Lady In The Water (HD-DVD/DVD Combo Format)
Picture:
B/B- Sound: B/B- Extras: C Film: C-
When
Disney was marketing The Sixth Sense,
this included some advanced screenings when they were not certain how the film
would perform. I like Bruce Willis, but
laughed the film off the screen (with the rest of the audience) a few weeks
before it opened up to become a surprise blockbuster. It also introduced the twist on a twist
ending that has ruined most thrillers since.
Because of its success, it writer/director M. Night Shyamalan had a
blank check to make any film he wanted at the studio. This ended with Lady In The Water, a film Disney refused to make. Warner picked up the film and Shyamalan had a
new studio.
Unfortunately,
they did not have a hit and the film was one of the big disappointments of
Summer 2006, especially for Warner who already was concerned about Superman Returns (see the HD-DVD review
elsewhere on this site) which was not the home run the studio hoped for. That still made the Top Ten, while Water did much less, so what happened?
Paul
Giamatti is the live-in janitor at an apartment building that has some
amenities, like a swimming pool. We see
him go through his uneventful life and he is somewhat unhappy. He has some quirky clients and residents, but
that comes with the job. Suddenly,
something strange is happening at the pool.
The technician who checks the pool notices something is wrong with the chemical
content all the sudden and Cleveland (Giamatti) also thinks there is something
wrong. One night he notices something or
someone is in the pool.
It turns
out to be a mysterious female figure (Bryce Dallas Howard) who becomes known as
Story and has several to tell. Cleveland
is not so sure he believes her at first, then things get crazy and all hell
breaks loose.
If only
the film was consistently that interesting.
Instead, Shyamalan’s screenplay (based on his children’s book) is more
interested in exploring the deconstruction of myth, fantasy and fairytale than
actually telling a well-rounded story with any payoff or point. It can be interesting at times, but when the
mysterious “ugly” creatures show up, it is American
Werewolf In London-lite at best. The
cast is very likable and good in their roles, including Jeffrey Wright, Bob
Balaban, Mary Beth Hurt and Jared Harris, but it ultimately never takes off or
coheres in any way. Like The Village, Lady In The Water goes out of its way to promise the supernatural
and unknown, only to chuck that (and its audience) away in the end.
The 1.85
X 1 image was shot by Christopher Doyle, H.K.S.C., who has shot many popular
Asian imports and John Favro’s underrated Made. No matter what anyone can say about
Shyamalan’s films, they look better and more vivid than many films made today,
even (except) when they use digital video.
Though slightly grainy throughout like the 35mm print I saw, the 1080p
digital High Definition version is good if not great, while the anamorphically
enhanced standard DVD side has problems with detail, Video Black and some
detail issues. Color is not gutted, but
can be subdued. The underwater footage
is a plus.
Though
the sound is here in Dolby TrueHD, this may be the thinnest such release to
date, stretching out the often quiet 5.1 mix and lacking the matrixed EX
channel in the Dolby Digital Plus EX 5.1 mix on the HD side and standard Dolby
Digital EX 5.1 mix on the standard DVD side.
Some surrounds seem to be lost in the True HD, but the real test will be
to try for TrueHD EX decoding when the format can be decoded through a
receiver.
Extras
include a gag reel, teaser & final theatrical trailer, auditions, extra
scenes that are mixed, a brief piece called Lady In The Water: A Bedtime Story where Shyamalan reads
from the original story and 6-part Reflections
Of Lady In The Water that all
add up to a more interesting experience than the film. Note there is no audio commentary and some
are in HD on the HD side.
In the
end, this will become another curio or even cult film, but Lady In The Water ultimately another missed opportunity from a
talented director getting carried away with some aspects over others in the
genres he works through. Let’s see where
he goes next.
- Nicholas Sheffo
