“Sometimes we don't do things we want to do so that others won't know we want to do them.”

This is the most Shyamalan of all the Shyamalan films. Upon rewatch, I found myself appreciating it more than I ever imagined I would. The biggest downfall of my first watch was seeing it before Unbreakable and Signs. I didn’t really *get* Shyamalan or know what he was going for here. Now that I’ve seen his other work I can his vision much more clearly and it has all the qualities that I love in his work. Everyone perfectly melts into their roles, especially Bryce Dallas Howard, she is wonderful in this. I’ve seen many attempts to recreate this time period in film and TV, and I’ve never seen it so effectively than The Village. Which is ironic when you know the ending. I severely underestimated this film the first time I saw it. This has definitely been a grower since I saw it and I’m so happy I’ve watched it again. Acting’s great, story’s constantly interesting, it’s shot beautifully, the score is outstanding, the twists are great, and I’m seemingly in the minority in that I love the ending. The further it went in both watches, the better and better it got. I wish I could have another shot at a first watch where I had seen Unbreakable and Signs first. This is absolutely not a good way to start M Night’s filmography, and I’d only recommend it if you’re already a fan of the rest of his Touchstone era. As a massive fan of the previous three films, I really do love this.