# M. Night Shyamalan's new film - "The Village" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 5, 2004, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-night-shyamalans-new-film-the-village/222896 "2004-01-05T23:03:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Funkalicious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b3f665/32.png) [@Funkalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Funkalicious)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-night-shyamalans-new-film-the-village/222896/21 "2004-01-06T16:08:41Z")
The trailer looked good to me - and maybe the twist for this movie is that there is no twist?! ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-night-shyamalans-new-film-the-village/222896/22 "2004-01-06T16:09:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gobear \* > \*\*And in any event, the aliens in **Signs** are just a cheap device to show Mel Gibson’s character that God exists and is active in the universe, which is a load of theistic propaganda, if you ask me. \*\* I disagree, at least in part. The sort of thing you describe would have set my hackles up as well, but I took the ending of _Signs_ as being not so much about faith in a Christian God as being about faith in general. Certainly, for Mel Gibson’s character, his faith was manifested by his belief in God… but really, it could also be interpreted as faith in anything: polytheistic gods, a general balance in the universe, or whatever works for the believer. I’d say the point of _Signs_ is the idea of belief itself. The object of that belief is window-dressing. But then again, that’s exactly what I would take away from a story like that. 😉 And I read your spoiler about _The Village_ **gobear** … I’m curious where you heard that? I had a different idea about where the story could go… but I guess that could potentially work too. Really, it would depend on how it was handled. The “twist” in _The Sixth Sense_ could have been (and has been) really dumb as well, but was handled masterfully, in my opinion. _The Others_ is an example of the same idea, not as well done. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-night-shyamalans-new-film-the-village/222896/23 "2004-01-06T16:10:28Z")
> [@](#): > > And in any event, the aliens in Signs are just a cheap device to shpw Mel Gibson’s character that God exists and is active in the universe, which is a load of theistic propaganda, if you ask me. Again, we disagree. Had I been in the position of Mel Gibson’s character, I wouldn’t have started believing in God (nor would I have made the assumption, as you have, that the creatures were aliens from another planet). Gibson’s character found his faith again not because there was indisputable proof of God – there wasn’t. He found it because he was by nature a man of faith, even if his bitterness and grief made him deny it for a time. 'm still pretty sure your spoiler is a load of bollocks. The movie comes out July 30 in the U.S. If your information turns out to be correct, I’ll apologize. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-night-shyamalans-new-film-the-village/222896/24 "2004-01-06T16:20:19Z")
> [@](#): > > These things are not aliens; they’re demons. > > Watched that way, the movie makes more sense. Then they are really dumb, pathetic little Manes. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-night-shyamalans-new-film-the-village/222896/25 "2004-01-06T16:36:36Z")
Who says demons have to be smart? They can still gas your kids and ruin their birthday party. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-night-shyamalans-new-film-the-village/222896/26 "2004-01-06T16:53:17Z")
Okay, I worked out my software problem and got to see the trailer. (Really wish I had a broadband connection.) Interesting; the sounds at the end could be an engine, or could be a beast of some kind. The whole set-up is kind of dreamlike; could a 19th century village in Pennsylvania really be that isolated, surrounded by deep woods? I kind of hope there isn’t a real “twist”. Fortunately, Shyamalan’s movies so far haven’t relied on the ending to carry the movie; _The Sixth Sense_ would still have been a strong movie without the ending, but the ending added to it. (As you’ll recall several episodes of “The Twilight Zone”, usually episodes written by Serling, had a “twist” at the end that seemed totally arbitrary and didn’t contribute meaningfully to the story. It’s hard to get that sort of thing right, although O Henry was pretty darn good at it.) I hope they use this trailer in the theaters; it’s intriguing without giving too much away. (Thanks to the trailers for _The Sixth Sense_, everybody who saw the movie already knew that the boy “saw dead people”; it would have been nice to go into the film with no idea of what was going on with the kid.) ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-night-shyamalans-new-film-the-village/222896/27 "2004-01-06T16:55:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Baldwin \* > \*\*Again, we disagree. Had I been in the position of Mel Gibson’s character, I wouldn’t have started believing in God (nor would I have made the assumption, as you have, that the creatures were aliens from another planet). Gibson’s character found his faith again not because there was indisputable proof of God – there wasn’t. He found it because he was by nature a man of faith, even if his bitterness and grief made him deny it for a time. Watch it again. Gibson recovers his faith specifically through his realization that God had set up the situation–the inhaler, the glasses of water–to repel the invaders. > [@](#): > > 'm still pretty sure your spoiler is a load of bollocks. The movie comes out July 30 in the U.S. If your information turns out to be correct, I’ll apologize. \*\* It’s not my information. I was quoting a spoiler by someone on [dvdtalk.com](http://dvdtalk.com)’s board who said that he had seen a work print. Like any other Internet rumor, it should be taken with a whole shaker of salt. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-night-shyamalans-new-film-the-village/222896/28 "2004-01-06T17:19:16Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Baldwin > Again, we disagree. Had I been in the position of Mel Gibson’s character, I wouldn’t have started believing in God (nor would I have made the assumption, as you have, that the creatures were aliens from another planet). Gibson’s character found his faith again not because there was indisputable proof of God – there wasn’t. He found it because he was by nature a man of faith, even if his bitterness and grief made him deny it for a time. > > * * * > > Watch it again. Gibson recovers his faith specifically through his realization that God had set up the situation–the inhaler, the glasses of water–to repel the invaders. Obviously I’m not getting through. Yes, we saw the same movie. Here, again, is my point – what happened with the water and the inhaler is something **I** would interpret as a lucky coincidence. It is **not** any kind of proof of God. But Gibson’s character is, by nature, a person of faith, but he closed off that part of himself in bitterness when his wife was killed. Surviving this crisis, with his children saved by what I would see as happenstance, is the trigger for him to open up himself to faith again. It’s not faith if it requires definitive proof; that’s probably why I don’t have any. > [@](#): > > It’s not my information. I was quoting a spoiler by someone on [dvdtalk.com](http://dvdtalk.com)’s board who said that he had seen a work print. Like any other Internet rumor, it should be taken with a whole shaker of salt. So, it’s just an Internet rumor, not **your** information, just something you’re quoting from somebody who **claimed** to have seen a work print seven months before the release of the film. Fine; I’ll definitely take a grain of salt with that. My mistake; for some reason your statements: > [@](#): > > I accidentally found out The Village’s Serlingesque revelation, and it’s really, really stupid, so dimwitted that it makes Signs look like The Third Man. and > [@](#): > > And the spoiler for The Village comes from someone who saw a work print. made me think that you had **found out** the information, and that it definitely came from someone who saw a work print. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-night-shyamalans-new-film-the-village/222896/29 "2004-01-06T17:33:45Z")
