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M. Night Shyamalanis no stranger to crafting polarizing pictures full of shockingly juicy plot twists, and has helmed silver screenknockouts likeThe Sixth Sense, Signs, Split,andKnock at the Cabin Door(to name just a few). The director’s wildly entertaining and thought-provoking films have grossed over $3.3 billion globally, and he has been the recipient of two Academy Award nominations and a Golden Globe nod throughout his illustrious 30-year career.
Roger Ebert was one of the entertainment industry’s most celebrated andbeloved film critics, having worked for the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death at 70 in 2013. The revered reviewer won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1975 and was not afraid to express his sophisticated thoughts and feelings on some of Hollywood’s most celebrated hits. In 2004, Ebert did not mince words when it came to penning his reaction to Shyamalan’s polarizing period thrillerThe Village, but in the two decades since its release, we’re inclined to disagree with him.
The Village
Shyamalan’s Popular-Yet-Polarizing Period Thriller
Touting a phenomenal ensemble cast led by some of Hollywood’s most sensational stars,like Joaquin Phoenix, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Adrien Brody, the ominous 2004 period thrillerThe Villagetakes place in a small and secluded hamlet in 19th-century Pennsylvania.Its residents live in perpetual fear and paranoia over the humanoid-creatures that lurk deep within the surrounding woods. The townsfolk must adhere to strict rules to survive, and must never venture beyond the village’s boundaries or else the terrifying monsters will brutally attack and kill anyone who dares.
When the curious and compassionate farmer Lucius Hunt (Phoenix) requests permission from the elders to enter the woods in search of crucial medical supplies in nearby communities,his inquiry is promptly denied and Lucius begins attracting unwanted attention from his fellow residents. After Lucius becomes betrothed to the blind and caring Ivy (Howard), the longtime object of his affection, the intellectually disabled Noah Percy (Brody) angrily stabs Lucius and is promptly locked away. to help her soon-to-be-husband,Ivy must muster up the courage to go into the woods for help and face the frightening creatures.
Roger Ebert Downright Detested The Village
WhenThe Villagemade its epic theatrical debut on August 25, 2025, both audiences and critics weren’t quite sure what to make ofthe Shyamalan spectacle, with the thriller eliciting a polarizing reaction from moviegoers.Though it was praised for its spine-tingling suspense and brilliant performances, many were thoroughly underwhelmed by the director’s signature plot twist and dramatic ending, with respected Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert being one of the film’s most vocal detractors.Ebert deemedThe Village"a colossal miscalculation" anddeclared it the 10th-worst film of 2004 and added it to his famous “Most Hated” list.
Why The Village Is M. Night Shyamalan’s Most Underrated Masterpiece
There’s no film on M. Night Shyamalan’s resume that deserves more love than The Village.
Ebert gaveThe Villagejust one star out of four in his scathing review of the thriller, who expressed that despite Shyamalan being a “director of considerable skill who evokes stories out of moods,” lamented thathe “took the day off” when it came to helming the period picture. The revered critic did not mince words when it came to the movie’s twist ending, in which the identity of “Those We Do Not Speak Of” is ultimately exposed, a reveal that Ebert deemed far-fetched and laughable. He wrote of the twist:
“To call it an anticlimax would be an insult not only to climaxes but to prefixes. It’s a crummy secret, about one step up the ladder of narrative originality from It Was All a Dream. It’s so witless, in fact, that when we do discover the secret, we want to rewind the film so we don’t know the secret anymore.”
Ebert was not alone in his hatred and dissatisfaction withThe Village,as it was similarly ripped apart by his fellow peers despite proving to be a major financial success at the box office and grossing over $256 million worldwide. Audiences gave the film a lackluster “C” CinemaScore and attracted a less-than-desirable43% Rotten Tomatoes score, going on to become yet another divisive film entry in M. Night Shyamalan’s decorated andenduring filmmaking repertoire.
Why Ebert Was Wrong About the Divisive Film
Time has proven to be quite kind toThe Village, as it has been two decades since the thriller first debuted and its reputation has only grown due to countless retrospective reviews. Several critics have gone on to call the polarizing movie one of Shyamalan’s best films and deeming itan “underrated masterpiece,“with many coming to the defense of the divisive project andcalling its shocking reveal not a twist but the whole point of the thriller. Vox explained in their 2019 piece onThe Village:“The desire to retreat into an imagined past in the wake of trauma is an understandable one, butThe Villageshows just how empty this idea ultimately is.”
Best M. Night Shyamalan Movies, Ranked
M. Night Shyamalan has had one interesting career. From Knock at the Cabin to The Sixth Sense, here are his best films, ranked.
Modern-day critics have since appreciated the film’s stunning cinematography, artfuldirection by Shyamalan, and Phoenix and Howard’s compelling performances, while declaring it a massively misunderstood creation that remains just as prevalent today as it did 20 years ago.The Quietus poignantly wrotein their 2021 review:“We feel the need ever more today, as societies polarize and global political and environmental crises loom, for community and hope, andThe Villageforesaw that.”
While Roger Ebert was entitled to his biting (and arguably defendable) opinion ofThe Village,the thriller does not deserve all the hate and tomatoes that were hurled its way. Many fans were completely thrown for a loop when the epic twist was revealed,even if critics found the idea to be unrealistic, and it ultimately went on to become a thought-provoking and introspective must-see. IGN argued thatThe Villagewas mismarketed as a horror film which therefore set up unreachable expectations for audiences, astutelyproclaiming in 2019:“The real twist was that the movie they wanted wasn’t the one Shyamalan made.”
