Rating: 
Summary: Instensifying and fast-paced!
Review: If you've never been afraid to get into your bathtub, you will be after watching "What Lies Beneath," the latest thriller from acclaimed director Robert Zemeckis, starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pheiffer as a married couple whose lives are about to be changed by a haunting secret and a terrifying entity. This is as good as adult contemporary thrillers get; with a little bit of the elements of "The Blair-Witch Project," "The Sixth Sense," and the famed movies of Alfred Hitchcock, Zemeckis is able to bring to the movie a complete sense of unease, while adding diversity and intensity to the intelligent story. Claire Spencer is having a little trouble coping with her daughter moving away to college, and just when she thinks she is feeling better, a frightening cry from the other side of her fence leads her to believe that her new neighbor, Mary Feur, is in danger of her husband. After many strange events and a ghostly apparition in her house, Claire believes that Mary has been killed by her husband, but is dismayed and thinks herself crazy when she discovers otherwise. But the apparitions still keep coming, little by little: strange whispers fluttering through the house, an overly-anxious front door, and falling picture frames, all of which lead to the clues Claire needs to put the puzzle together. When she discovers the shocking truth, she realizes that her husband, Norman Spencer, is not who he seems to be, and what lies beneath his outward appearance is something that can mean her end. This movie is a terrific example of the fact that a movie can have a PG-13 rating and still deliver on the grounds of suspense and chills. In using the techniques of previous films, Zemeckis makes them his own and keeps the story solid and fluid. You might say that the first part of this movie is a first-class take on the element of suspense from "The Blair-Witch Project," which is highly acclaimed for its ability to scare us without showing us what's behind the creeps. "What Lies Beneath" is able to carry this technique off as well as Claire begins to hear and see strange things without ever being able to fully make out what is going on. A small fragment of "The Sixth Sense" plays a part here, as Claire begins to understand that the entity making contact with her wishes retribution for something done to her. Of all of the elements of this film, Hitchcock's techniques and brilliance are clearly evident throughout this film, from small, minute camera angles to the music and the way certain shots last so long without a cut-in. In one scene, Pheiffer walks out of her darkened bathroom, into her bedroom, and then out into the hall again, where she sees steam rising out of the bathroom doorway. This is all done in one shot, a typical Hitchcock technique that works so well with the story at hand. The music of certain scenes, especially in the climactic ending, will have you thinking back to classics like "Psycho," which set the standard in horror movie soundtracks. Instead of seeming played out and dull, the way in which the film uses each of them in its own way is quite fresh, inventive and new. While the filming techniques have been used before, the idea for the story also adds to the originality of the film as a whole. The aspect that adds the most uniqueness is the source of the entity that haunts the Spencer household, and the reasons for which it does so. I've never seen this done before in a movie of this kind, and it fits the mold perfectly in keeping with the idea that Claire is in danger not from the apparitions that plague her, but by something alive and real that she holds very dear. Without giving too much away, the ending is a bit of a stretch, but nevertheless keeps moving like the rest of the film, and once it is over, you'll find that it was well worth the wait. The special effects, which mostly take the place of using actual people in the roles of ghosts, add so much to the script and the overall effect of intensity. Alan Silvestri's frightening score will also make you jump when it strikes a high chord in the most thrilling moments of the film. While the actors in all parts do a terrific job bringing the movie to life, this is clearly Michelle Pheiffer's movie, for she will carry most of the action, the emotion and the story with her. She portrays Claire Spencer, the happy wife who discovers secrets permeating through her marriage. She is by far the most complex character, and when she starts putting the pieces together, her entwining emotions are played to perfection by Pheiffer, who is superb. Harrison Ford is the other leading character, the husband Norman Spencer who has more secrets than truths in his life. Ford is excellent in this role, which is strikingly different from many of his other roles in which he plays the good guy, the hero who saves the day. But he carries it off with intelligence and, at times, wit. Diana Scarwid adds the needed comic relief in the form of Claire's best friend, but it turns out that she will play a minor yet important part in unlocking the mystery. With so many elements of past films going for it, "What Lies Beneath" is a classy and intelligent ensemble of complex characters wandering through a world of lies, deceit, fright, and secrecy. It makes the audience jumps at the right times, while keeping their hearts beating juts a bit faster in between. Be sure to try and catch all the eerie ghosts and entities the are all throughout the film; there are a lot.
Rating: 
Summary: Dissapointing
Review: Harrison Ford just doesn't cut it as a bad guy, although he gets an "E" for effort. His good-guy image is central to the suspense in this film that works hard to keep the viewer from believing that Ford is the true villain. Obstepterous new neighbors are brought in to divert the viewer's suspicions that the most likely villain is Ford. Far too much time is spent on frontal face shots of Michelle Pfeiffer mulling over the spooky experiences she has after sending her daughter off to college. Here again another diversion, the empty nest syndrome, is used to keep attention away from the true villain, Ford. The plot is transparent from the start, and we find in the end that Ford really is the true villain. But everybody loves Harrison Ford, who just doesn't hack it as a villain. The story was boring and lacked credibility. I found it quite disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: Will have you sitting on the edge of your seat!
