Fatal Attraction director Adrian Lyne has returned with Deep Water, but a wave of bad reviews suggests he might not have returned to his former glory. After a 20-year hiatus, filled with the director attempting to get projects off the ground, Lyne’s film is releasing on March 18th. A lusty, dark thriller in line with his previous cult classics, Deep Water attempts to do a lot, but critics are divided on whether or not it is successful.
With the director’s previous films receiving mixed reviews but holding much cultural relevance, critics were not sure what to expect from the movie. The much-parodied Fatal Attraction (76% on Rotten Tomatoes), and Jacob’s Ladder (73%) suggested a gut-wrenching, true-to-life portrayal of dark sexuality. Looking at reviews, however, it seems Deep Water is more in line with Lyne’s Unfaithful (50%).
At the time of writing, Deep Water has a 43% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 89 reviews, of which 51 are considered “rotten.” While some reviewers commend the film on its risks and themes, most chastise it for its lack of relatability and narrative sense, and all seem to agree that the film provides an interesting, but inconsistent psychological puzzle. There are some rare, positive Deep Water reviews, however:
”This erotic thriller is still sexy and plenty entertaining, mind you, but it’s just not very useful insofar as what it says about real relationships.”
“What deliciously evil fun Deep Water turns out to be!”
It seems most reviewers appreciated the film’s take on the relationship, enjoying the deductions the film prompts the viewer to make on the nature of the two leads’ interactions but found it unrealistic. Despite claims of Ben Affleck being unprofessional, he delivers a dark, if one-note performance, brooding over Ana de Armas’ Melinda, his wife. This interaction, however, left many critics unsure of how to feel, and while some enjoyed Affleck’s stone-faced performance, it did not help the sense of being unsure. Here’s what the more negative reviews had to say.
“Sending Deep Water to Hulu could be interpreted as Disney’s move to bury the film, and it’s easy to see why they didn’t give it much of a push. There were enough pieces here to create something interesting, but it never fully came together.”
IGN:
“What that medley of talent manages to conjure up is a bewildering tale of connubial torture between two people who loathe one another for largely mysterious reasons.”
“Though heaven knows I’m grateful for any grown-up movie these days, “Deep Water” is in many ways a baffling return for Lyne, whose advertiser’s eye for the allure of an image is repeatedly undercut by Zach Helm and Sam Levinson’s messy, often mystifying screenplay.”
“Not-insignificant chunks of narrative seem to have gone missing, especially as the story barrels toward its startlingly abrupt finish.”
While the tale has elements of a steamy, dark thriller, they ultimately fail to come together successfully, a problem intensified through the movie’s problematic script and editing. It also needs to fix its pacing problems. Looking past the technical problems, however, the relationship between the two leads is a confusing and inconsistent one, making the act of unraveling this relationship a complicated and frustrating process. Sadly, Deep Water does not repeat No Time to Die‘s Ana de Armas success of giving her a well-written character. All this without mentioning Affleck’s unmoving grimace and how that further muddies the emotional landscape.
That all means this might not be the big smash that Adrian Lyne was hoping to achieve. While it might appeal to those looking for another pulpy thriller about the corruption of lust, its problems prevent it from reaching the heights of his previous work. Partnered with a confusing central conflict, it is easy to see why Deep Water has received such negative reviews.
