Dark Water (2005)

Anathema to say so in some quarters, but I preferred this to the original.

I loved the original of "Dark Water" and expected to be disappointed by this, as in the terrible remake of "Ring", but I was very pleasantly surprised to find this was a most excellent movie and better than the original, in that this one didn't leave in what seemed like unnecessary parts, which in the original seemed to drag in places, whereas this one never seemed to lose its atmosphere but continued on with its slow building feeling of dread. The original film seemed to include too much more going on, especially near the end, whilst this one kept things more minimal and was therefore more effective for it. Greatly conveyed the feeling of hopelessness and dampness, dripping water, always raining outside, dampness and more dampness, it was everywhere. Obviously very well thought out and full marks to the makers for creating the damp feel which was always there, so you always felt affected by it. Great movie. June 7, 2008

Could rival Stephen King

The strength of Steven King is being keeping his creepiness on the edge of what can be real or normal. This story, a remake of the Japanese film by Hideo Nakata and based on "Honogurai Soko Kara" by Koji Suzuki is one of those that are just on the edge of real.

Probably mentally challenged Dahlia Williams (Jennifer Connelly) is in the middle of a nasty divorce and due to economics is moving with her daughter `Ceci' (Ariel Gade) to a creepy slum tenement. Her daughter is also going a little funny, seeing dead people and so are we. Can her mother turn this all around and pull us out of this slump with a happy ending? Only time will tell. Now sit back and do not get caught talking to the invisible or very visible Natasha Rimsky (Perla Haney-Jardine.)

Dark City [Blu-ray] - Jennifer Connelly May 10, 2008

I was hoping for more than what I got.

I remember when this movie was first released a few years ago and, being a huge fan of horror movies, I wanted to see what it was all about. It wasn't until recently that I had the chance to finally watch it. Turns out, it was highly disappointing.

So what's this movie about? Dahlia is in the midst of a divorce with her husband. Having to find a new place to live as well as a new job is no easy task. Not to mention that she has a daughter, Cecilia, to look after. The mother and daughter duo eventually find a rather disgusting looking apartment and move in immediately. Things go even further downhill for them when their ceiling starts to leak and Cecilia develops a rather creepy imaginary friend. They eventually learn what the cause of the leak is and they certainly don't live happily ever after.

Let's talk about the positives first. I have a sort of infatuation with Jennifer Connelly and in terms of acting, she doesn't disappoint. The actress that plays little Cecilia isn't half bad either. I'm a sucker for movies that move along slowly in order to build suspense and there's a ton of that in Dark Water. The first part of the movie, I have to admit, is not half bad. Eventually I got sick of the suspense and wanted something new. Too bad this movie fails in that department.

And now for the negatives. Doing a little research after watching the movie, I found out that the makers of Ringu, the Japanese version of The Ring, originally wrote Dark Water. I can't say I was surprised to learn this considering that throughout a good portion of the movie, I kept thinking "This is a lot like The Ring". Whereas The Ring did a good job in coming up with different twists and shocking moments, Dark Water failed in producing a good twist/climax and thus the ending was horrible. If you've seen The Ring and The Grudge, there's no need to watch Dark Water. There's nothing new/and or interesting about it.

If I had the option, I would've given this movie 2.5 stars rather than 2 but it certainly does not deserve 3 stars. I would not recommend this movie to anyone.
March 13, 2008

Yes, the movie is dark but it's not scary at all.

Yes, the movie is dark but it's not scary at all. There's no suspense either. What a waste of time. February 17, 2008

You mean...thats it? Gosh, the box is scarier.

Hollywood is desperate these days to create a decent horror script so they have begun to borrow ones from the Japanese. The problem is that lots of stuff like style, suspense and the horror angle seem to have gotten lost in translation.
No doubt this is a well acted film but ultimately the suspense falls flat and the end is a let down.
The box looks good.....but inside is just empty plastic. February 3, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...