Plot: Dahlia (Jennifer Connelley) is in a bitter custody battle with her ex-husband Kyle (Dougray Scott) over their daughter, Cecilia (Ariel Gade). Soon, Dahlia and Cecilia move into an apartment complex. But the ceiling then begins leaking dark water. Dahlia enters the apartment above hers to find it flooded. Dahlia then begins having strange dreams where she sees a girl that looks like Cecilia but her appearance changes into the picture of a girl she found in the flooded apartment. Dahlia continues to be haunted by strange dreams and Cecilia is interacting with an imaginary friend named Natasha, all leading to one shocking discovery.
Review: This is one of many Japanese horror film remakes. Is it one the better ones? No. Is it the worst? No. It's an in-between. The plot structure is very similar to other Japanese remakes, particularly The Ring. So there were some parts of the film I saw coming, but the ending I didn't see coming. I didn't necessarily like the ending, but I guess it avoided the cliche so I can give it props for that.
The acting is good. Jennifer Connelly is very good as the lead role. Ariel Gade is adorable as Cecilia and also portrays her childlike innocence and being scared very good. John C. Reilly and Pete Postlehwaite play supporting roles as building workers and they're pretty good too.
The scares for this film are more psychological than jump-in-your-seat scares. Again, because this isn't any different than other Japanese remakes, you can see some things coming. But there are a few times that you might be taken by surprise. And the film has a good suspenseful and eerie feel to it that adds to the scare.
My feelings on Dark Water might be mixed mainly because there's really nothing new. But it's a decent, entertaining and sometime suspenseful and scary remake that if you're into the Japanese remakes, you should check it out.
Rating: 3.5/5
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