Review of What Lies Beneath on Filmviews.net
Year2000 ReviewerChris Docker
With a budget of a 100 million dollars this is standard blockbuster fare for those who like going to the movies to be entertained and enough surprises to jump out of their seats quite a few times. The movie develops as eminent geneticist (Harrison Ford) struggles to keep things on an even keel in their country mansion as his beautiful wife starts "seeing things."
The style is that of Hitchcock without being Hitchcock. Seriously flawed, but not so that the average filmgoer will complain too much or want their money back, What Lies Beneath reaches blockbuster status without quite managing to transcend it. Zemeckis relies on the supernatural to play to the audience, which means the plot can go anywhere and doesn't have to tie up logically. Unfortunately the trailers gave most of the plot away, which robbed the story of any dramatic unfolding. But the overall feel is solid enough, and Michelle Pfeiffer's performance, after her embarrassing foray into Shakespeare with Midsummer Night's Dream, is certainly up to scratch.
Rating: 7/10;