Shutter (D- or .5/4 stars)
OK, do I 'really' have to go there and start this review with the obligatory: I shudder to think that anyone will like this move? Or something along those lines? Well, yyyess, I can; because this movie, 'Shutter', a Thai horror remake, directed by Masayuki Ochiai, is THAT bad. A newly married couple moves to Japan & discovers some disturbing images in photographs they develop after a tragic road accident. The bride believes the ghostly blurs are actually the dead girl who they hit on the road. Is she seeking vengeance? Ugh. I wouldn't be rating this so low, except, it's so bland & so un-scary that it pretty much deserves it.
Ben & Jane (Joshua Jackson, Rachel Taylor) have moved to Tokyo; Ben has a promising career there. One night, while driving down a dark forest road, something awful happens. Jane accidentally hits & kills (she thinks) a young woman. A short while after, the couple discovers out that no body was found. Already distraught, things get worse when apparitions of the woman clog up their wedding/vacation/casual photos (whether on new-age cameras, or basic polaroids). Ben thinks Jane is crazy; they argue. But before long, the young woman (named Megumi) breaks-through & has a very personal encounter with Ben in a photo-developing darkroom. He believes now; and hopes that the mystery surrounding her 'true' death will remain unsolved by his new bride. But why? Ugh.
No need for anymore plot exposition because the previous paragraph says it all. And the reveal of the mystery (of her death) is so sick & disgusting, that I have a hard time recommending the film to anyone. On skill alone, the film isn't atrocious. It's theme of 'there's more to fear from the living than the dead', is interesting. Every aspect of the cinematography is atmospheric. It's all appropriately gloomy, gray, clammy, cloudy, & rainy. The unease of being an American in a foreign city (while all this is occurring) is well handled. And the ultimate villain 'does' rightly get what he/she deserves. There IS justice. However ...
... this Asian-remake horror/ghost genre has exhausted itself of original ideas. For instance, how many more pasty faced dead girls do I have to look at? Furthermore, this 80 min. flick exhibits no sophistication. The screenplay plays by its own cheap rules. The dialogue is laughable (Jane asks, 'do the Japanese eat ice cream?'). And the acting is just horrible. Joshua Jackson, what happened to you? And Rachel Taylor? Whoever you are, your blood-curdling screams felt both out of place, & way over-the-top. All of the supposed 'scares' in this film are predictable for about 3 seconds before something happens. All you can do is laugh whenever they pop up (cue the shrill, bombastic soundtrack; which made everything less scary, anyway). I've seen worse films; films that offended my intelligence. But 'Shutter' is quite the lame affair. It's watered-down, hollow, devoid of anything interesting or scary.
Ben & Jane (Joshua Jackson, Rachel Taylor) have moved to Tokyo; Ben has a promising career there. One night, while driving down a dark forest road, something awful happens. Jane accidentally hits & kills (she thinks) a young woman. A short while after, the couple discovers out that no body was found. Already distraught, things get worse when apparitions of the woman clog up their wedding/vacation/casual photos (whether on new-age cameras, or basic polaroids). Ben thinks Jane is crazy; they argue. But before long, the young woman (named Megumi) breaks-through & has a very personal encounter with Ben in a photo-developing darkroom. He believes now; and hopes that the mystery surrounding her 'true' death will remain unsolved by his new bride. But why? Ugh.
No need for anymore plot exposition because the previous paragraph says it all. And the reveal of the mystery (of her death) is so sick & disgusting, that I have a hard time recommending the film to anyone. On skill alone, the film isn't atrocious. It's theme of 'there's more to fear from the living than the dead', is interesting. Every aspect of the cinematography is atmospheric. It's all appropriately gloomy, gray, clammy, cloudy, & rainy. The unease of being an American in a foreign city (while all this is occurring) is well handled. And the ultimate villain 'does' rightly get what he/she deserves. There IS justice. However ...
... this Asian-remake horror/ghost genre has exhausted itself of original ideas. For instance, how many more pasty faced dead girls do I have to look at? Furthermore, this 80 min. flick exhibits no sophistication. The screenplay plays by its own cheap rules. The dialogue is laughable (Jane asks, 'do the Japanese eat ice cream?'). And the acting is just horrible. Joshua Jackson, what happened to you? And Rachel Taylor? Whoever you are, your blood-curdling screams felt both out of place, & way over-the-top. All of the supposed 'scares' in this film are predictable for about 3 seconds before something happens. All you can do is laugh whenever they pop up (cue the shrill, bombastic soundtrack; which made everything less scary, anyway). I've seen worse films; films that offended my intelligence. But 'Shutter' is quite the lame affair. It's watered-down, hollow, devoid of anything interesting or scary.