A horror classic and for all the right reasons. I am a huge fan of this movie and really appreciate what it does. This is my third time watching it and it only gets better.
We follow a group of people all hit by a curse. The curse dose all in it's power to kill anyone who comes into contact with it. It is a pure evil that doesn't discriminate.
The movie can have a cheap feel to it with it's effects, makeup and camera work, but I find this inspirering. It can feel a bit student filmish and it's clear the creators used the budget well. The team clearly had to be inventive with everything and it inspires a guy like me that would love to make a movie myself. The movie is still well done and still works amazingly for me.
The movie is well shot from a camera perspective and creates some iconic frames and moves. It works more like a fly on the wall instead of the chatecters POV. Showing us things we don't want to see that it would scare us. It does this very effectively. There is some wierd camera moves here and there but overall I find it really well shot.
The acting seems good without me having a great knowledge about the Japanese language. The preformances seem good and believable. There is some amazing scream queens in this movie, and the actors that plays the spirits do brilliantly. They stay in charecter and sell the lost spirits really well.
The sets are so well done because they look like the everyday world. They don't look produced like the typical American set, and invites you into peoples homes and something familiar to the viewer. It feels like an intrusion on the private and makes you want to check your hallways a second time before going to bed. The sets are also well thought-out, with details you'll notice after a second watch.
The evil in this movie is pure. It feels pointless to fight it and that it can't be stopped. You feel as hopeless as the chatecters and having an unstoppable evil is dreadful and depressing. The movie shows us all the affected and how they die and the evil seems unstoppable no matter what. Young or old, it doesn't discriminate, it's just evil.
The movie is full of iconic frames and sequences. From the stairs scene towards the end, to the elevator scene, the bed scenes and the wheelchair reveal. All are perfectly made, iconic and scary scenes.
The movie is tied well together but could easily also be wieved as an anthology movie. All the different segments are thier own mini-movie that all are well crafted on their own. No segments feels overshadowed and Works all on their own. The overall ties works great too though and towards the end you learn more and more about the curse.
Now here is probably the hardest sell about the movie but an aspect I liked. The movie is told out of chronological order and can be hard to follow the first time watching. I had problems following the plot the first time I'll gladly admit. But I appreciate watching it the second time and the third, I could apeiciate the movie even more. The movie really helps you to follow it's narrative though. It tells you early on that it's out of order and eases you through the different chatecters and tells and shows you how they are all connected. Don't be on your phone during this movie, pay attention and you'll have an easier time following the narrative.
If you couldn't tell I love this movie. I find it scary, well done and really depressing in it's subject matter. It is an iconic movie for a reason, it dares to do a lot and gets away with it. I would highly recommend it.
