jeez someone kill that guy before his acting kills me
now, i probably wasnt going to like this from the outset
as i dont like 3D movies but i only had the 3D version to watch.
i dont like seeing layers and weird obvious super-imposition
but when i read a terrible pretentious review of this film
i wanted to give it a chance purely to spite it.
thats the kinda gal i am.
people have slated this film for having a ju-on type story line
then slated it for being so different to ju-on in how it was shot.
bunch of tw*ts if you ask me.
i watched this film trying not to compare it to anything else
and if i was pushed i would say parts reminded me a bit of
silent hill if anything. just a non scare me rigid version.
i like surreal films, its why i watch endless amounts of korean cinema,
so i welcome the weirdness. the shock labyrinth i think was meant to be
a little more weird than scarey to be honest. it defintely is not
shot in the same way as most japanese horror films.
and takashi definately took a different route with this movie to ju-on.
the shock labyrinth is shiney and odd in a fantasy film type way
as apposed to the normal dark and creepy horror film sort.
i liked that but just dont like the shiney 3D weird layers and stuff.
the characters in the movie become trapped
inside what is more like a memory loop of time and space,
i think the title and blurb is a little deceptive. its not really a labyrinth at all.
i guess its more of a labyrinth of little miss dead girl's mind
and the group's surpressed memories.
the timeline is confused and folds over itself with past and present being seen
at the same time by both versions of the characters (young and old).
i like stuff like this but for some reviewers it was obviously not what
they were looking for from this film.
the characters are rin (ai maeda - battle royale),
motoki (katsuji ryo - sore wa totsuzen arashi no you ni,
tokyo dogs, battle royale2 etc etc etc his list goes on and on),
ken, yuki, and yuki's little sister myuu. (i havnt seen them in anything i dont think
and i cant be f*cked to look them up)
i dont know whether it was the acting or the direction but something was very off
with this lot. mainly ken - he wound me up so much with his annoying panting
and rediculous "scared" face that just looked like he was trying to count up to
a million in his head while watching invisible sheep bleat random numbers at him
or something.
what the f*ck was he doing with his arms all the time? ^
no-one stands like that you utter d*ck.
the script was a bit... i'll say 'blunt' because i cant really think of a better word.
if anyone is getting a copy of this film instead of buying it beware because
if it is the same as the one i have then the subtitles are sh*t.
its a good job i knew what they were saying and didnt have to read the subs
- but that is what you get when you get a copy im afraid people.
buy the proper one or deal with the sh*t japanglish fansubs.
(if youre gonna make such terrible subs dont hardcode it to the video
so we cant play it witout them)
but still, ignoring the terrible hardsubs, the actual dialogue was a little stunted and
forced. it was just a bit off. again i cant really explain exactly why
but something just felt a bit lame about it.
plot:
years ago when the main characters were children they went into a haunted house
at a theme park. in this house bad stuff happened that they all tried to forget.
yuki turns up on the door step of rin and motoki one day looking like a complete mental
saying she'd been chased and trapped in hospital all these years.
she falls down the stairs and they try to take her to hospital but as they
are walking round the deserted emergency room looking for staff to help them
they realise theyve ended up back in that haunted house from years ago.
its not that difficult to follow but people seem to be having a hard time
understanding the timeline of the movie.
(thats because its supposed to be confusing -
time folding over itself again and again generally is, idiots)
there are all the models from the haunted house everywhere
which do indeed look pretty creepy
and i waited the whole f*cking film for them to come to life
only to get to that point and have ken ruin it by panting like he was in some
low budget porn movie.
(it would have been the best bit of the film if it wasnt for him)
it had the feel more of a western movie.
and maybe something in particular i have seen but cant put my finger on.
i dont think the premis was bad i think there was just something off in the
direction or acting - its hard to tell.
its meant to be weird as in psychosis weird
not ju-on scarey weird. infact, its not really even completely obvious whether
this is ghosty happenings or twisted subconcious happenings or both.
i vote both. but with bad acting.
so go into it thinking it is not like a standard asian ghosty horror film
but more like for teenagers who watch late 90's psycho horror,
then twisted up to make it a bit more like a normal asian ghosty horror would be,
but not too much.
argh that doesnt really make much sense as a description but thats all i can think of.
someone mentioned final destination in a comparrison
but i cant really see it myself. its certainly not like ju-on though.
if anyone says it was, is, or should be, they must be slapped.
(let films be judged on their own merit damn it)
its not that bad i just wish they had someone less irritating as one of the main guys.
actually all of them were pretty annoying. apart from yuki. she was fine.
and sort of dead for most of the time anyway.
i was drawn in by the misleading title
but not completely disappointed by the movie
it was nice to see a japanese horror with this sort of fantasy look
for a change - but it wasnt quite there. i'd like to see some boundries pushed -
if its going to be surreal make it really really f*cking weird.
...and get some less annoying actors.
oh yeah, and why were we suddenly in the woods for the ending credits?
we spent no time in the woods throughout the whole movie.
i dont get it.
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