DVD review
Directed by: M Night Shyamalan
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeffrey Wright, Bob Balaban

Condominium superintendent Cleveland Heep discovers a sea nymph in the communal pool and must get help from assorted residents so she can complete her quest and return home safely.

With Lady in the Water, M Night Shyamalan has attempted to create a new visual fairytale from a bedtime story written for his children. It does seem rather odd then that the key characters are not ones many children might naturally identify with. However, Shyamalan does draw on archetypal myths and monsters, and these are faultlessly crafted throughout the film.

Kudos to the effects artists, then, but the story itself can’t quite sustain the thrills. If anything, Shyamalan tries too hard – sketching out a typical twice-told tale that gives hints of his directorial twist at the end: the question of who’s actually writing the story as it goes along could go a number of different ways. The fact that it doesn’t follow this through isn’t a fault per se – but it does make the whole piece seem a little empty.

As extras go, there are the standard offerings here: Shyamalan talking about the bedtime story, a making of documentary, the trailers and deleted scenes. There’s also a gag reel which frankly isn’t that funny, and some audition footage which mainly consists of actors pretending to throw up, which is juvenile but some kids might like it. Brigid Cherry

VERDICT: 7/10
A flawed piece which doesn’t live up to M Night Shyamalan’s best.