Photo courtesy of Touchstone Pictures M. Night Shyamalan's new thriller "The Village" starring Joachim Phoenix and Bryce Dallas Howard and opened last Friday. Why is Phoenix standing in front of a scary-looking forest? Don't ask him.

Since film critics either really love or really hate "The Village," it will be very difficult for moviegoers to decide if they should spend their time and money to see it.

So, for those of you still undecided, here are four easy ways to determine whether or not you will enjoy seeing "The Village."

1) If you liked "The Sixth Sense" and were truly surprised by the end of the film, you will most likely enjoy "The Village."

2) If you thought "Unbreakable" was a little lacking, but were still surprised by the end of the film, you will definitely enjoy the series of surprises in "The Village."

3) If "Signs" scared the bejesus out of you and you expect "The Village" to do the same, I'm afraid you will be sadly disappointed; unless you're very easy to scare.

4) If you expect "The Village" to be like any of the aforementioned films, you should prepare yourself to see a new side to director M. Night Shyamalan; "The Village" is unlike any other suspense film you will probably ever see in your life.

In case you don't know anything about it, the story takes place in late nineteenth century Covington, Pennsylvania within the confines of a small Amish-like village.

The seemingly content villagers live in a communally Marxist society lead by a panel of elders that consists of both men and women. The down side to this ideal setting is the fact that the villagers have no access to the outside world or the benefits that it offers, including medicine.

Oh yeah, one more thing...No one can leave the village because it is surrounded by a forest full of scary-ass creatures known to the villagers as, "Those We Don't Speak Of."

When the son of elder August Nicholson (Brendan Gleeson) dies from illness, this motivates Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix) to venture into the outside world to retrieve medicine. However the elders, including Lucius' mother Alice Hunt (Sigourney Weaver), try to dissuade Lucius from entering the forest because the creatures have made an agreement with the villagers to stay out of each other's territories.

Obviously, Lucius defies the elder's orders and decides to explore the forest. So, the creatures decide to visit and scare the crap out of the villagers.

At the risk of giving away the story, critics are dancing around 'the big secret' of "The Village," and, at the same time, many are avoiding the fact that there is a touching love story involved.

Ivy Walker (Bryce Dallas Howard) and Lucius are two young villagers in love. And when the mentally challenged Noah Percy (Adrien Brody) causes a rift in their relationship, the true story begins.

Even with a top-notch cast of actors, including Weaver and William Hurt, Howard manages to steal the show with her delicate beauty and exquisite performance as the blind daughter of elder Edward Walker (Hurt).

However, Howard, who is the daughter of director Ron Howard, definitely does not steal Adrien Brody's thunder. Even as the disheveled village idiot, Brody is still dreamy as always and gives a landmark performance in his career.

On paper, I'm sure the premise of "The Village" sounded great when Shyamalan presented it to his Hollywood bosses. But once the final credits have rolled, several looming questions about the film's rationale still remain.

For instance, like the Amish, the villagers live a somewhat religious isolated existence, yet a church is never shown in the film. (Religious imagery is a common theme in Shyamalan's films.)

Also, besides avoiding the forest, the villagers' only defense against the creatures is to avoid anything red, AKA "the bad color." Ironically, half the village's population consists of redheads.

Even with all its flaws (and there are more than a couple), "The Village" can be considered a great film depending on what you expect out of it.

Shyamalan may be pursuing Alfred Hitchcock's title as new master of suspense, but he has also proven that he can create a mature film that incorporates the same directing techniques that give all of his films their distinctive atmosphere.