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Shutter [2008]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Based on a 2004 Thai horror flick, this surprisingly effective Hollywood remake is actually set in Tokyo. That's where newlywed hubby Joshua Jackson has taken bride Rachael Taylor (Transformers) for an ill-advised honeymoon. They hit a woman standing in the middle of a spooky road, after which all sorts of ghosts seem to emerge from Jackson's camera (he's come to Japan for a fashion-photography gig). Can our plucky heroine, a fish out of water in a confusing city, find the answer to this haunted puzzle? Well, yes, but she won't like what she finds.

Shutter is distinguished by director Mayasuki Ochiai's compositional eye, which favours the empty, creeped-out spaces in which ghosts might dwell. The movie also gets into the phenomenon of "spirit photography," which suggests that the dear departed make their presence known as white flashes in snapshots. That stuff's kind of fun; unfortunately, Ochiai's ear for dialogue is as clunky as his eye is sharp, and Jackson and Taylor are saddled with some truly unfortunate exposition. The actors don't leave much of an impression either, although Megumi Okina (leading lady of Ju-on: The Grudge) is sufficiently spooky as a woman who will not be ignored. --Robert Horton, Amazon.com

They just keep coming, don't they?
Review date: 2008-11-04 Rating: 8 out of 10

How many American remakes of Japanese horrors are there? 100? Nope, maybe even 1000! Even though Shutter is actually quite a good film, it's nothing even remotely original- and when the credits role, you'll be left thinking: 'Why can't filmmakers produce anything original anymore?!?!'

That said, Shutter does manage to bring back some of the creepiness that made the 2004 original so successful. There's been a few little tweaks to the plot and there's been a bit of extra gore added for its new audience. Still though, throughout watching, you'll be haunted by the same annoying question: 'Where did the originality go?'


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Reviews


Something to watch...
Review date: 2008-10-21 Rating: 4 out of 10

Hmm... Erm... started off ok, then went boring for about 20 mins then something happened, then more boredom, then I got into it & started doing the guessing thing. It ended with a teeny bit I didnt see comin. Basically if you're really bored watch it its 'ok'. If you have something better to do then go & do that!

Entertaining but seldom scary
Review date: 2008-10-01 Rating: 6 out of 10

Admittedly, I never saw the original Japanese version of which this movie is a remake, therefore I won't be giving any comparisons between this and the original. Somehow I feel even if I had seen the original, this would have still been as sorely disappointing.

The story is Jane and Ben Shaw, a newly married couple, take off to Tokyo due to Ben's photography career. Things start to get spooky for the couple after they have an accident on the road involving a young Japanese woman. Afterwards, the pictures the couple take begin to show strange white images. While Ben is reluctant to believe that the strange phenomenon on the photographs could be evidence of a spirit, Jane is convinced that they are being haunted by the girl they hit.

The story was good, although I felt it had many elements of previously made Asian horror movies such as "The Ring", "Dark Water" and "The Grudge". The movie starts off well enough but begins to feel very humdrum and boring after around forty minutes.

One very disappointing aspect of this movie is that it rarely gets scary during any point. Although Asian horrors (and their remakes) tend to focus more on story than cheap thrills, usually they manage to deliver the creepiest and spinechilling scenes in the climax - this was one that was a failed delivery.








Not bad evening entertainment
Review date: 2008-09-25 Rating: 6 out of 10

This film is ok! I watched it one evening with some friends. Starts of rather well, new married couple knock down a woman on the road.. strange blur like images appear on their photos. Not as good as The Ring, The Grudge or Dark Water but not too bad. Not very imaginative though and the female lead character who is just newly married is a bit wooden and pensive in her role. Ok to watch if you are boerd!

not bad
Review date: 2008-09-15 Rating: 6 out of 10

Not a bad littler chiller for a hollywood remake. A little predictable of course, as it is in the same ball park as Ring, The Grudge, One Missed Call etc etc, so you can sort of guess what its building up to. All in all though I found it to be quite effective. Two young newly weds move to Japan for the husband (Joshua Jackson) to pursue his career as a photographer. On the night prior to their departure to Japan however, they are driving in the woods late at night, lost and tired, they hit a girl who appears to be standing in the middle of the road. It is from this point that events start to take a sinister turn i.e strange images on the photos, haunting visions of the girl they hit, eerie noises and people being killed off one by one in sinister circumstances. As I said its all been done before in similar films but on the whole I found this to be quite a good, solid eerie story, and with the odd jump here and there thrown in. Not brilliant, but not bad at all.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
David Denman
Rachael Taylor
Joshua Jackson
John Hensley
James Kyson Lee

Creators:
Joshua Jackson (Primary Contributor)
Rachael Taylor (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
EAN: 5039036038423
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2008-09-08
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 82 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2008

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