Dark Water (2005)
2005
PG-13
105 Minutes
Dahlia Williams and her daughter Cecelia move into a rundown apartment on New York's Roosevelt Island. She is currently in midst of divorce proceedings and the apartment, though near an excellent s...
User Review
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Dark Water shrivelled up any sense of horror with its mundane waterworks. Yet another American remake of an Asian horror feature that does not do any justice to the source material. But, before I begin to release a flood of criticism, I do want to state that this isn't as bad as it could've been. It certainly has a few drips of unsettling dread, just not enough to fill a bucket that the terrifying original was able to do. A mother and father battle for the custody of their daughter, leading the former to move to a dilapidated apartment in Roosevelt Island where she encounters a watery ghoul.
An almost direct remake of Nakata's original, particularly in how the ghostly events represent family divide during the midst of divorce proceedings. However, where this interpretation went wrong was with its unvarying storytelling, which is just as colourless as the constant rainfall that bestowed upon New York. The balance between the custody battle and the apartment complex shenanigans didn't flow, and instead turned stagnant very rapidly. Almost as if we were watching two different films, bound together flimsily by several shots of a tramway. The horror vibes dissolved instantly and was never able to regain control. The mother's backstory and her psychological state of mind was barely touched upon, which in turned lacked empathy for her. Oh, and to not include the spine-tingling elevator scene from the original was a faux pas on both Salles and Yglesias' side. Instead, it was anti-climactic.
It's a damn shame, as the cast were honestly excellent. Connelly, as always, performs exceptionally well and is probably the sole redeeming factor. The late Postlethwaite also turned in a good performance, as did Reilly and even Roth. A few nice touches of the plot exploring abandonment and psychological nightmares, which makes this film more acquainted with family drama as opposed to horror. Regardless, it's as dull as watching light precipitation for an hour and a half, choosing to focus on advertising a "Hello Kitty" product instead of being legitimately terrifying. Stick with Nakata's original, trust me.0 member like this review.
