Lady in the Water Critic Reviews

A ponderous, self-indulgent bedtime tale. Awkwardly positioned, this gloomy gothic fantasy falls well short of horror.Read the full review

I will hold against him (Shyamalan) that Lady in the Water isn't scary, that its own inner logic breaks down at countless points along the way, and that its ending is disappointingly literal and just plain stupid. Lady in the Water is, however, funny at times, even intentionally so.Read the full review

If the ultimate goal is entertainment, then Lady in the Water enthusiastically rises to the task. In a movie laden with enough symbolism, shamanism and mythic lore to make Joseph Campbell dance a tribal jig, Shyamalan never forgets to have fun.Read the full review

This is sloppy filmmaking, and it's likely to wipe away whatever luster still remains to Shyamalan's reputation.Read the full review

This cloying piece of claptrap sets a high-water mark for pomposity, condescension, false profundity and true turgidity -- no small accomplishment for the man whose last two features were the deadly duo "Signs" and "The Village."Read the full review

There is something bizarrely compelling about the movie. It's slower than watching a train wreck but invokes that same level of disbelief.Read the full review

Shyamalan does project genuine menace and suspense into this mundane location, especially in nighttime scenes. But the magic that would transport you from reality into fantasy is missing.Read the full review

Shyamalan's most alienating and self-absorbed project to date.Read the full review

One of the more watchable films of the summer. A folly, true, but watchable.Read the full review