Saturday

I'm not sure if we are supposed to take Lady in the Water seriously. M. Night Shyamalan clearly says that it was a bedtime story for his children before he made it into a film. This shows in the final movie - its scrappy and silly. It clearly hasn't been conceived as well as a unit, like his earlier films (which I very much like). For some reason the special effects are very bad. There is also a substantial and very obvious dig at cinema critics. The opening animation is unnecessary, and many plot points seem too obvious, others too obscure. However, there is a lot to like here. There are some amazingly suspenseful moments - Shyamalan unashamedly makes 'movies' - and how the story as a film turns inwards on itself is fairly thrilling. Giamatti and Howard are both excellent. So, overall, another film with a lot of potential poorly conceived. He makes it at once too complicated, and too simple.