Lady in the Water - Film Review

If you drooled during Mr and Mrs Smith when Angelina Jolie had nothing on but a shirt, then this film will kill that scene for you.

Throughout Lady in the Water, the main character Story dresses in the exact same way, and sometimes less.

Let's play: Spot the difference...

(Answer: Are you kidding?! Angelina's version is obviously explosive! xD)

Perhaps M. Night Shyamalan, in concentrating on giving himself plenty of screentime instead of spending time in the director's seat, had been overambitious in re-using his worn-out formula.

There are plenty of characters, but with virtually no emotional development. Characters live without meaning; as a result, they die without regret. Sounds haunting enough?

To the film's credit, the haunting soundtrack often repeated throughout succeeds in complimenting the various moments. Plus, there are many scenes in the film that will make you jump off your seat. (Though after spilling your popcorn and coughing soft drink all over the place, you'll wonder why you did so.)

I had previously described an earlier film as a rollercoaster ride -- you get in, shout and scream, then hop off in the end as if nothing happened. This film falls in that category. Esmond says it's better described as an airplane ride instead -- more like an uneventful journey except for the occasional turbulence.

The movie is only about 100 minutes, but the minutes tick away very slowly as you wonder when the movie's gonna take off from the water.

It never does.

Rating: C
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Read also: Huey Wen summarizes the plot perfectly after watching 35 minutes of the film!