Review of Gothika (2003) by William B — 18 Sep 2010

The first half of "Gothika" is great. John Ottmin's soundtrack combined with Matthew Libatique's cinematography helped create an overall very creepy atmosphere. Halle Berry's acting was great throughout the whole movie.

Robert Downey Jr. was also good; however, he did not have that much screentime. There were a lot of scenes that tried to jump scare you, but none of them worked. There is no gore (with the exception of several cuts on arms, and blood writing on walls), so the movie relies on creepiness alone, and most of that is gone by the second half.

There is a contrived plot twist near the end, and another very obvious (yet still ridiculous) one. There are loads of plot holes in "Gothika", and a rushed and unsatisfying conclusion. However, I still rather enjoyed watching Berry's acting, and the whole dark, creepy tone the film accomplished.