U.S. Remake
A newlywed couple head to Japan for their honeymoon but they discover they’re not alone on their trip to the East; something is following them, manifesting itself in the pictures they take. Is this spectral girl the ghost of a young girl they struck with their car while driving on a lonely stretch of road or does she have a more personal connection to the couple?
Shutter is surprisingly competent, well-acted and accurate despite moving the film from Thailand to Japan, from Thai Horror to J-Horror. Really, when it comes to Asian horror remakes, this actually stands out as one of the better films. There’s only one small problem, it’s got no heart, it’s listless and uninspired. I can’t honestly say I wasn’t impressed with how closely they kept the film to the original because I was but everything just felt so lifeless. Some may attribute that to the “been there, done that” syndrome but I don’t really partake in that attitude because I’m deeply passionate about Asian cinema and I’m always anxious to see the American remakes, despite being disappointed time and time again.
No, it’s hard to put my finger on but this film just came off so…boring. I could probably hop on the hater bandwagon and whine about the cast, Joshua Jackson specifically, but I’m not going to because Jackson and Taylor were smart casting choices, both can act. Maybe it was Ochiai’s presence as director? Nah, I thought Kansen, Parasite Eve and The Hypnotist were all good flicks. I’m not really sure what made this film so unfulfilling for me but it just didn’t hit the spot, which happens on occasional. It was solid, just not very entertaining. Perhaps I’m wrong and I have contracted the “been there, done that” syndrome and I’m just now realizing it.
Shutter is solid so those of you that haven’t seen the original Thai version, it’s worth checking out but don’t expect the thrills to be thrilling or the scares to be exceptionally scary. It just plugs along with adequate, though sleepy, performances and a ghost girl not unlike the dozens you’ve seen before. There were a few nicely executed sequences but nothing worth purchasing the film to see again.
