Skip to main content

The Grudge

STORY: A detective investigating a murder encounters a haunting mystery.

REVIEW: Although this reboot of the 2004 US remake of ‘Ju-On: The Grudge’ builds on the mythology of the Japanese horror franchise, it introduces new characters and new ghosts. The story begins with Detective Muldoon (Andrea Riseborough), who is called in to investigate a murder. The detective is a single mother, raising her son by herself. She begins to encounter increasingly odd circumstances, and Muldoon soon realises she must defend her son and herself from inexplicable supernatural forces.

Screenwriter and director Nicolas Pesce seems to have some exciting elements to play with. He establishes multiple, overlapping storylines that make for an intriguing setup, as different families are affected by the grudge. But his ambitious ideas can’t take off due to a stunted screenplay. Eventually, we barely spend any time getting to know these families, so their fates don't quite matter. This proves to be the film's undoing. Even though the cast is certainly game, with some talented people putting in ample efforts to make their respective characters resonate with the audience. Of note are John Cho and Betty Gilpin as Peter and Nancy Spencer, a young couple into the real-estate business, looking to start a family. On the other end of the spectrum, Frankie Faison and Lin Shaye as William and Faith Matheson respectively, are struggling with age-related disorders. But character development is a lost cause with such a muddled plot.

The film’s prime focus is on delivering constant spooks. Irrespective of whether you fall prey to the numerous jump scares or not; you can't help feeling there could be more than mere audio-visual shocks. However, all opportunities to instil any psychological fear are repeatedly squandered. What’s left is a mishmash of potential ideas that are unexplored because of the need to pander to horror fans. Despite a haunting tonality that’s faithfully maintained throughout, ‘The Grudge’ is likely to leave most viewers unsatisfied.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kuthiraivaal

  Kuthiraivaal Movie Review:  Manoj Leonel Jahson and Shyam Sunder’s directorial debut Kuthiraivaal brims with colours and striking imagery. This is apparent as early as its first scene, where its protagonist Saravanan alias Freud squirms in his bed, suspecting a bad omen. As some light fills his aesthetic apartment wrapped with vintage wall colours, his discomfort finally makes sense—for he has woken up with a horse’s tail! The scene is set up incredibly, leaving us excited for what is to come. But is the film as magical as the spectacle it presents on screen? Kuthiraivaal revolves around Saravanan (played by a brilliant Kalaiyarasan) and his quest to find out why he suddenly wakes up with a horse’s tail, and on the way, his existence in life. Saravanan’s universe is filled with colourful characters, almost magical yet just real enough—be it his whimsical neighbour Babu (Chetan), who speaks about his love for his dog and loneliness in the same breath, or the corner-side cigar...
1 comment
Read more

Maaran

Even as early as about five minutes into Maaran, it’s hard to care. The craft seems to belong in a bad TV serial, and the dialogues and performances don't help either. During these opening minutes, you get journalist Sathyamoorthy (Ramki) rambling on about publishing the ‘truth’, while it gets established that his wife is pregnant and ready to deliver ANY SECOND. A pregnant wife on the cusp of delivery in our 'commercial' cinema means that the bad men with sickles are in the vicinity and ready to pounce. Sometimes, it almost feels like they wait around for women to get pregnant, so they can strike. When the expected happens—as it does throughout this cliché-ridden film—you feel no shock. The real shock is when you realise that the director credits belong to the filmmaker who gave us Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru, that the film stars Dhanush, from whom we have come to expect better, much better. Director: Karthick Naren Cast: Dhanush, Malavika Mohanan, Ameer, Samuthirakani Stre...
3 comments
Read more

Mehandi Circus

                   In Mehandi Circus, romance is in the air. Somewhat literally. For, the hero and heroine fall in love to the sounds of Ilaiyaraaja songs and Yeh Raatein Yeh Mausam from Dilli Ka Thug. The guy is Jeeva (debutant Madhampatti Rangaraj, not-so-expressive), who has a music cassette shop in Poompaarai, Kodaikanal. The girl, Mehandi (Shweta Tripathi, impressive in her Tamil debut) is a performer in a circus that has come to the place. Mehandi’s father (Sunny Charles), who also runs the circus, is wary of encouraging this relationship, for Jeeva’s father, Rajangam (Marimuthu) calls the shots in the village. Rajangam is also casteist, so much that he will not even let a worker enter his living room to talk over the phone to his mother, who is critical! While the framing device, involving Mehandi’s teenage daughter, Nisha (Pooja), who comes in search of Jeeva, of Mehandi Circus, is set in 2010, much of the film happens ...
2 comments
Read more