(Review originally written at 30 March 2008)
How can this movie be even regarded an horror movie? It lacks some serious tension and scares and even though this movie is made in a typical horror movie style, this just is no horror movie. This was a real disappointing thing to me and definitely surely more was to be expected from a movie based on a Japanese horror movie, that however, as it seems, is just as much of a lackluster as this movie is.
This movie jumps all over the place with its story. The one moment it's some pure drama and the other it tries to include some horror elements but it just never pushed through. It's like they trying to head into a certain direction at times but then suddenly stop and say; 'Nah, this is not going to work, let's try something else now'. It to me made this a pretty inconsistent movie to watch. Also the story its time-line and the way it progressed just didn't seemed right to me. The movie at times makes some sudden jumps with its scenes and it often feels like 2 or 3 scenes are missing from the movie at times. It really doesn't makes this movie a satisfying one to watch.
But no, I still can't rate this movie really low, since it's definitely a good looking one with also some great actors in it. Even though it's a real lackluster, it's not a movie I hated watching or anything. The movie just left me hungry for more all the time, for something that just never came. The movie is like one big build up to absolutely nothing.
It's fair enough to say that the actors are the ones that keep your interested throughout. Jennifer Connelly is a true great, already Oscar winning, actress. But also the supporting cast seems pretty amazing, considering the type of movie this one is. It features acclaimed actors such as John C. Reilly, Tim Roth, Dougray Scott, Pete Postlethwaite and Camryn Manheim in its supporting cast. A cast most in Hollywood would be jealous about.
So this is not really an horror, does that mean that this movie should be regarded as just merely a drama? I don't think so. As a drama this movie in its core might be solid but with all of those 'supernatural' elements thrown in, you just can't really regard this movie as a serious drama attempt. The movie got also made too much into a typical distinctive horror movie style for that.
A good looking movies that follows all of the usual Japanese horror remake steps but only forgets about its tension and scares. I even prefer "The Grudge" over this, at least that one had still horror elements in it.
6/10
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