Review of The Grudge 2 (2006) by Jessi B — 08 Nov 2009

Basically an expensive-looking slasher film with ghosts, albeit a watchable, occasionally inspired one. While certainly not without its gratuitous jump staccatos, moments that verge into outright silliness and cheap rehashes from its predecessor, this surprisingly elaborate follow-up features just about as many scares that work about as well as the first one's (take that as a recommendation or warning) and enough new ideas to validate its own existence. Shimizu plays the same booga-booga tricks over and over again without any noticeable drop of enthusiasm, which is rather surprising considering he's pretty much made the same damn film a couple of times. His skill in staging exciting ghostly stalking scenes remains intact, but let's say the novelty factor isn't in its top shape. You know if this is the kind of stuff that creeps you out or not.

Cinematically, Shimizu handles his titular curse on a bigger scale with little difficulty, constantly switching in-between Tokyo and Chicago and still preserving that menacing, oddly exotic atmosphere anywhere his film is set. His picture is lovely to look at even when it's foreboding, thanks to an unusually expressive photography, and Christopher Young's chimingly eerie score is also a nice enough coating. Though he cannot develop all of his characters, he does let a few of the performers inhabiting them shine a little. Kebbel is especially good, and so is Tamblyn-- probably the only cast members with enough screentime to offer some more subtle nuances on thoroughly mediocre writing. The rest, including returning heroine Sarah Michelle Gellar, are stuck in stare-and-look-petrified mode.

Do not mistake my words : this is not a good film, nor it is a very scary movie. But it has parts of a good film and moments of a very scary movie, and in an age of 'let's just film this crap and make some cash', a J-horror sequel with those small but numerous redeeming features is enough to earn a passing grade in my book. The Grudge 2 is definitely not as bad as everyone has made it to be.