Shyamalan's movies really must start getting marketed properly. On top of that, I felt his previous movie 'Signs' was a joke, as he tried so hard to make something special out of a movie spiraling towards a lame ending that HAD to feature the mindless appearance of an alien. Mel Gibson was way out of his element too and because of 'Signs' it took me several weeks to become motivated enough to bother seeing 'The Village'. When I did go, I ended up seeing a stylish movie with many layers. This thing is very well done and will please most who see it. Likely, many went to The Village expecting a horror flick or another one of Night's shocking endings. Instead, they get a truly fine love story and a very commendable commentary on the state of society today. It's little wonder so many did not enjoy this film, they would certainly have had the wrong expectations. The wrong people may have gone to see this movie as well...and I do feel sorry for the horror crowd who went to it. Blame the marketing or blame Shyamalan's previous efforts as people continuously try to pigeon hole his work. Either way, a sweet movie got set up for a lot of criticism here. Damn, just when you think the critics are reliable..... The Village is about seeking innocence. It is endearing and flows nicely. It does take a couple of turns but they are far secondary to the story itself. Some very important things are said here and its done in a very entertaining way. This movie is for the core movie buff, as it does not have the elements that would brand it any particular genre. I don't recall seeing anything else that you could say was similar to 'The Village'. Overall, its a clever movie...but just not for the reasons you would think. Leave your preconceptions at home and go see it.