A strange effort that aims to capture the innocence and vibrancy of children's fairy tales in a more adult setting. It's intensely repetitive, with a plot that's only advanced via a series of chats with a superstitious old woman, and outright refuses to decide between serious or lighthearted material; both emotions tug at the narrative in a few bizarre, important scenes that just don't work.

M. Night Shyamalan has always had a slightly aloof nature to his films that's never felt completely at home with its surroundings, but in the past he's been able to lean back on the immense ambience of his premise and some great cinematography to compensate. Here, with neither of those skills showing their best, his odd idiosyncrasies are lain bare.

Casting Bryce Dallas Howard as the titular lady was a smart choice, with her nymphian, otherworldly appearance giving the role a certain validity, but Paul Giamatti is merely okay as the weirdly comical stuttering maintenance man at the root of all the drama. The only other cast member worth mentioning is Shyamalan himself, who climbs into the role of the nonplussed creative genius, destined to indirectly shape and inspire a happy future. Take that for what you will. Lady in the Water has the echoes of a few good ideas reverberating through it, but they're never adequately reined in or solidified. Let's call it below average, and I think that's being pretty generous.