Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fairy Tale Masterpiece, July 26, 2006
I must admit that my children and myself were the only ones in the theatre laughing at the many humorous moments in the movie. I am not sure why everyone was not enjoying themselves and when I got home and read the many critical reviews posted online I began to understand. This movie is not hitting home with a majority of the viewers, and it is too bad because on first viewing it appeared to me to be one of the best modern fairy tales that I have seen. I believe a part of the problem is that the trailer I saw for the film misrepresents it as a horror film. Then I believe many people are unwilling to go along with the fairy tale premise. This is a fairy tale. It is a bedtime story. So sit back relax and enjoy the story. It is a wonderful modern myth that speaks to larger issues of faith and who we are on a personel level. The movie is wonderfully shot, told, and presented. I enjoyed the way the story unfolds and the many very funny scenes. It is difficult to tell this type of story without losing the audience part way through and I felt Shyamalan did a masterful job of holding things together. This was the kind of filmgoing experience I was hoping for from Terry Gilliam's "The Brother's Grimm" but was horribly dissapointed. If you like modern day fairy tales, like good humor and are not easily confused then I would highly recommend this film. From the negative reviews I have seen and the audience I saw the film with, this film is not for everyone, but I found it a real gem.
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111 of 150 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bewitching allegory, August 23, 2006
M. Night Shyamalan doesn't do plain movies. As an artists he has his own unique approach of seeing extraordinary tales in mundane things whether its aliens, mythical beasts, ghosts or a mysterious azure pool. This tale is like no other, perhaps can be thought of as a tale of good and evil, of human purpose, common ground and understanding. When a mysterious pale woman with red hair saves an apartment superintendent, who looked like he gave up upon falling into the pool, simply because he didn't see a purpose to living, she brings hope and a sense of purpose to him and other tenants. Together they try to figure out who she is and why she came into their lives.
Story, is the name of the woman, perhaps those who save the Village, recognize her as the blind brave daughter Ivy Walker, takes on another roles this time as a narf, a word that does not really exist in an English dictionary but a word that takes on meaning by the time the movie ends. She is a fairy like creature that is on a mission and needs help from Cleveland Heep the stuttering superintendent who loses his stutter and finds his true calling. She needs to find a safe passage back to her own world, which is guarded by an evil wolf like beast, invisible to all but those who know how to find it. Together all the characters have to decipher the answers behind what she says and in all reality they have to save the modern world. She tells one of them that he will be a great orator and his book will change the world, cease wars and bring peace, she tells another that he can heal; others learn that they will have profound impact on the feuding life and who will improve life around them if they take the risks and do what she says.
This was a visually stunning and memorable movie, with hair rising music and some really jumpy special effects, especially with the wolf. Yes there are monsters and there are casualties but then there is a sense of purpose, of a mystery coming together brought upon this mysterious creature, who in my interpretation is an angel. She brings hope and love and unites those who sulk and lose their touch. It's a beautiful story that leaves one thinking long after leaving the theater, a story that feeds the soul and feeds a hungry mind ready for something different. It's a fairy tale that leaves one feeling good and light, with hope and understanding of the future. M. Night Shyamalan is such a fantasy wizard that no matter how outrageous his stories are they have a ring to truth about them. I can't wait to see what he cooks up next, for he is fabulous for those who like something special.
- Kasia S.
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21 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fairy tale enchantment on film!, July 23, 2006
Shyamalan's latest film is a quirky art film with a fairy tale sensibility. The story revolves around a sad disillusioned man, Cleveland Heep, who has given up everything after the loss of his family. Heep discovers a mystical creature, a narf, in the pool of the apartment complex he manages. Malevolent forces lurk in the gardens around the pool which she must be protected against. Ultimately this magical creature must be restored from whence she came. This quest to save the narf ends up involving many of the oddball yet normal apartment dwellers Heep has come to know over time. In the process of saving this creature, he find his own redemption and possibly hope for the future of our world.
This move has an enchanting storyline with intricate plot twists. The main stars, Paul Giamatti and Bryce Howard, are perfectly cast. Shyamalan plays a small, yet compelling role in the film. The look of the film is unadorned-these are ordinary people pursuing ordinary lives. There is humor and pathos in the lives of these people. Yet, when galvanized by the hope of something out of the ordinary and an opportunity to do good, these "normal" people gather around and give their all. In essence this film shows the magic of the everday.
This is a fairy tale on film-with all the strangeness and skewed logic of the fairy tale world. Not for those who are looking for a slick Hollywood film.
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