Lady In The Water
From M. Night Shymalan, comes a new type of movie. Based on his last four flicks, one would expect a certain type of movie, slow and building to a final plot twist in the end. I have seen all of his films in the theatre, a feat I cannot say I've done with any other individual. And, with the exception of the Village, each and every one has gotten better than the last. I had misgivings about Lady In The Water, but I was pleasently surprised.
This one stars Paul Giamatti, whose stock has risen in recent years, as the caretaker of an apartment complex who finds a strange girl in the pool. The girl, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, is a visitor from a watery world, and needs to find a special person to help mankind. Then she needs to be retreived and returned home. Things don't go as planned, as there is a beast who doesn't want her to leave. Along with the eccentric personalities in the building, Giamatti's character needs to help her along. In the end, they do, but the trip is harrowing.
Based on a bedtime story, both in real life and in the movie, the story of the nymph and the other creatures is engrossing and complicated. I was absorbed, watching and trying to figure out who matched who in the fable, and how the girl was going to get back. The biggest part of the film was how different it was from the other four he'd done. Instead of building to a major twist, he kept you jumping all through the movie. It wasn't as slow building as Sixth Sense, Unbreakable or The Village, its pacing was even and quicker, allowing you to see a different side of Shymalan. Overall, it was an enjoyable, satisfying film. An 8 of 10.
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