March 25th, 2008 By Robyn Oglesby
Movie Review: Shutter
In Shutter, a pair of newlyweds, Ben (Joshua Jackson) and Jane (Rachel Taylor) move to Tokyo, Japan shortly after their wedding. Ben has taken a photography job with a large company where one of his friends works. Throughout the film, Ben and Jane start experiencing strange phenomena, which Jane believes to be tied a car accident shortly after they arrived in Japan. The events Ben and Jane experience lead them to investigate the life of a girl who appeared in the middle of the road causing the car accident.
Shutter is a remake of a Thai film made in 2004 by the same name. And while it certainly isn’t the best horror movie I’ve ever seen, it does qualify as decent. I felt pretty uneasy throughout the movie once the action got rolling. I even jumped a couple of times. One of the creepiest elements of the movie was ‘the girl’. She was reminiscent of the girl from The Ring. However, she had a lot more screen time then The Ring’s girl.
I was actually intrigued by the plot device used for the ‘horror’ element. Ben and Jane begin to see streaks in their pictures that they pass over at first as ruined film. When Ben’s assistant sees them, she refers to them as ‘Spirit Pictures’. The explanation in the movie discusses how an intense emotion can tie a spirit to a person and can sometimes appear to them when picture are developed. After the completion of the film, I was interested in this concept enough that I did a quick search online. I did discover that this is a real idea and not just something thought up by the movie’s writers. Most spirit photos are either faked or can be explained scientifically, but to me, it’s still intriguing.
I’d recommend this movie to any horror fans. I think it will be most appreciated by those who are fans of the genre. Others may just see it as a waste of time. It is a little on the gruesome side, showing some violence and blood, but it’s pretty tame. One more fun fact of this movie. Fans of The Office, Heroes and Nip/Tuck will see cameo appearances by some regular cast members of those shows. Not too surprising. What else did they have to do during the strike?
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zrx1200r
March 25, 2008 @ 11:33AM
I have the original in my Netflix queue. It’s rated fairly high, I believe; but I have doubts the remake/copy/revision will live up.
I am disappointed with the number of Hollywood remakes of Asian horror movies—The Ring, The Grudge, Pulse, The Eye, (and I read they’re remaking A Tale of Two Sisters). But I’m also tired of the cliche long-haired girl.
If you want to see a creepy movie, check out Reincarnation, a Japanese movie by Takashi Shimizu (director of Ju-On (which became The Grudge)).
Robyn
March 25, 2008 @ 02:14PM
Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll have to give that one a try.
christine
March 25, 2008 @ 09:46PM
a tale of two sisters was good. i would be scared of an american remake though.
suicide club (Jisatsu saakuru) is also very good.
zrx1200r
March 25, 2008 @ 11:42PM
i, too, am worried about the remake. i’ll watch it eventually. but the original is strong, creepy, and has a tense plot.
i have Suicide Club in my queue as well.
not a foreign film, but have you seen Fido? hilarious and poignant zombie movie.