I doubt many are familiar with the 90s family film Magic in the Water. The movie received frosty critical reception and aired infrequently on TV, perhaps due to its confounding plot. Actress Sarah Wayne plays Ashley Black, a young girl who travels with her brother (Joshua Jackson) and workaholic father (Mark Harmon) to a lake in Canada, home of a legendary monster known as Orky. As you might imagine, the young Ashley believes Orky is real; her dad and brother do not.
That’s as much plot recap as I can safely provide. Should I type any more of it, my eyes will permanently cross. Just know the film somehow weaves together lake pollution, Japanese scientists who worship Canadian monsters, and the mental erosion of several grown men that Orky the lake monster possesses.
As an adult, I can acknowledge that Magic in the Water is flawed. The plot is exceptionally muddy, the acting at times stiff and amateurish, and the tone is wildly inconsistent. But nostalgia is like spackle; it fills in the holes. The movie doesn’t fully succeed in its storytelling, but is still worth a watch. It’s a trippy, fun time.
As of this posting, Magic in the Water is available for free on Tubi.
-T.Z.
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