Magic in the Water

What a great movie!

Saw this on HBO recently (11-15-2001) for the second time and it was wonderful. While not quite as good as "The Boy Who Could Fly", which is in a special class all it's own, I rank this movie right up there.

Sarah Wayne as Ashley Black especially stole our hearts. It is a shame that this is the only movie she has ever done according to IMDB's records. This little girl holds quite a bit of the movie on her own merit. Her smile captivated our entire family; her acting was excellent.

This is a decent, well centered story concerning a family at loss and their rediscovery of themselves in the community they are visiting to "get away". Through the magical help of a rather large friend, the local resident Indian shaman and local lore, miracles can happen.

A reflective, spirited movie ultimately about love and caring about others that lifts the heart and spirit of anybody who watches.

Well worth anybodies time. Two thumbs way up!

Rick Stevenson's "Magic in the Water" is the usual sort of family movie that they crank out, although it is worth seeing. I wouldn't recommend the movie as your first choice, but if there's nothing else it's definitely worth checking out. My favorite parts were actually the "digging to China" scenes; looking back on it, those scenes remind me of "God's Little Acre".

So, the movie is OK to check out. Stevenson now has a company called Official Best of Fest, that distributes film festival movies that most people would otherwise never get a chance to see. Interesting concept.

Yeah, I'm a sexy guy...

I enjoyed this movie, and still give it an 8, even though I wish one important aspect of the story had not been omitted: That of the clean-up of the hazardous waste. Without this facet addressed, Orky's survival is dubious. It is not a deal-breaker for me, but I am wondering why this important scene or dialogue was ignored.

I particularly liked the Native American mythology that was in the movie. The comments by Uncle Kipper about man being able to turn to animal and vice-versa established some important context to Orky and the communication and message it compelled some humans to take heed of.

We never did find out why Orky ripped the arms off of the two "gentlemen". Oh well. Perhaps the Japanese submergible team could have played a larger part in the movie, too.

Mark Harmon did a good job characterizing the transformation that he experienced. The ending was an excellent twist, and one that I did not forecast. The scenes of group therapy were good.

Although I wish we had witnessed the waste clean up, I will not detract a star for that.

I seldom worry too much about wasting three dollars, but I will always regret the time and the three dollars I wasted seeing this in a theater years ago.

The actors must have had some major bills to pay to accept their roles in this junk. The story is as hackneyed and cliched as any I have seen anywhere. Children definitely deserve better than this. Even THE MIGHTY KONG was better than this!

MAGIC IN THE WATER is par for the course for an American kid's fantasy film. It features a couple of bratty children and their humble father who become involved with a mysterious lake said to be inhabited by an ancient creature. The usual gamut of stereotyped characters are involved, from the Native American shaman to the eager-to-please Japanese folk and the by rote human villains.

This is neither the best nor the worst of its type, merely a humdrum outing designed for kids and kids alone. The stylistic similarities to FREE WILLY are more than obvious, but the central creation is kept off screen for the most part so it all becomes a little dull. The special effects are pretty good for the most part, though. The less-than-stellar cast includes Mark Harmon (TUAREG: THE DESERT WARRIOR) and future star Joshua Jackson (of DAWSON'S CREEK fame).