I was excited for this movie after seeing the commercials. It seemed quite good and the ads were quite creepy. It almost insinuated the dead man's float episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark? Tv show, but for adults. It really wasn't far off from that and I thought overall it was decent, but you definitely have to throw out a bit of common sense and logic.
The movie starts off similarly to how one would think, almost similar to the It movie, but without the clown. It then fast forwards to the new owners of the house. Ray Waller is a pro baseball player. He is suffering from MS. So, the pool is a place of comfort and escape for him since it eases the pain and stiffness of his muscles. So, naturally, it is a decent story to set up the centerpiece of the film: the pool. Because, prior to the film, I was wondering how there was going to be enough content to justify a whole movie around a pool.
So, it takes quite a long time to get going. I didn't set a timer, but I'd say 75%-80% of the film is really not completely scary. There's a bit of something feeling "off," but I never felt creeped out or anything. But one thing I did notice that I can't quite get over is how long these characters could hold their breath! Many people would be long dead! There's a scene where the mother confronts the mother of the girl who died in the beginning of the film that really starts the climax that I would say ups the creepy factor and sets the film into motion. It's similar to the old woman scene in It 2 mixed with the therapist session in Smile. Then it turns into a dash of The Shining for the last 15-20 minutes or so.
But, that's part of the problem with this film, it's way too easy to compare it with any movie that already exists. There's notes of this and hints of that and flavors of this all throughout. There's nothing about it that gives it an identity of its own. And I would still compare it to that episode I mentioned earlier (dead man's float).
And, as some have already mentioned, it does not explain where the water/spring/monster comes from, but I can forgive that aspect as there have been awesome and successful horror movies in the past that have not given an exact answer as to how the villain arises (It Follows). But the main glaring problem here (with me) is how long the characters can hold their breath at times. That's the sole part I cannot get over and what I mean when I say you must suspend belief. Most people will have trouble overlooking that aspect, as I had quite a hard time with it.
Overall I liked it. The characters were well-written. The narrative, if flawed, definitely will keep you guessing. I was truly invested in trying to figure out what was going on. At no part was I just completely bored or did I lose interest. It's just the lack of identity and the abnormally powerful lungs of the characters that I really had an issue with. It's definitely worth a watch and I'd recommend it to anyone curious about it.
The movie starts off similarly to how one would think, almost similar to the It movie, but without the clown. It then fast forwards to the new owners of the house. Ray Waller is a pro baseball player. He is suffering from MS. So, the pool is a place of comfort and escape for him since it eases the pain and stiffness of his muscles. So, naturally, it is a decent story to set up the centerpiece of the film: the pool. Because, prior to the film, I was wondering how there was going to be enough content to justify a whole movie around a pool.
So, it takes quite a long time to get going. I didn't set a timer, but I'd say 75%-80% of the film is really not completely scary. There's a bit of something feeling "off," but I never felt creeped out or anything. But one thing I did notice that I can't quite get over is how long these characters could hold their breath! Many people would be long dead! There's a scene where the mother confronts the mother of the girl who died in the beginning of the film that really starts the climax that I would say ups the creepy factor and sets the film into motion. It's similar to the old woman scene in It 2 mixed with the therapist session in Smile. Then it turns into a dash of The Shining for the last 15-20 minutes or so.
But, that's part of the problem with this film, it's way too easy to compare it with any movie that already exists. There's notes of this and hints of that and flavors of this all throughout. There's nothing about it that gives it an identity of its own. And I would still compare it to that episode I mentioned earlier (dead man's float).
And, as some have already mentioned, it does not explain where the water/spring/monster comes from, but I can forgive that aspect as there have been awesome and successful horror movies in the past that have not given an exact answer as to how the villain arises (It Follows). But the main glaring problem here (with me) is how long the characters can hold their breath at times. That's the sole part I cannot get over and what I mean when I say you must suspend belief. Most people will have trouble overlooking that aspect, as I had quite a hard time with it.
Overall I liked it. The characters were well-written. The narrative, if flawed, definitely will keep you guessing. I was truly invested in trying to figure out what was going on. At no part was I just completely bored or did I lose interest. It's just the lack of identity and the abnormally powerful lungs of the characters that I really had an issue with. It's definitely worth a watch and I'd recommend it to anyone curious about it.
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