In my opinion this is a terribly underrated movie. The problem, I think, is that Hollywood does not know how to market M. Night’s movies. He had massive success with The Sixth Sense and so everything he did was sold as horror or thriller material. The effect is that an appeal is made to the exact wrong audience. Lady in the Water is totally not a thriller. It is a fairy tale, and like all good fairy tales it has a moral. Like most good fairy tales, there are scary parts. This fact does not make Little Red Riding Hood a story about monsters, and Lady in the Water is not a horror movie either. Night’s movies are unique experiences, not the usual recycled formulaic Hollywood tripe, and they should not be marketed like cheap horror retreads. Okay, I reserve the right to criticize The Last Airbender, which was not up to par for the man. I consider Lady in the Water to be very creative rather than formulaic though, and I think it deserves more respect.
I really liked the movie. I don’t understand why it got such horrible reviews. The story was good, but I especially like the soundtrack.
I agree. I like it better every time I watch it.