M. Night's Most Underappreciated Film

Title says it all. The Village definitely is M. Night's most underappreciated film.

The big mistake here--and Night has even acknowledged it--was mis-marketing the movie as a terrifying creature feature. Audiences left feeling like there was a bait-and-switch. But if you put aside expectations and watch the film for what it is, you find that it's an excellent piece of artistry with a lot to say about innocence, love and human nature.

The film, I think, is ultimately a meditation on innocence -- what it is, why it's valuable and whether or not it can be reclaimed once lost. I am definitely in sympathy with the villagers who decided to flee the city and engage in this experiment, and ever since seeing the film I have wished that I could participate in something similar.

Likewise, the film has much to say on love, both platonic love that binds a community together and the kind of romantic love that brings two individuals together.

M. Night's direction is excellent, the cast and performances are sublime, Roger Deakins' cinematography is gorgeous, and James Newton Howard's score beautifully haunting.

Of all of M. Night's films, The Village is my favorite and also the film that I have most rewatched over the years. It's unfortunate that I has been criticized so much.