Shyamalan-produced mystery drowned in a shaky story and uninteresting characters

Despite the mixed directorial career he has had over the decades, I have always considered myself a fan of M. Night Shyamalan. Some of my favorite movies were created by filmmakers, such as 2002’s wondersWhile I have also enjoyed a number of his projects, the majority of moviegoers have not (Lady in the water, Glass, Knock in the cabin). The latest project he is attached to is Caddo LakeA Max original that serves as his third producer credit for a movie he didn’t direct. Regardless, his name was attached an anticipatory moment to watch the movie.

Caddo Lake is written and directed by Celine Held and Logan GeorgeBest known for their acclaimed drama Topside. The film follows two characters: Paris (Dylan O’Brien) – a young man who was sequestered from society after a car accident that resulted in the death of his mother – living near Caddo Lake in Louisiana, and Eli (Eliza Scanlen) . A rebellious, restless young girl seeks to learn more about her past. While the couple’s stories seem to be at first, the disappearance of Ellie’s stepsister, Anna (Caroline Falk), results in their lives converging around her disappearance and the mysteries of the lake.

The interesting mystery of Caddo Lake dries up without intriguing characters

But the entire cast delivers spectacular performances

Like many other movies with Shyamalan, Caddo Lakes mystery offers a winding path for Paris and Eli to explore, as both seek separate truths surrounding the title location. O’Brien and Scanlen’s performances stand outEverything from their facial expressions to the way they deliver dialogue shows the pain and fear both feel from their situations. Lauren Ambose is also great as Celeste, the Yellowjackets Alum portrays a panicked mother searching for her lost daughter with an expert level of intensity. Eric Lange’s performance as Ellie’s stepfather, Daniel, also helped strengthen her character with their complicated family dynamics.

Unfortunately, these strong performances are paired with shoddy character writing, which never makes Paris and Eli intriguing beyond their status as the protagonists. Paris in particular was underutilizedWith the beginning of the film offers a complexity through the loss of his mother which is muted as the film progresses. Although Ellie often feels like the true main character, since it is her stepsister who disappeared, her characterization is not as gripping as it could be given the layers of complexity hinted at in the movie.

Because Caddo Lake is a mystery movie, the core focus of the film is on what happened to Anna and why she disappeared. But without interesting characters to drive the story forward, the intriguing elements of their – admittedly creative – investigation fall flat. In the case of Paris, His involvement in the story doesn’t start to feel important until close to halfway through. The film needs better moments to telegraph reasons for us to care about its characters and what motivates them to make their decisions later in the story.

Despite an interesting premise, Caddo Lake ultimately botches its delivery

Confusing character decisions make for a frustratingly boring watch

in a particular moment, Caddo Lake Pulls back the curtain to reveal the meat of the mystery, offering a new perspective on Anna’s disappearance. But, much like The Watchers‘ Big Twist, another Shyamalan-produced project this year, The mystery feels less effective from this point on in the story. This leads to a series of events that are more like bullet points than moments driving the story or characters forward, dulling some of the more positive elements of the first half of the movie.

This includes some confusing character decisions that felt like they existed simply to explain the details of the mystery to us, except for one ridiculous decision made by Paris that was so illogical, it seemed to happen because there was no other way to convincingly step down. The purpose of the story afterwards. The movie stops being fully developed by this point, instead the mystery acts as a vehicle for events to happen without much repercussions.

Although there are interesting ideas to develop his mystery better, Caddo Lake falls flat due to its underdeveloped characters and a story that grows less engaging the longer it drags on. While stellar performances balance out its disappointing attributes, they aren’t enough to save the movie from being a boring, sometimes plodding story about a mysterious disappearance. Although hints of Shyamalan shine through here, the movie is simply not worth recommending, even to the most ardent fan of his work.

Caddo Lake Will be available to stream on Max on Thursday, October 10. The film is 99 minutes long and rated PG-13 for some disturbing/bloody images, thematic elements and brief strong language.