The Village *Major Spoilers*

[fuzzyoctopus]

So what I don't understand is why, when they realized they had a psychotic killer among them, they weren't able to say, "You know what? This isn't working! People are the same everywhere!" instead of continuing with a farce, lying to their children and scaring them to death of creatures that didn't exist, in the name of so-called safety.

I don't think it's the same.  Noah was mentally retarded and didn't really have control over his emotions and reactions.  The killers on the outside were all portrayed as being evil men, who didn't CARE that they were doing wrong.  I really don't see it as being the same.  And you saw his parents- they couldn't cope with the fact that he was a killer.  They blocked it out of their thoughts.  Because they couldn't believe that their son would do that.

[EUOL]

Plus, they really did have a good society.  I'm willing to bet the per capita percentage of violent crimes there was way lower than it was on the outside.

[stacer]

I don't think it's the same.  Noah was mentally retarded and didn't really have control over his emotions and reactions.  The killers on the outside were all portrayed as being evil men, who didn't CARE that they were doing wrong.  I really don't see it as being the same.  And you saw his parents- they couldn't cope with the fact that he was a killer.  They blocked it out of their thoughts.  Because they couldn't believe that their son would do that.

Yeah, I can see your point, and of course he's no Son of Sam or Dahmer. But what was up with all the dead animals? ...And I do agree, EUOL, that they had a better society there, that it was happier and had much less crime. And being isolated as they were, they didn't have the possibility of less-desireable elements (gangs, drugs) immigrating and introducing crime.

Also, on the subject of the unoriginality of the story, someone on my childlit listserv said she saw a news story in which the movie was compared to an old episode of The Twilight Zone. So perhaps it's simply not such an original story, though Shyamalan did make it in an interesting way.

[House of Mustard]

I just saw this so I have to weigh in:

First of all, I loved it.  I thought it was really excellent.

But, to continue the conversation, I don't think the lack of violent crimes justified the elders in continuing the experiment.  They created a world--however violence-free it was--the foundation of which was the populace living in constant fear.  The elders are the only ones who were better off, because they were the only ones with peace of mind.

[stacer]

Exactly. Because they were the only ones who knew the whole truth. The others lived in constant fear of the creatures who *could* do violence to them, if they were real.

[House of Mustard]

However, I kind of like the fact that the movie ended this way (in other word, I don't see it as a plot-failure).  My wife was creeped out by the monsters, but more creeped out that those people were living in a completely false world--I like that that was not resolved.

[fuzzyoctopus]

I like that that was not resolved.

I very much agree.

[Dex1138]

  MHO: I was bored through most of the beginning, thank god for Ivy *dreamy sigh*. I had, unknowingly, already figured out he whole village thing before ever seeing the movie so that was no big shock. I was expecting it to be scarier, a lot.
 Why would you send a blind girl out in the woods alone? I get they didn't want to blow their cover, but come on. I can only stretch my disbelief so far.
 And don't get me started on his cameo. Ridiculous! I agree with most everyone that he needs to get away from the shcok ending thing or his career is going to tank.
 

[Eagle Prince]

I wasn't expecting the monsters to be fake, heh.  Even when you knew they were made up, that one at the end was pretty spooky looking.  Yeah, and when Lucius got stabbed, I was like why are they killing him off.  Then I was thinking maybe he'd live, but then he got stuck again and I figured that was the end of him.