DIRECTED BY: Robert Zemeckis WRITTEN BY: Steven Spielberg (story), Sarah Kernochan and Clark Gregg CAST: Harrison Ford, Michelle Pfieffer, Diana Scarwid, James Remar, Joe Morton
MPAA: Rated R for violence/gore, language and some sexuality
RATING: 7/10
>From the director of "Forrest Gump" and from the creators of "Saving Private Ryan" and "American Beauty" comes..."What Lies Beneath". DreamWorks SKG rules the box office once again, only this time riding on cheap shocks, beautiful visuals and ancient clichés.
Being some sort of alternative for "The Sixth Sense", "What Lies Beneath" is a classical "lady-in-distress" story supported by great performances and special effects. Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer play Norman and Caitlin Spencer, a middle-aged couple experiencing the empty nest syndrome when their daughter leaves for college. Having just moved into the home of Norman's deceased father, Norman throws himself into work, while Caitlin tries to decide what she is going to do with the rest of her life. But Caitlin begins hearing noises in the house. Whispers. Quiet voices. Her front door opens mysteriously, time after time. A picture frame keeps dropping onto the floor and breaking. And then, she starts seeing dead people. The house is haunted! And the ghost is trying to tell Caitlin something -- something about her past...
Beneath this shallow premise is nothing much. Most of the time is spent on Pfeiffer who moves in slow motion from one room to another, hearing noises. The dialogue is carried out either in whispering or high pitched screaming, and worst of all -- nothing happens. Director Robert Zemeckis ("Forrest Gump", "Contact") has publicly stated that he tried to make his film in the spirit of Hichock. And it does have all the necessary components: strange noises from the attic, falling pictures, the light goes off, mirrors, doors moving, windows opening. It is slick, elegant and beautifully executed. Water is vital and the most frightening scenes obviously happen in the bathroom. And yet, the most important element is forgotten -- the story. It's too long, too obvious and filled with all the ancient clichés that you wanted to forget. An hour passes by before we see a slight development in the story. Hichock said once that it is better to wait for a pay-off than to actually see one. That'! s true, except Hichock didn't expect us to wait too long, certainly not 130 minutes for the most obvious and predictable. The film is simply not as clever or complex as it likes to think of itself.
However, it is fortunate that Zemeckis is steering this movie. Only because of his incredible taste and talent the movie is mostly enjoyable. Zemeckis is constantly keeping us on the edge, structuring his movie as several intense scenes, with looong times of lurking an waiting in between. There are moments when there is no music at all, no sound, and no one is even eating their popcorn, and then suddenly -- bang! Everyone screams, and it is only the dog. Moments like that are effective, but they create merely an illusion of horror. In fact it's not terrifying at all. Films like "The Shining" and "Blair Witch Project" made a lasting impression that haunted the viewers for days. This film won't do that. There is nothing that is frightening about it. There is nothing to discuss, nothing to remember. You'll forget it as soon as you go out of the theatre.
Acting is another positive element. Casting Pfeiffer and Ford was a stroke of genius. Not only do they portray their individual roles beautifully, but have also a magical chemistry. It's too bad that Ford (cast against type) didn't get much screen time. I realize that no matter what I write, there will be unavoidable comparisons to "The Sixth Sense", but unfortunately this film is not quite that. The films are on completely different levels. "The Sixth Sense" was scary because it had a frightening story and a certain psychological effect. "What Lies Beneath" on the other hand, is reaching for simple shocks, ending in a way that is more embracing than scary. With such great actors and crew, and with Zemeckis behind the camera, you might wonder what might have happened if they had a better script.
In the end, I can't say that this is a bad effort. It's an entertaining film that provides shocks, mysteries and conspiracies, screams and laughs. It's beautiful and well acted. Unfortunately, there is not much that lies beneath. And even at its best, when the intensity is peaking and the film theatre is completely quite -- even then, it's nothing more than a good Hichock imitation.
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