Didn't have that much trouble w/ your "logic fault #1" since she had already demonstrated her capability in the film, and it was also verbally reinforced by a statement from Hurt's character. It is also reasonable to assume that the road is a cord within the circular border, so either way would have brought her to the wall. Her selection was also somewhat reasonable since blindness increased the chance that she would not come back with "problem" information (at least from a script standpoint).
The greater idiocy is why the "elders" would go to the trouble of funding and establishing such a thing and not structure provision for this very problem. Further, why did the "preserve" have the supplies needed in such quantity if they were meant only for "first aid"? Why did the elders hide the red outfits, yet not hide a modern change of clothes for reentry into "town" for this very situation? The stupid logic problems in this film go on and on.
A few more of my concerns... Two of the three "rules" made some sense - if one does not go into the woods one never finds out the truth, and running for cover when the bell rings gives the elders an effective way to "quarantine" the town in the event of an airplane or a group of curious teens. But what is with the red and yellow color crap? Can't see any reason. Why on earth didn't one of the elders go to town? Wouldn't modern medicines be easier to conceal and explain than the elaborate charade that was being propped up to maintain isolation? Seems to me that the "elders" traded the arbitrary violent deaths of loved ones in the "towns" for arbitrary deaths in the village due to their poor planning and stubbornness under the guise of "principle".
In The Sixth Sense the viewer inevitably goes over the story reconstructing the reality of Willis being a ghost. In The Village I found myself going over the story thinking of all the ways it was one big lame shaggy-dog story that just didn't add up.
Last comment, Howard’s' daughter was one of the few bright spots in a movie that is barely worth a DVD rental fee.
Well, you may as well ask why they didn't bring televisions or canned food. They made this choice to live this way. The choice itself is highly morally questionable. These were highly disturbed, depressed people, keep in mind. But the not-bringing-medical-supplies part of it is at least consistent with the overall decision.
Further, why did the "preserve" have the supplies needed in such quantity if they were meant only for "first aid"?
Hadn't thought about that, a fair point. I think it was so that there would be a refrigerator with a glass door in which we would see Night's face in the reflection ;-)
Why did the elders hide the red outfits, yet not hide a modern change of clothes for reentry into "town" for this very situation?
They never wanted to go back to "the towns", that was the whole point. They even took an "oath" about it.
But what is with the red and yellow color crap? Can't see any reason.
You make red "the bad color" because red is the color of blood. The usefulness of such a taboo, especially to people who had been traumatized by violence and were seeking to escape it, would be obvious.
Can't quite say why they would make yellow "the safe color". I'd look at it from a few different angles. (1) If some brave teenager does venture into the woods, hopefully he'll at least put on a yellow cloak and you'll spot him (and catch him, and bring him back) easier. (2) It's the color of fire - so it goes hand in hand with the ring of torches they set up. (3) Or you could just say, Well, some color has to be "the safe color", why not yellow? ;-)
You can never overlook reason #4 of course which is (4) M. Night Shyamalan simply uses colors this way in his movies.
Why on earth didn't one of the elders go to town?
Because of the oath. Because they had formed families and raised them in The Village and feared their lifelong lie being exposed. Because they thought doing so would destroy their way of life.
Wouldn't modern medicines be easier to conceal and explain than the elaborate charade that was being propped up to maintain isolation?
Possibly. Seems like they could have had syringes and told the children they were "magic sticks", kept stocks of "magic pills", etc. What the heck are the young people going to say, "Wait a second! This stuff didn't exist in 1897!" The kids don't know that. Heck they could have chosen to invent a society with inventions and concepts drawn from a wide variety of time periods. They could have stocked and used Palm Pilots with batteries for various things ("magic tablets using magic rocks for food") and at the same time organized their society in a feudalistic way with knights and serfs.
But they didn't. They chose to do it the way they chose. Again, the decision itself to go out and form The Village was a bit loopy to begin with, so all this nit-picking about why-didn't-they-do-such-and-such just seems a little misplaced. Why aren't you asking why they formed the dang Village at all? :-)
Seems to me that the "elders" traded the arbitrary violent deaths of loved ones in the "towns" for arbitrary deaths in the village due to their poor planning and stubbornness under the guise of "principle".
Seems that way to me too. And, I reckon that halfway through the movie it seemed that way to William Hurt's character as well, which is why he allowed his daughter to go to "the towns"....
In The Village I found myself going over the story thinking of all the ways it was one big lame shaggy-dog story that just didn't add up.
Much of your criticisms make sense of course, but they make sense as criticisms of rational people engaged in something rational. I think your mistake is in assuming or thinking that this is what Walker and the other support group members were, or that we were supposed to think that's what they are. Think about the ending of the film again; in sense, they were the villains. Best,
spoilers ahead ...
you have been warned ...
turn back now ...
spoilers ahead ...
oops, too late...
But what is with the red and yellow color crap?
One reason M.Night is such a good director is that he *shows* you things instead of just telling you. In medieval / church art, color is *highly* symbolic. Red in this movie symbolizes passion - strong feelings, sexual passion, anger, blood. The "elders'" desire to eliminate all strong feeling from life is of course hopeless - the animals will bleed when killed; women bleed; there's blood during childbirth, and all this is *shown* - not told - in the scene where the little red flower just comes up on its own. The "elders" ultimately can't control human passion - and the prevalence of red *shows* us that.
Yellow is the color of cowardice. Notice that Ivy drops her filth-stained yellow cape as she heads towards the perimeter. The elders are *cowards* for thinking they can hide from the world and from passionate feeling (including all the bad sides of passionate feeling, like anger & violence.)
I just had to comment to you about your movie critique of "The Village." When Howard's character goes into the town, she is wearing the antiquated 1870's clothing, she is not wearing modern clothing so I have no idea what you are talking about when you say they didn't hide the clothes.
I disagree with everyone on here who does not like the movie. I loved it. I loved everything about it. I always find it interesting when people do not like a movie they say it is "bad." I think it's just better when moviegoers say they either liked or didn't like something and maybe provide a few reasons why they have arrived at that opinion.