What Lies Beneath (Film Review)
2000 DreamWorks Pictures
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis; Written by: Clark Gregg
Starring: Harrison Ford, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Diana Scarwid
MPAA Rating: PG-13; Running Time: 130 Minutes
The Nicsperiment: 8/10
Claire Spencer is a new empty nester and having a hard time adjusting. Her daughter has recently left for college, and now she's alone with her renowned science professor husband, Norman, in their fairly rural lakeside Vermont home. Claire turns her eye to her neighbors, who seem to be fighting violently. But soon, there's something going on in her own home that's far worse. Something supernatural. Something malicious...
Though 2000's What Lies Beneath was a huge box office hit, it didn't exactly impress the critics of the time. Part of this was due to the film's straightforward ghost story, but the other has to be that for some reason, director, Robert Zemeckis, really liked to give his entire movies away in the trailers during this era. Admittedly, there's not much to the story--it's not bad, but it also feels like something found in a grocery aisle paperback from the era. The trailer does give the entire film away, just like the one later that year for Zemickis' Castaway, a film whose midway shooting break during which this film was made. Despite those things, 25 years later, What Lies Beneath is a satisfying and atmospheric thriller, made with the highest of production values.
It starts with the leads, two of the biggest stars of the time, Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer. Ford plays against type as the callous husband, but he's predictably great regardless. Pfeiffer, who portrays the central character, gets to have the most fun, bouncing between meek, quiet wife and possessed, mysterious seductress. A lot of the film is simply Pfeiffer onscreen alone, and the storied and hypnotic actress easily carries the film in these moments. Zemeckis seems to be having the best time of anyone, though. The brilliant tactician behind such iconic films as Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit channels his inner Hitchcock here, and the avalanche of excellent camera movements, angles, and framing are a veritable visual smorgasbord. Zemeckis also brings along the legendary musical composer from his most loved films, Alan Silvestri, who likewise channels Bernard Herrmann, but with an excellent Silvestri spin.
Can anyone with any emotional intelligence guess what is going on halfway through the film? Likely, but though the film may be predictable, it isn't stupid, and when it is this well-made, well-acted, and fun, it almost wouldn't matter if it was.
It starts with the leads, two of the biggest stars of the time, Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer. Ford plays against type as the callous husband, but he's predictably great regardless. Pfeiffer, who portrays the central character, gets to have the most fun, bouncing between meek, quiet wife and possessed, mysterious seductress. A lot of the film is simply Pfeiffer onscreen alone, and the storied and hypnotic actress easily carries the film in these moments. Zemeckis seems to be having the best time of anyone, though. The brilliant tactician behind such iconic films as Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit channels his inner Hitchcock here, and the avalanche of excellent camera movements, angles, and framing are a veritable visual smorgasbord. Zemeckis also brings along the legendary musical composer from his most loved films, Alan Silvestri, who likewise channels Bernard Herrmann, but with an excellent Silvestri spin.
Can anyone with any emotional intelligence guess what is going on halfway through the film? Likely, but though the film may be predictable, it isn't stupid, and when it is this well-made, well-acted, and fun, it almost wouldn't matter if it was.
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