... that will inevitably come with me writing about the new M. Night Shyamalan movie, Lady in the Water. You see, I've had this conversation before, with many people. I'll just say this: if you thought The Village was stupid, do not see Lady in the Water. You will only leave the theater angry and probably get in a fight with me about it later.
If you haven't noticed, I have some pretty high standards when it comes to movies. I've been disappointed a lot over the past year or so, but suprisingly, this summer has been quite good. First there was Superman Returns, and then Pirates of the Caribbean 2, and now ... well, it just keeps getting better. As I said to Fr. Mark while we were leaving the theater: Lady in the Water is one of the most creative movies I've ever seen.
I wasn't too sure what to expect with this movie. I love Shyamalan's work (especially Signs and The Village), but the previews for Lady just didn't fit in with the others. It looked like he gave away a lot of the scary parts in the previews, kind of like most of today's horror movies. Fortunately for us, Lady in the Water is not a horror movie. It's not even a particularly scary movie. It's simply a good one. Besides the fact that Shyamalan is a brilliant director and cinematographer, he just knows how to tell a good story.
It would be tough to try to explain why I liked it so much, and I don't want to give away any of the story. I would just say that the movie is best described as a modern day fairy tale for adults. It shouldn't be taken as a horror movie or as a "serious" movie. It is, as Shyamalan has described it, a bedtime story. It has funny parts, sad parts, and even mildy frightening parts, but the real beauty of the movie is how it takes an everyday, mundane environment full of normal people and infuses it with a mythical, supernatural importance. It speaks to the need in all of us to feel that we have a purpose in our lives and that there is more to the world than what we can see. To me, it says that, even though we cannot see it all of the time, we're all part of the big story and we all have a part to play.
You know what? I take it back: even if you hated The Village, go see Lady in the Water. It's just too good to miss ...
... but if you do end up hating it, you can't say that I didn't warn you.
3 comments:
I have stayed away from this one thus far, but have been surprised by all the positive reactions from fans .. I think i'll break down and give it a chance next weekend
Yeah, I greatly enjoy this'n as well, and have been confused by the general critic reaction since all the real actual people that have seen it have seemed to like it. Maybe the portrayal of the film critic within the movie has caused some hurt feelings. You know how sensative those guys can be.
But yes, a truly excellent, inventive, and original film.
I'd like to think that the film critic character was Shyamalan getting back at all of the ones that bashed his films.
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