Reviewed by: Becca

Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan

Produced by: Sam Mercer, Scott Rudin, & M. Night Shyamalan

Cast: Judy Greer, Bryce Dallas Howard, William Hurt, Joaquin Phoenix, & Adrien Brody

Released: July 30th, 2004

Drama, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Thriller 2 hrs. 00 min. Set in rural Pennsylvania in 1897, this is the story of the small village of Covington (population 60) surrounded by a woods inhabited by a race of "mythical creatures," and the romance that blossoms between Kitty (Greer), the daughter of the town's leader (Hurt), and Lucius (Phoenix), a young man who questions the policy of keeping Covington's citizens completely confined to the village.

Sadly this movie doesn't hold up to all the hype surrounding it. The surprise twist ending isn't so surprising, considering you see it coming after a half hour. If you are watching it and saying "No way M. Night Shyamalan is going to do that..." He is. Let's just get it out of the way that M. Night Shyamalan needs to stop thinking he is Hitchcock, because he is not the king of horror. He hasn't even come close, and he definately needs to stop putting himself in his own movies, another Hitchcock trait.

Now back to the actual movie, this isn't a horror. Don't expect to be scared or nervous, because you just won't be. The entire movie hovers around a love between two characters, which I went to see a horror movie not a romance. On top of that, they tell you what is going on. I personally think this would of been a much better movie, had the characters actually found out the truth for themselves. Alas, that is not what is happening in this movie. And I was very disappointed, I really didn't want to be. I loved Signs, and to be honest this is a rip off of that movie.