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"Water" may run hot or cold |
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Written by MICHAEL JAMES ALLEN
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Tuesday, 25 July 2006 |
Seven years ago, right around the release of “The
Sixth Sense,” M. Night Shyamalan could do no wrong.
His movie was universally adored and he was hailed as
the next big director—the kind that can sell movie
tickets just by having their name attached to a film.
Since then, however, an inevitable backlash has
formed, with each of his new films getting worse
reviews than the last. His newest film, “Lady In the
Water” is no exception: A quick trip to “Rotten
Tomatoes,” the internet site that compiles online film
criticism, shows the film with a meager 20% positive
reviews. Likewise, it seems that audiences are loving
and loathing the film in roughly equal measure, with
the people who hate it really hating it.
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Lady In Water
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 Entertainment
 Art
Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan
Starring Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Bob
Balaban
Rated PG-13 for some frightening sequences
Released on July 21, 2006
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With so much negative energy surrounding it, I was
primed to hate “Lady In the Water” (very professional
critic ethics, I know). Imagine my surprise, then,
when halfway through I found myself on the edge of my
seat, completely invested in the bizarre world that
has been created. No doubt, it’s not for everyone. The
film is being sold as “A Bedtime Story,” and it lives
up to the claim. Your love or hate for this film will
depend solely on your ability to accept that. For my
part, however, I was completely invested, reveling in
the storybook elements, and appreciating the fact that
Shyamalan has finally crafted something that is more
than just a couple of scares and a twist ending.
“Lady In the Water” opens with an animated prologue,
set to the beautiful music of James Newton Howard. It
tells us of a time when Man lived under the guidance
of sea nymphs. Eventually, Man grew violent and began
to ignore the sea nymphs, so they departed from this
world, vowing to return one day to set things right.
By this point, you should be able to determine whether
or not this is a movie for you, but let’s go a little
further. Cut to a modern day apartment complex where
Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti, doing a terrific job)
serves as the caretaker. One night, Cleveland slips by
the pool and falls in, only to be rescued by a
returning sea nymph named Story (a scantily-clad Bryce
Dallas Howard). Story has come back to inspire a man
who lives in the complex to write a book that will one
day save humanity (in a slightly pretentious bit of
casting, Shyamalan himself plays the writer). In order
to do this Story must be able to return to her world,
but a bloodthirsty Scrunt, which is basically a dog
made out of grass, is determined to stop her at any
cost. As the film unfolds, Cleveland and the rest of
the complex dwellers must band together to stop the
Scrunt and make sure that Story returns home safely.
Is this story silly? Oh, yeah. A bit contrived? You
bet. But, really, what fairy tales or bedtime stories
aren’t? “Lady In the Water” takes what could be a
simple children’s story, and injects it with enough
good humor and depth to transform it into something
enjoyable for all ages. Despite more than a few scary
moments this feels
like the first of Shyamalan’s films that a whole
family could enjoy. And, while obviously not for
everyone, “Lady In the Water” also happens to be one
of his best. Powered by AkoComment 2.0! |
Other Recent Articles by MICHAEL JAMES ALLEN:The Top Ten Movies of 2007An Interview with Diablo Cody and Ellen Page of “Juno”An Interview with “The Savages” director, Tamara JenkinsBang! Kapow! BOOM! ‘Nuff said.2 stars for “3:10”
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