After seeing the film, "Lady in the Water," I can now say, M. Night Shyamalan can be considered one of the best storytellers in Hollywood today.

Not only does he display the ability of picking a normal subject we see in everyday society as his theme while mixing it with a supernatural background, but also he has the patience to develop a story to its fullest extent, as well.

In his past films, Shyamalan has dealt with everything from superheroes to aliens, but then developed the film around issues like divorce or losing one's faith. By doing so, he makes the film more about the subject matter and the people who are affected, rather than the supernatural effect.

With "Lady in the Water," Shyamalan decides to take on the fairy-tale genre, as well as the idea of how all people have their own purpose.

The film is set in The Cove, a run-down apartment complex that features a host of interesting tenants. There is Mr. Dury (Jeffrey Wright), a single father who is an expert at solving crossword puzzles and Reggie (Freddy Rodriguez), a weight lifter and one of the more peculiar characters audiences will see this year.

There are many other tenants who are important to the story, but the most important one is Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti), the superintendent of The Cove, who besides talking with a stutter, has a secretive past that caused a dramatic change in his life.

One night after hearing splashing in the pool, Heep goes to investigate who might be swimming after hours, only to nearly drown in the process. Heep is rescued from drowning by Story (Bryce Dallas Howard), the woman who has been sneaking around the pool at night.

Story is a Narf, a mythical mermaid from a bedtime story who has found her way from her world to ours.

There are problems with this part of the plot because not only do we hardly ever see Story in the pool — which would make the title sort of redundant — but there are no signs that show she would be able to survive underwater.

No fins, no gills, just a set of really blue eyes, pale skin and a fondness for sitting under shower heads.

Heep soon comes to realize what Story is and how much danger she is in — as well as the rest of the complex — as long as she is in this world.

The danger comes from another creature from her world called a Scrunt, a type of wolf that is made of twigs and grass, giving it the ability to blend in with its surroundings. This creature's sole purpose is to destroy Narfs, like Story.

After finding out these details, Heep uses them as a sort of instructional manual to figure out how to protect Story and get her to safety.

Along the way, Heep is somehow able to convince other tenants of what Story is and how they can help out.

This was another one of the problems with the plot because it just seems that the tenants are convinced too easily into believing they have a mermaid in their pool.

The plot may have some holes, but it is the way Shyamalan uses the bedtime story that the characters use throughout the film as a way of exploring the whole idea of a person's purpose that is impressive.

One of the main themes of this myth is finding specific people to perform a task to help save Story. Many filmmakers would see this as just another part of the film, but Shyamalan sees this and uses it to not only show how people act when they are given the opportunity to fulfill a purpose but also as a tool adding the film's suspense.

Many critics have attacked the film for its plot and did not take the time to see what it is trying to explore or how well it is able to incorporate various themes while creating a film that is still thrilling and entertaining.

Shyamalan has also been criticized for casting himself in one of the larger roles in the film, the role of a writer who has lost his way.

Since this film is a much different approach than his other films, it would only make sense Shyamalan has decided to use this film to take on a larger role.

Who better to play a writer trying to find his purpose than the actual writer of the film.

I am not saying this film is not flawed, and I am not saying this is Shyamalan's best film to date either.

But I can say after seeing this film that viewers will not be able to wait to hear what this man will come up with next.