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Shutter Unrated DVD ReviewThe Producers of The Ring and The Grudge Return with Ghost Shocker
Shutter tells the tale of American photographer and his wife, as they try to survive the wrath of a vengeful spirit, seeking retribution for past misdeeds.
A remake of the original 2004 Thai film by directors Banjong Pisanthanakum and Parkpoom Wongpoom, Shutter follows its North American predecessors, in translating horrific tales of haunting and persecution, and reshaping them to suit Western audiences. In this latest outing, American career photographer Ben Shaw (Joshua Jackson, Pacey from TV's Dawson's Creek) and his new bride Jane (Aussie actress Rachael Taylor, last seen in last year's Transformers) move to Tokyo, Japan, so they can enjoy their honeymoon and start new careers. On their way to their honeymoon, they hit a gloomy looking girl in her nightgown (seemingly standing in the middle of nowhere for the simple purpose of advancing the plot and foreshadow evil to come), causing them to crash. Once they come to, the girl is gone and no trace of an accident remains. How odd. Ben starts on a lucrative contract with a large Japanese conglomerate, which is seeking his services for various photo shoots. Having lived there previously, Ben reconnects with old work friends, while wife Jane explores the city, taking in its sights and rich culture. While perusing some pictures from their honeymoon, Jane notices some unusual light flickers appearing in the background of each pictures, and approaches her expert hubby to check whether this is a defect with their camera. At the same time, some strange occurrences start happening to the couple: creaking doors, otherwordly muffled voices, and so on. How odd things are getting. Soon the newlyweds start struggling to understand and explain why these off occurrences are happening around them, and all pieces of evidence (captured on photo, that is) lead to a former lover of Ben's. Why is this happening? What caused it? Does this amount to enough of a story to support its own premise? You must watch to find out. Just make sure the lights are on. Shutter Follows the Tradition of The Ring and The GrudgeLike most of the original Asian movies they seek to emulate, North American remakes follow the basic recipe for the successful spooky thriller:
Shutter is no different from either The Ring or The Grudge in following these tenets, despite going to great lengths to keep the story cohesive. How successfully it manages this is highly debatable. It's understandable to effectively justify a remake story, by pointing to its clever similarity the original treatment. However, any one who has seen Ringu, Ju-On, or the original Thai version of Shutter, will easily tell you how there's no substitute for an original product. The Cast of Shutter As hard as he tries to pull off a serious face in this fair attempt at a remade thriller, Joshua Jackson doesn't help improve this film in the least. Having appeared in several films since the run of Dawson's Creek ended, none of them amounted to any memorable performance (Mighty Ducks, anyone? Or how about Gossip?). Jackson easily gets upstaged in most scenes by relative newcomer Rachael Taylor, who strikes the audiences as more of an investigative heroine, than a hapless victim. She keeps this ship floating, though most of it is predictably formulaic. You can almost too easily foresee the edited jump cut that soon have you shamefully jumping out of your seat, scrambling to find an excuse to provide to your friends, as to why your nails are inches deep into your armchair. This reviewer recommends watching the original Thai version, if not for comparative reasons, at least to get a taste of true effective horror, no matter what the subject matter. Shutter Unrated DVD: 5.5 out of 10 The Original Thai Version of Shutter: 7.75 out of 10
The copyright of the article Shutter Unrated DVD Review in Horror Films is owned by Dominic Messier. Permission to republish Shutter Unrated DVD Review in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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