> [@](#): > > Obviously I’m not getting through. I **really** dislike being condescended to. Disagreeing with your point does not meant that I do not understand your point. > [@](#): > > Yes, we saw the same movie. Here, again, is my point – what happened with the water and the inhaler is something I would interpret as a lucky coincidence. It is not any kind of proof of God. You may interpret it as a lucky coincidence and so would I, but that doesn’t matter. Gibson’s character specifically says in the movie that that the water and inhaler are evidence that God exists. If you and I were at my house I’d cue it up on my DVD player. The scene is in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-night-shyamalans-new-film-the-village/222896/30 "2004-01-06T18:09:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gobear \* > \*\*You may interpret it as a lucky coincidence and so would I, but that doesn’t matter. Gibson’s character specifically says in the movie that that the water and inhaler are evidence that God exists. If you and I were at my house I’d cue it up on my DVD player. The scene is in the movie. \*\* So what? That’s not “theistic propaganda,” that’s consistent to the character that Mel Gibson played. Frankly, any other conclusion would have been a cheat, _for that character_. The movie wasn’t about you or I, it was about a religious man who found his faith again through a series of events. What conclusion would you have preferred him to draw, being who he was? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-night-shyamalans-new-film-the-village/222896/31 "2004-01-06T18:46:10Z")
After the movie, I decided that if similar events ever happened to me, I would conclude that I must be starring in an M. Night Shyamalan movie. Either that, or there **is** a god. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-night-shyamalans-new-film-the-village/222896/32 "2004-01-06T19:59:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Avalonian \* > \*\*So what? That’s not “theistic propaganda,” that’s consistent to the character that Mel Gibson played. Frankly, any other conclusion would have been a cheat, _for that character_. The movie wasn’t about you or I, it was about a religious man who found his faith again through a series of events. > > What conclusion would you have preferred him to draw, being who he was? \*\* I have no problem with Gibson’s character drawing that conclusion; that is, after all, the whole point of the movie, so obviously he is going to rediscover his faith. My point is in the movie being scripted that way to give aid and comfort to theists. It’s the same problem I have with Oliver Stone films like **JFK** –beautifully directed BS is still BS. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-night-shyamalans-new-film-the-village/222896/33 "2004-01-06T23:52:24Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Baldwin \* > Again, the creatures in Signs are a mystery. Yes, I could come up with a scenario that would explain all their behavior, but the uncertainty and lack of solid knowledge are an essential part of the movie in order for the viewer to emotionally share the family’s experience._\* I’m pretty sure that they are aliens from the planet Deus Ex Machina IX. In any event, where the creatures come from are incedental to the movie. The point is that the bizarre set of circumstances that lead to them overcoming the creatures, while not proof of God, is enough to give Mel his faith back. That don’t make the movie any less dull though. All in all, I suspect that The Village will be another M Night Shamalamadingdong movie - long, slow, cerebral with a twist ending. ---
**Author:** ![Eternal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@Eternal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eternal)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2004, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-night-shyamalans-new-film-the-village/222896/34 "2004-01-07T09:21:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gobear \* > \*\*I have no problem with Gibson’s character drawing that conclusion; that is, after all, the whole point of the movie, so obviously he is going to rediscover his faith. My point is in the movie being scripted that way to give aid and comfort to theists. It’s the same problem I have with Oliver Stone films like **JFK** –beautifully directed BS is still BS. \*\* Lols at the phrase “aid and comfort to theists”. Someone call the NKVD! ---
**Author:** ![Mal\_Adroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mal\_Adroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mal_Adroit)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2004, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-night-shyamalans-new-film-the-village/222896/35 "2004-01-07T15:26:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gobear \* > > \*\*I accidentally found out The Village’s Serlingesque revelation, and it’s really, really stupid, so dimwitted that it makes Signs look like The Third Man. > > Here it is, so if you DO NOT WANT TO KNOW, don’t look: > > The village is not living in 1897, but in 2004, and the unseen “beasts” are outsiders logging the forest where the villagers live. > \*\* Dimwitted? That’s a fairly nifty idea if you ask me. Especially if it’s handled well, and Shyamalan has proven that he can give resonance to even a corny twist (see _Unbreakable_). But on paper, I think this premise buries the one from _Unbreakable._ ---
**Author:** ![smoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smoke)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2004, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-night-shyamalans-new-film-the-village/222896/36 "2004-01-07T16:25:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Taken from **Frank #2** , taking it from the synopsis \* > **The chilling tale of a close-knit community that lives with the frightening knowledge that creatures reside in the woods around tham and the courage of one young man who challenges the unknown creatures who reside in the surrounding woods.** I’ll bet the “creatures” all die from acute hayfever. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-night-shyamalans-new-film-the-village/222896.md?page=1)