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Parents' Guide to

The Village

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Thought-provoking and intense thriller has some violence.

Movie PG-13 2004 100 minutes
The Village Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 12+

Based on 14 parent reviews

Theophilus
Theophilus Adult
November 9, 2022
age 14+

Bad Language that CSM Missed

I'm only writing this review to point out that Common Sense Media missed something in their language section. This movie contains one taking of the Lord's Name in vain. O.M.G. to be specific.
4 people found this helpful.
Lkh417
Lkh417 Adult
August 25, 2019
age 13+

Traumatized Me

Sending in my review because a long repressed memory hit me after watching a clip from this movie :-) My father snuck me into the theater when I was seven to watch this movie. I didn’t understand the movie, but the creepy animal thing gave me nightmares. It was months before I could sleep alone again. I’m sure no one is planning on letting their 7 year old see this movie but, just in case, I’m here to say DON’T DO IT.

This title has:

Too much violence
4 people found this helpful.
See all 14 parent reviews

What's the Story?

The people of the village of Covington have an uneasy truce with creatures who live in the woods that ring their town. Fear keeps most residents well inside the boundaries ringed by flags, but reckless teens dare each other to test the boundaries, and developmentally-disabled Noah (Adrien Brody) doesn't always do what he's told. The story centers on sisters Ivy (Bryce Dallas Howard), who's blind, and Kitty (Judy Greer). Both are drawn to Lucius (Joaquin Phoenix), but he only has eyes for Ivy. Lucius angers the creatures by venturing into the woods, and there's an attack. But then something else goes very wrong and someone else must enter the woods...

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (14 ):
Kids say (79 ):

This movie is more intense than scary or gory, and will probably appeal to teens who don't like traditional horror stories. Producer/writer/director M. Night Shyamalan is in some ways the victim of his own success. He's under a lot of pressure to keep pulling surprise endings out of cinematic hats. The problem is that an expected surprise is, in addition to an oxymoron, inevitably disappointing. Yet he knows how to use the camera to tell the story and has a sure control of tone and pace, alternating gasps and laughs to keep things moving. The heart of the movie is Dallas Howard (daughter of actor/director Ron Howard) as Ivy, who is always fresh, touching, and real.

The plot is a familiar yet compelling quest into the woods, a soul journey, and we get a nod to that when a young yellow ridinghood (red upsets the creatures) enters the woods on a mission of mercy. Shyamalan is not, well, afraid, to take on some big notions about fear and inhumanity and he creates characters we are willing to trust and care about.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what drew the families in the village to settle where they did in spite of the risks. They could also think about whether there were any clues in the movie that pointed to the ultimate twist.

  • Some directors have a very distinct style, such as Hitchcock, Wes Anderson, and the director of this movie, M. Night Shyamalan. What are some of the distinctive features of an M. Night Shyamalan movie, and how does this movie fit the form?

  • How was suspense developed? How is this similar to and different from other suspenseful or horror movies?

  • The movie was originally called "The Woods." Is that a better title? What is the scariest part of the movie, and why?

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