Review: I REALLY enjoyed this movie. It was meant to throw you for a loop, and it does. For those who say they knew what the ending would be, that surprises me. From the beginning, you are thinking one plot, by the end, a totally different one. Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer did a convincing job as the happily married couple coping with murder and infidelity. Enjoy it for what it is....A MOVIE! There are scenes where the situations were exaggerated to reality, but that is the point of a good thriller! You will LOVE this film!
Rating:
Summary: Suprisingly Good
Review: I found this movie this movie to be suprisingly good, with several suprising plot twists, although, they were not very unpredictable. The ending is very good, although it does seem to drag on a bit. There are several jolting moments in the movie, and it got me to jump more then once. Harrison Ford plays the psycho superbly, and Michelle Pfifer plays the inquisitive wife very well. The reason I give this movie a 4 instead of a 5 is because of some elements happening too many times. The door opens mysteriously a few too many times, and, although most of the bathroom scenes are good, there are too many scenes set there. Otherwise the movie is very good, and worthy of a rental or might even warrant a purchase, if you like to watch movies again and again like me.
Rating: 
Summary: CHILLING AND SUSPENSEFUL
Review: Norman and Claire Spencer (Harrison Ford, Michelle Pfeiffer) are a happily married couple whose lives are about to change. Settling in a new home, and coming to grips with her daughter going off to college, Claire, will begin to see ghostly images, and hear voices...this will escalate to doors opening, computers turning on by themself, and horrifying personal messages. At first, Claire, attributes these things to stress, but when they become all too-real she begins investigating the clues that are being given to her. It seems the disappearance of a young girl (the beautiful Amber Valletta) who bears a striking resemblence to Claire, is somehow connected to this family, and her ghost will not rest until until someone pays for their sins. "What Lies Beneath" is a superb shocker, that grabs the viewer immediately and pulls them on a 2 hour ride of supernatural thrills and chills. Although the trailer gave away more information than it should have, I will not...leaving all the shocks intact in the film. Great acting, great scares, and great direction make for a very entertaining movie experience. Nick Gonnella
Rating:
Summary: Good scary fun
Review: I thought thi smovie was pretty good. I didn't really like how Harrison Ford played a cheating husband but that didn't bother me too much, I guess I am just to use to seeing him as Indiana Jones. The movie was actually very scary and if your looking to get a rise from your girlfriend than this is definitly the one to get. The ending is worth seeing the movie for.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Movie
Review: I saw this movie in the theater when it first came out and I was extremely impressed. If you are into thrillers that keep you entertained and constantly wondering what will happen in the end this is a great movie to buy. You may want to rent it first - - but by no means because of it being a bad movie, this would be just to see if you enjoy it enough to add it to your movie collection and if you will watch it enough to make it worth your money. What Lies Beneath is definitely creepy and the actors are wonderful. I recommend that everyone see this movie!!
Rating:
Summary: WHAT LIES BENEATH
Review: I love scary movies but I'm only 14 so there's not much out there for me because everything is rated R! This movie was the BEST!!! I couldn't stop screaming throughout the theatre! I couldn't stop talking about it for weeks! I was also accompained by my 11 year old cousin who loved it as well! It kept me on edge during the whole movie! I hope my review has helped you!
Rating: 
Summary: What lies beneath? Utter Boredom
Review: Come on! a "non-stop thrill ride" maybe if you are a member of an undiscovered tribe deep in the jungle... or maybe if you have been dead for a hundred years and have never seen a "talkie" before. This movie, apart from being derivative and MIND NUMBINGLY BORING, is so predictable that it had us going "... and his eyes open!", "... and he's in the back of the truck!", "... and it's only the dog!" about a minute and a half before the lame, predictable, cheap, non-thrill occurred on-screen. There were virtually NO special effects, which can at least make a big waste-of-time movie watchable. And, I will admit I am usually a complete dullard when it comes to guessing the "twist" in movies (i.e. had no clue about Sixth Sense) but I had this stinker figured out in about 15 minutes. Save your money, and remember Time is something one can never get back.
Rating: 
Summary: Ho Hum
Review: A boring movie containing nothing which hasn't been done before and more capably. The story moves at a snails pace, the "scares" are about on a Scooby-Doo level and the action is almost non-existent. On the commentary-early on, the movie is compared to Hitchcock--what chutzpah! Harrison Ford has some secrets and Michelle Pfieffer has the usual suspicions coupled with paranoia-not to spoil the "mystery"-but the plot becomes clear about an hour before the movie reaches it's uneventful conclusion. Harrison Ford plays a different role than most of us are accustomed to-but the movie is still poor. Rent it if you must--but I wouldn't recommend buying it. This is the most boring movie I've sat through since "Magnolia"
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