Hey folks, Harry here with a review from Farmer Bob regarding WHAT LIES BENEATH... and he really liked the film, in stark comparison to Hatchet Harry's review earlier. This is a common reaction with films. I mean look at Roger Ebert's review of GLADIATOR that he gave 2 Stars. The same rating he gave the steaming pile of shit I DREAMED OF AFRICA. It is absolutely astonishing to me. But when you read his review... you get it, he got bogged down by the art direction and palatte of the film, plus was comparing it directly to SPARTACUS which this film is not EVEN trying to be. In the case of WHAT LIES BENEATH, we have similar divided opinions... Beware of some SPOILERS below...
Harry, I gotta disagree with Hatchet Harry's review of "What Lies Beneath". While this film won't win any Academy Awards, it was no steaming pile of shite like he referred to. I read AICN's review of the script before I went to see this screening so I was fully expecting to hate this movie. Instead, I came out entertained and a bit spooked as well!
As Hatchet Harry said the story starts out with Pfeiffer's daughter from a previous marriage going off to college. She's dealing with the whole empty-nest syndrome, when the new neighbors next door start fighting, and the wife disappears. Pfeiffer is convinced that he's murdered her and starts spying on the husband who is now living alone in the house. Shortly after strange things start happening around the Pfeiffer-Ford house. You know, your usual haunting type activities like doors opening on their own, pictures falling off tables, radios switching on at full blast, bathtubs filling by themselves, yadda, yadda, yadda. It all works and you could feel the tension building in the audience.
As far as Pfeiffer becoming an "investigator", who can really blame her? If some friggin' ghost infested my place I'd do one of two things; get the hell out or try to figure out who they are and what they want. Pfeiffer chooses the latter and discovers that the ghost is actually a local girl who turned up missing several months back. Her curiosity finally causes her to summon the ghost and in the process actually becomes possessed by it. Ford returns home and via the previously mentioned inflagrante delecto we see that the ghost in its former life actually knew him in, well... the Biblical sense. From here the story did become a bit predictable, but I was having so much fun that I didn't care!
A few random thoughts on the film:
If you want to see Harrison Ford play a role he normally doesn't play, then you'll like this movie.
Ford and Pfeiffer work well together and were believable as a couple. They really have chemistry.
As in your script review, it took awhile for me to stop thinking of Harrison Ford as "Harrison Ford", but I think this actually works to the films advantage!
Zemeckis utilizes lots of interesting camera angles that I felt added to the over all eerie feeling of the film.
There is a bathroom scene towards the end that will either have you squirming in your seat or laughing out loud. I squirmed and laughed and squirmed some more!
The ghost scenes were comparable to the ghost scenes from "Sixth Sense". They weren't as gruesome but were just as scary.
The ghost scenes made all of the chicks(and a few guys)in the crowd scream, so Zemeckis must be doing something right.
This movie must really mean something to someone because Ford and entourage were in attendance for Wednesday's screening.
Anyone who know's Robert Zemeckis(Forrest Gump, Back to the Future's, and Roger Rabbit) know's he likes to do fun movies, which is exactly what he has here; a murder mystery with some supernatural spookiness thrown in to boot. So, Harry(Mr. Knowles), you wanted a differing opinion and now you have one. I went to the movie expecting shite, but instead got a roller coaster ride of a movie that I really enjoyed even in it's raw form.
So long pardners,
Farmer Bob
