The Grudge (2004) - Review and Analysis by Jason Pitt for Critical-Film.com

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The Grudge (2004) A film review by Jason Pitt For Critical-film.com   Before I begin my review of the American remake of Takashi Shimizu's ‘Ju-On,' I'd like to explain the history of the series for those who are unaware of the sheer number of films in the series. The series originated with an incredibly effective made-for-TV film in 2000, and was followed by a sequel of sorts, released the same year. (The sequel, appropriately titled, ‘Ju-On 2', was a less than stellar construction, consisting of half an hour of recycled material from the first film, and roughly 45 minutes of new footage.) At the promise of a higher budget and perhaps an increased level of publicity, a theatrical feature was released, titled ‘Ju-On: The Grudge', which kept the basic plot in tact, and was remarkably similar to the original TV films. The theatrical release is one of the most frightening features ever made, and displays how strong a grasp Asian horror directors have on creating suspense and terror. This was followed by yet another sequel, bringing the series total to four.   Sam Raimi is responsible for bringing director Shimizu to America , to helm a remake of his theatrical film, which was in essence a remake of the original TV broadcast(s). The American remake was successful enough to warrant a sequel, ‘The Grudge 2', and a second sequel is also planned. It's worth noting that a second sequel is also planned to the original Japanese series, which would bring the series total to 8 films - each of which is an essential remake of the films that came previous, even to the point of recycling specific scenes. How many times must a film be remade before we say, “Enough.” The series has certainly hit its low with the release of the first American film, which lacks the atmosphere of the Japanese productions, and is without any sort of creativity in its plotless structure.   I really don't want to waste my breath, saying bad things about the film, as I have a lot of respect for Shimizu . I do think foreign directors should stay far away from bringing their projects to America, however, as something is always lost in the translation between countries. It's a curiosity to me that, while the film is certainly a very poor effort, it should have maintained some of the atmosphere of the original films. The central reason the originals were so effective is missing entirely, and the less than stellar aspects, such as the already weak story, are somehow much worse. It's sad to see very inventive filmmakers discrediting themselves by jumping aboard the Hollywood train. Shimizu 's made two terribly ineffective ‘Grudge' films; Hideo Nakata made ‘The Ring 2'; and now the Pang Brothers have made their way to America to direct ‘The Messengers.' