MaximumMadness The experience of watching director Hideo Nakata's 2002 release "Dark Water" was a bit of a dubious one upon my first viewing. That much I must admit, especially as a fan of a number of his earlier films. There's a definite air of familiarity for much of the film's runtime that cannot be mistaken or outright dismissed. Familiarity that can occasionally border on frustration in key moments. Why? Well, because this most certainly is a film not unlike others that have come before.Most notably of course being Nakata's own "Ringu" (aka "Ring"), the wonderful and trend-setting 1998 release that helped to usher in the rise of Asian horror as a worldwide phenomena. There's a bit of a feeling that with "Dark Water", Nakata was trying to capture that wonderful lightning-in-a-bottle twice after the earlier film's wild success all over the world. And I can't necessarily blame him... after all, "Ringu" is probably his best-known and most-appreciated work, and it's also just a darned-fine film to boot. And his earlier attempt to capitalize on its success through sequel "Ringu 2" was decidedly accomplished with mixed results. An interesting follow-up that faltered at times and never quite attained the acclaim of the beloved original.The formula's all there with "Dark Water" and it's parallels to "Ringu." Both are based on popular novels by the wildly talented author Koji Suzuki. Both are centered on a working single- mom protagonist with a young child that is intertwined heavily in the story. Both make incredible and heavy use of water- based imagery. And both are centered upon a struggle against a seemingly malevolent spirit of a younger girl. (I believe the term for these types of spirits is "onryo", though I admit I am no expert in Japanese mythology.)One could reasonably argue that "Dark Water" is little more than a pale imitation. An attempt to either cash-in on or try to reclaim the fame brought about by the earlier film. But I do think that would a disservice to the movie. While I do have a certain amount of frustration regarding the blatant parallels between the two films, I think that "Dark Water" does just enough different and has just enough going for it to not only stand on its own, but to also succeed as a fundamentally solid and often creepy little tale.We follow Yoshimi Matsubara (Hitomi Kuroki), a single-mom in the midst of a messy divorce as she tries to build a new life for herself and her young daughter Ikuko (Rio Kanno), getting a new job and a new home in a large apartment complex. However, strange phenomena begin to plague the troubled mother... perpetual water leaks from the apartment above, glimpses of a mysterious young child roaming the hallways and her daughter's sudden illness. Soon, Yoshimi begins to piece together a dark and terrifying tale regarding what appears to be the spirit of a young child trapped somewhere in the building... a spirit that may threaten not only her life, but that of Ikuko as well.The strength of the film really does come thanks to director Nakata's keen visual eye and ability to build a wonderful sense of atmospheric horror and for the performances of our lead characters, which ground the film with intimate and highly emotional stakes.Nakata has a great sense of tone, atmosphere and composition. He's a master are slow-build and subtle horror, giving us a tale that very much evokes a good, old-fashioned sense of the creeps without falling back on cheap gimmicks and copious amounts of jump-scares as all too many films do. He also knows how to wonderfully build tension, and through vaguely metaphorical imagery, he creates an adequately chilling world in which the film is based. You'd never think water dripping through a ceiling could be so chilling (outside of the money you'll have to pay getting it fixed), but Nakata makes it work.The acting is also top-notch and is a big part of the film's overall success. Hitomi Kuroki makes for a loving and instantly identifiable protagonist, and even if we haven't experienced life- shattering circumstances as she has, we still fully grasp her turmoil throughout. She's just a darned fine actress and gives the film an emotional edge that is invaluable and greatly appreciated. Supporting roles from Rio Kann, Mirei Oguchi and Shigemitsu Ogi are also very well cast and well-played and help increase the scope of the otherwise very claustrophobic film.However, despite top-notch visual direction and world-class performances, I'd be lying if I said the film was without flaw. It can and does meander at times, while at others ratcheting up the pacing to near break-neck speed. It's inconsistent as a result, and that is a detracting factor. (The climax will sneak up on you from out of nowhere, and not in a good, startling way... more in a jarring "Whoa, that was way too fast" kinda way.) And those troubling parallels to Nakata's earlier "Ringu" are also where I gotta take off a couple points. It's asking a bit too much of us to not notice them, and it's occasionally frustrating as a result.Still, "Dark Water" is a fun little diversion nonetheless. It may not be Hideo Nakata's best work, but it's another engaging thriller from this mastermind of horror, and I can forgive it's (rather large) faults thanks to his grand visuals and the likable actors.I give it a solid 7 out of 10. Worth seeing at least once.

Acke Wikstroem Im sorry but this movie took the edge out of water and made it in to something boring. before viewing this movie i was scared of water!, now after bad acting slow screenplay and Aquaman in the end of the film, I'm not!.yeah its scary with black hair in the water glass and water dripping from the roof, children's feet running, bathtub running over... but we have seen it before! also the movie give out itself in plot, you know whats gonna happen,4 out of 10 wasting time!Cheers!

Leofwine_draca Another exceptional ghost story from Japan. The set-up on this one's familiar: a lonely mother, her precocious child, a creepy run-down apartment block haunted by the ghost of a little dark-haired girl. So far, so par for the course. Where the film excels is in two places: script and direction. The script delivers an ultimately moving, affecting story peopled by realistic characters we get to know and care about. Sure, there are no jump-in-your-seat moments as in some other Japanese ghost films, but they're not required; by the end, the film has turned into nothing less than a tragedy, and the horror is driven to the background.The direction is sublime (you'd expect as much, given that RING's Hideo Nakata is the man behind the lens). The dripping patch on the ceiling becomes monstrous in itself, and the atmosphere is palpable in every sequence. I loved the way that obvious scenes aren't shown, they don't need to be shown, the focus is on mood instead. Hollywood managed a decent remake of this, but even that had to show obvious stuff that wasn't required. Add in a cast giving top-notch performances and you have one of the finest the genre has to offer.

Jacques98 I sincerely think this is the most perfect Japanese ghost movie I have ever seen. I say that simply because it is the first Japanese ghost movie I've seen with such a strong emotional core, and such potential to scare. There are a lot of similarities to Ringu, but I think this may be slightly superior. It also has a lot of similarities to The Shining, mainly with the apartment elevator and the way the story unfolds, but it by no means takes anything from The Shining. This movie may not be wholesale original, but it can stand on its own feet, which I can't say about a lot of movies.The reason Dark Water is so effective is because it understands subtlety. In other words, it understands how to take something that could happen in everyday life—like water dripping from the ceiling—and backs it up with a feeling of terror. I'm the biggest fan of over-the-top violence and punk storytelling you're going to meet, but I can also tell you it's rare than something like that that bashes you over the head is going to scare you. There are some exceptions, but I think that the subtle delicate approach this movie had was more effective in the ability to scare someone. I for one was so terrified by this movie that I almost had to turn the lights on—it's been YEARS and HUNDREDS of movies I've seen since something did that to me. There was literally not even a single drop of blood or act of violence, but the subtlety is reminiscent of how we get scared in real life. Slowly. Emotionally.Also, the other thing that makes Dark Water effective is that it doesn't resort to plot clichés or cliché scares. I am the kind of person who sees a little ghost girl and immediately turns the movie off because it's not original enough for me. BUT as I was watching this movie I realized the ghost girl was NOY an added on cliché because the Japanese seem to find them scary, but an actual living, breathing part of the plot. I've always said that it takes a lot of originality to take a genre piece—and Asian ghost movies isn't an underexplored genre—and still have something different about it that makes it incomparable to the rest. Dark Waters isn't quite that original, but it's hard to name another movie exactly like it.Once I got to the ending, this movie had me nearly crying. Maybe I'm a pansy and a sap, but I don't think anyone can deny the strong bond between the mother and daughter was not well portrayed. Without that bond, the plot would fall apart. The acting was flawless and the writing was sharp.The only flaw that I've seen people give this movie is the ending or lack thereof. Personally, I love weird movies, and I think the weirdness of the ending was pretty cool and well done. It defied clichés and it was just . . . weird. *Spoilers* I think I like the fact that the ghost was not a killer ghost more than anything. *End spoilers*Does the movie leave you with any idea of what just happened over the past hour and fifty minutes? Nope. And that's why it was weirdly awesome.5/10