. When thrill-seekers get into theaters and find it is complex, poignant, and (dare I say) beautiful, they go home disappointed. The story was incredibly well-written, it was visualized beautifully, and put to a breathtaking soundtrack, but none of that matters to the average American movie-goer. If it doesn't have the cheap thrills, they don't like it. I guess it was just too slow-moving for the American audience, who nowadays can't recognize genius when it's put in front of them.
See this movie. Try to appreciate it as the piece of art it really is.
So why the horrible reviews? I'll tell you why. It wasn't all that scary.
That's it.
It had some elements of suspense, but it wasn't anything compared to other scary movies.
Why is this a problem? Because it was marketed as a suspense thriller. The previews make it look dark, ominous, and just plain creepy. When thrill-seekers get into theaters and find it is complex, poignant, and (dare I say) beautiful, they go home disappointed. The story was incredibly well-written, it was visualized beautifully, and put to a breathtaking soundtrack, but none of that matters to the average American movie-goer. If it doesn't have the cheap thrills, they don't like it. I guess it was just too slow-moving for the American audience, who nowadays can't recognize genius when it's put in front of them.
See this movie. Try to appreciate it as the piece of art it really is.