Lady in the Water

Starring: Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeffrey Wright, Cindy Cheung, M. Night Shyamalan, Freddy Rodriguez
Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fantasy, Thriller
2006

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: An apartment superintendent (Paul Giamatti) meets a sea-nymph (Bruce Dallas Howard) and discovers he must help send her back to her world before an evil creature murders her.

Review:

Tim: M. Night Shyamalan had built up an amazing amount of goodwill with audiences after films like The Sixth Sense, and Signs. However, The Village mostly disappointed, and the last of his goodwill was spent up here. This film is not nearly as good as it should have been, although I felt it got a much worse rap than it should have. Yes, the movie is disappointing, but it's not entirely bad, either.

I have to give M. Night Shyamalan credit- although this movie didn't exactly work, he certainly gave us an original movie. There's certainly nothing else like this in Hollywood, and there's something to be said for unique movies.

The cast is decent. Paul Giamatti gives a good performance, although it's difficult to watch his stuttering scenes. He's enjoyable to watch, however. Bryce Dallas Howard gives a good performance, but she had to restrain herself. I found her far, far more enjoyable in The Village. The rest of the cast leaves something to be desired. Shyamalan probably shouldn't have cast himself in the role.

Lady in the Water is ultimately a silly movie. I wish the movie had given us something more interesting and I wish it had concluded in slightly stronger fashion. In the end, this was a good attempt that just fell short.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Village, Signs, The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable