The Water Man Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

The Water Man Blu-ray Movie Review

Into the woods.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III August 8, 2021

For a movie executive produced by Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo's The Water Man ain't half bad. This is no modern masterpiece and its characters are better than the story they inhabit but, for what it is, it's perfectly acceptable family entertainment that could serve as a young viewer's gateway into even better fare. It has solid fundamentals, as well as a few interesting takes on what's essentially a tween drama with mystical flourishes, which makes The Water Man good escapist entertainment. It may not stick with you for days afterward, but this one will likely hold up over time.

Its story is simple enough, and told from the perspective of creative young 11 year-old Gunner Boone (Lonnie Chavis), an only child whose family has recently relocated to Pine Mills, Oregon. His pregnant mother Mary (Rosario Dawson) has recently fallen ill and is diagnosed with leukemia. His Navy father Amos (David Oyelowo) struggles to connect with the young boy, as dad's prolonged absence during Gunner's early childhood has hampered a strong emotional bond between the two. Nonetheless, Gunner finds escape in drawing comics graphic novels and riding around on his electric scooter, even doing research at a local book shop for his latest story about a detective investigating his own death. Soon, he becomes infatuated with a local legend known as "The Water Man", a powerful magic figure who apparently cheated death and lives somewhere in Pine Mills' expansive wooded surroundings. Gunner even pays a street smart -- or is it forest smart? -- young girl named Jo (Amiah Miller) to lead him to The Water Man, in hopes his mom's illness can be cured. Their journey is full of dangerous encounters, made worse by a slowly-growing wildfire, but the two pre-teens gradually form a bond that might eclipse whatever waits for them at the end of their journey.

Without question, The Water Man's greatest strengths are its characters and performances, with the expansive rural environment of Pine Mills placing a close third. This is a simple story that nonetheless carries lots of motional weight, especially as the small three-person family unit deals with a number of very realistic and well-handled conflicts. It reminds us that we are only guaranteed one life and must cherish our loved ones while they're here, and its somewhat open ending leaves things open for interpretation while at least showing that its main characters are at a much better place than where they started. Gunner and Jo's journey is about just that: the journey itself, not the destination, with their growing bond and suspenseful encounters easily overshadowing the destination itself. Other characters get their own organic development as well: father Amos even forges a nice narrative path, as his stern attitude gradually melts to reveal a fierce love for his son... and hey, that Navy training comes in handy, too. Go 'head, pops!

A few nagging nitpicks keep The Water Man from reaching greater heights, however. There's garden-variety stuff like a few dumb character decisions (announcing you can't swim after you fall into the water?), as well as a few all-too-easy coincidences and bits of clunky dialogue that the kids mostly get saddled with. It takes an awful long time for Gunner's parents to spring into action, with their oddly delayed response -- which includes handing out printed flyers -- making way for a distracting side-story involving local police, led by Sheriff Goodwin (Maria Bello), that delivers almost nothing except predictable family backstory for Jo. Then there's purely subjective stuff, like the fact that Gunner's comics look waaay too good for an 11 year-old. But perhaps the biggest annoyance here is The Water Man's flip-flopping treatment of is mystical elements, which never really gel or resolve themselves is a confident way. To make matters worse, it ends with a family prayer after reminding us that wishful thinking isn't the best way to deal with your problems.

Still, I enjoyed The Water Man a great deal, again thanks to the strong characters and performances. This is pretty good stuff from first-time director Oyelowo (who might be able to do even better with a more polished story), and I'll definitely give it another couple of spins in the future. RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray is a solid effort too, pairing good A/V specs with a handful of worthwhile extras; all told, it's a nice little package at its current sale price.

The Water Man Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Water Man is a good-looking production shot by cinematographer Matthew J. Lloyd, whose other big-screen credits include Spider-Man: Far from Home and 2017's Power Rangers. Obviously The Water Man is much more grounded than either of those two, as its natural surroundings are only occasionally spiced up with a few visual effects -- including a few excellent animated detours, which are detailed a bit more in one of this Blu-ray's bonus features. The end result is a pleasingly intimate production that's very well-lit and peppered with memorable locations, from the Boone family's cozy new home to colder areas like the unforgiving forest and its fiery, dangerous climax. Skin tones are very well-handled, with tactile textures and fine detail to match, while overall color saturation runs mostly muted with occasional vivid highlights and bold color contrasts that keep our eyes interested. As usual, RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray suffers from no major compression artifacts or other digital eyesores, allowing this organic-looking production sufficient room to breathe. It's a fine-looking disc overall, although a true UHD 4K effort would have been nice too.

The Water Man Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Similarly, the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix plays it straight with crisp dialogue, occasionally expansive surround effects, and solid music support that, like its more suspenseful moments, occupies a good portion of the rear channels. Object and character placement are very well-handled, as most solo scenes are given a more ethereal, music-driven presence while conversations with two or more people enjoy a more grounded, discrete experience. It's all par for the course within The Water Man's dual genres of family drama and light fantasy and, while surprising sonic territory is rarely explored, this is a pleasing effort that, in all major areas, gets the job done just fine.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH) are included during the main feature only.

The Water Man Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork and a matching slipcover; also tucked inside is a mini comic book ("The Adventures of Detective Knoxx") that replicates the work of The Water Man's main character, Gunner Boone. Pretty sweet! The on-disc bonus features are good, too.

• The Making of The Water Man (9:13) - A short but succinct behind-the-scenes piece that pairs on-set footage with finished film clips and candid interviews. Featured participants include cast and crew members such as director/actor David Oyelowo, screenwriter Emma Needell, and most of the principal actors including Alfred Molina, Lonnie Chavis, Maria Bello, Amiah Miller, and Rosario Dawson.

• Animation Behind-the-Scenes (9:55) - This brief featurette includes concept art, animatics, uncropped finished artwork, and other imagery created by the animation studio Bent Image Lab and members of its team including animation chief Chel White, animation producer Rebecca Cedeño Wells, lead animators Sam Niemann and Tina Hsu, and more.

• Toronto International Film Festival Q&A (27:06) - This 2020 interview -- recorded virtually for that year's TIFF and moderated by film critic Cameron Bailey -- is essentially a makeshift roundtable session with key members of the cast and crew including director/actor David Oyelowo, screenwriter Emma Needell, and actors Alfred Molina, Amiah Miller, Lonnie Chavis, Rosario Dawson, and Maria Bello.

• Filmmaker Commentary - This feature-length track pairs director/actor David Oyelowo with cinematographer Matthew J. Lloyd; not surprisingly, the end result is an easygoing but informative conversation that balances on-set memories, personal stories, and interesting tidbits with well-placed technical info and other items of interest.

The Water Man Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

David Oyelowo's The Water Man is a fine effort for the first-time director who, along with his co-stars, turns in a solid performance too. That, along with its terrific characters and memorable environment, serve as the film's driving strengths. Lagging behind somewhat is the story itself, with achieves plenty of emotional weight but comes up a little short in its mystical ambitions. It's still a surprisingly solid family film, though, and RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray offers plenty of support with great A/V specs, good bonus features, and a low price tag. Firmly Recommended.