Wow, if they were trying to figure out how to turn something scary into something contrived and over-the-top. The American film maker that got their hands on the Grudge series have manage it. It amazes me how a film almost void of blood and gore, basically a story of love and obsession turn into a run of the mill blood and splatter movie of let's just kill everybody. There was a reason for the grudge ghosts existence and once the reason is taken away they should find peace. The end. Not piggyback their way across the world possessing other, why I don't know since they seem to kill fine without possessing a body, just to kill for the heck of it.
By the end of this "why bother to make" movie I wanted everyone dead for being stupid and absolutely useless.
Every scene was contrived only with the next kill in mind. They had a side story of a girl and her boyfriend preparing to go to school that fizzled because the character had no turmoil about making the decision to stay even though she was suppose to be painted as being self absorbed which her brother accuses of later.
You have a hardworking brother that has carried his family since their parents died, raised one sister into college, while raising a sickly younger sister. These are things a person of strong character would do. Yet, they have him to become possess so quickly and easily it's like he was never who he was suppose to be in the first place.
Then they throw in a landlord just to kill him. He's lords over a empty building because no neighbors are looking out the doors and stuff or calling cops in these slum apartments while all this killing is going on.
Then oh yeah, lets throw in a Japanese actress for the heck of it. One that can "Help" them. This is where I nearly turned it off and said screw getting to the end. This woman comes to help this nitwit girl and her sister. She lets her get up to a certain point then decide she don't want to be a part of the ritual. Well okay, but what sister is going to stand there and allow her brother who she don't know is possessed, bully and threaten a woman without following him out of the room to make sure her brother did nothing stupid?! Also, what was the reasons for the Japanese woman to be there wearing, mind you, "Protective robe" only for it to have no affect to save her from the evil ghost? Also with her being who she was and being able to know and see these things...why was she reasoning with the possessed brother as if he was his normal self? She would have been able to see the spirit possessing him. Sigh, did I say stupid?
They weren't even trying to do the subtle scenes that made it creepy in the first place. The child ghost for instance was always a gentle soul that showed up before the grudging souls did in a way to warn them to leave. In this they turn him into a grudging creature also. Since they hit us with flashbacks they obviously remember the original, too bad they felt the need to deviate.
I'm an American fan of the Japanese horror films. I rather watch it with subs than lose the "creepy" effects they are so good at. Mind you movies like this one and The Ring hardly if at all had bloody in your face gore. Most don't even show the actual killing. Just the before and the look on their dead faces afterward were telling enough.
I gave it a two because they are at least consistent with the makeup.
By the end of this "why bother to make" movie I wanted everyone dead for being stupid and absolutely useless.
Every scene was contrived only with the next kill in mind. They had a side story of a girl and her boyfriend preparing to go to school that fizzled because the character had no turmoil about making the decision to stay even though she was suppose to be painted as being self absorbed which her brother accuses of later.
You have a hardworking brother that has carried his family since their parents died, raised one sister into college, while raising a sickly younger sister. These are things a person of strong character would do. Yet, they have him to become possess so quickly and easily it's like he was never who he was suppose to be in the first place.
Then they throw in a landlord just to kill him. He's lords over a empty building because no neighbors are looking out the doors and stuff or calling cops in these slum apartments while all this killing is going on.
Then oh yeah, lets throw in a Japanese actress for the heck of it. One that can "Help" them. This is where I nearly turned it off and said screw getting to the end. This woman comes to help this nitwit girl and her sister. She lets her get up to a certain point then decide she don't want to be a part of the ritual. Well okay, but what sister is going to stand there and allow her brother who she don't know is possessed, bully and threaten a woman without following him out of the room to make sure her brother did nothing stupid?! Also, what was the reasons for the Japanese woman to be there wearing, mind you, "Protective robe" only for it to have no affect to save her from the evil ghost? Also with her being who she was and being able to know and see these things...why was she reasoning with the possessed brother as if he was his normal self? She would have been able to see the spirit possessing him. Sigh, did I say stupid?
They weren't even trying to do the subtle scenes that made it creepy in the first place. The child ghost for instance was always a gentle soul that showed up before the grudging souls did in a way to warn them to leave. In this they turn him into a grudging creature also. Since they hit us with flashbacks they obviously remember the original, too bad they felt the need to deviate.
I'm an American fan of the Japanese horror films. I rather watch it with subs than lose the "creepy" effects they are so good at. Mind you movies like this one and The Ring hardly if at all had bloody in your face gore. Most don't even show the actual killing. Just the before and the look on their dead faces afterward were telling enough.
I gave it a two because they are at least consistent with the makeup.