Celebrated as one of the best storytellers of the silver screen in our time, Night only went downhill from Sixth Sense, in my opinion. That plot had the least, if any, loopholes, effective execution, one simple but revolutionary twist and a one-liner that the world will be repeating for years to come. Ever since Sixth Sense, with The Village and Lady in The Water, that simplistic brilliance has lost its shine. Night’s simple formula that gave him worldwide success in Sixth Sense has been messed up with heavier but not as enjoyable storylines, not as good execution and cheesier moments. Lady in the Water falls prey to these errors.
I thoroughly enjoyed the initial introduction to the fairy tale, and the unveiling of who the characters – The Guardian, The Guild and The Interpreter. I was not once bored, and credit for that goes to both the pacing as well as the acting. The Lady, whom we all know was the Blind Girl in The Village (don’t get me started on that one), and whose relationship with Night we suspect might be a replica of Burton and Depp’s relationship, utilized her ethereal looks fully. She captured and created the magical element in the movie in the midst of the very peculiar but very human, humans. Giamatti was completely at ease in the shoes of his character Cleveland, portraying so naturally, the almost-constant sorrow that shadows Cleveland’s walk, and the emotional redemptive moment that almost reduced me to tears. And considering I usually scoff at those self-confession/ revelation moments where all the repressed emotions come flooding out, I’d say that Giamatti truly convinced me of his pain.
However, it was difficult for Giamatti to save the day as the plot thickened. We discover that, horror of all horrors, Cleveland is not the Guardian! He was put to the test and came face to face with the ‘scrunt’, whereby staring at the scrunt directly in the eye would have caused it to back down, IF Cleveland was the Guardian, which he turned out not to be. One disappointment and restarting of a mystery we thought to be solved. The plot takes another twist with the discovery that the supposed Interpreter did not feel his ‘purpose’ was to be the interpreter. Thus, everything had to start from scratch again. I think it is inevitable for most to feel a sense of being cheated at this point when, so far into the movie, we find out we’ve come so far for nothing. This could be considered a good achievement the first time, since it allies the audience with the characters as they are feeling the same disillusionment. But the second time it happens, when the new Interpreter discovers he made a mistake (absolutely crucial at this point) and that the healer was a He not a She. Oh well, the plot no longer thickens; it sickens.
I did appreciate the work that went into framing many of the beautiful and well-thought-out scenes here. Cinematography gave a nice edge to different perspectives and definitely enhanced some moments. The CGI eagle, a.k.a The Great Eaton, wasn’t half bad either.
For what’s worth, I must applaud Night’s ability to blend in cheap humor to lighten up the movie. In Lady, his stereotypical portrayal of the Vietnamese student who talks funny, like the Vietnamese did in Full Metal Jacket (I will love you long long), and has a mother who fears men and speaks only in her mothertongue, is a source of jokes throughout the movie. This move doesn’t cheapen the movie, and might actually be of more merit than demerit to it. However, the choice to cast Reggie, the strange freak who works out only one side of his body and proudly declares that one bicep is 4 ½ inches thicker than the other, as the Guardian at the climatic scene of the movie, did damage the movie. Reggie was comic relief, and the day where comic relief – those sidekicks and lap dogs and wannabes – save the day, is when the suspenseful climax that all have been waiting for degenerates into comedy.
If only Night would go back to simple, one-twist plots, I would forgive even his obsession with furry bear/wolf-like beasts and enjoy his movies more.
Lady in the Water gets 6.4.
I thoroughly enjoyed the initial introduction to the fairy tale, and the unveiling of who the characters – The Guardian, The Guild and The Interpreter. I was not once bored, and credit for that goes to both the pacing as well as the acting. The Lady, whom we all know was the Blind Girl in The Village (don’t get me started on that one), and whose relationship with Night we suspect might be a replica of Burton and Depp’s relationship, utilized her ethereal looks fully. She captured and created the magical element in the movie in the midst of the very peculiar but very human, humans. Giamatti was completely at ease in the shoes of his character Cleveland, portraying so naturally, the almost-constant sorrow that shadows Cleveland’s walk, and the emotional redemptive moment that almost reduced me to tears. And considering I usually scoff at those self-confession/ revelation moments where all the repressed emotions come flooding out, I’d say that Giamatti truly convinced me of his pain.
However, it was difficult for Giamatti to save the day as the plot thickened. We discover that, horror of all horrors, Cleveland is not the Guardian! He was put to the test and came face to face with the ‘scrunt’, whereby staring at the scrunt directly in the eye would have caused it to back down, IF Cleveland was the Guardian, which he turned out not to be. One disappointment and restarting of a mystery we thought to be solved. The plot takes another twist with the discovery that the supposed Interpreter did not feel his ‘purpose’ was to be the interpreter. Thus, everything had to start from scratch again. I think it is inevitable for most to feel a sense of being cheated at this point when, so far into the movie, we find out we’ve come so far for nothing. This could be considered a good achievement the first time, since it allies the audience with the characters as they are feeling the same disillusionment. But the second time it happens, when the new Interpreter discovers he made a mistake (absolutely crucial at this point) and that the healer was a He not a She. Oh well, the plot no longer thickens; it sickens.
I did appreciate the work that went into framing many of the beautiful and well-thought-out scenes here. Cinematography gave a nice edge to different perspectives and definitely enhanced some moments. The CGI eagle, a.k.a The Great Eaton, wasn’t half bad either.
For what’s worth, I must applaud Night’s ability to blend in cheap humor to lighten up the movie. In Lady, his stereotypical portrayal of the Vietnamese student who talks funny, like the Vietnamese did in Full Metal Jacket (I will love you long long), and has a mother who fears men and speaks only in her mothertongue, is a source of jokes throughout the movie. This move doesn’t cheapen the movie, and might actually be of more merit than demerit to it. However, the choice to cast Reggie, the strange freak who works out only one side of his body and proudly declares that one bicep is 4 ½ inches thicker than the other, as the Guardian at the climatic scene of the movie, did damage the movie. Reggie was comic relief, and the day where comic relief – those sidekicks and lap dogs and wannabes – save the day, is when the suspenseful climax that all have been waiting for degenerates into comedy.
If only Night would go back to simple, one-twist plots, I would forgive even his obsession with furry bear/wolf-like beasts and enjoy his movies more.
Lady in the Water gets 6.4.
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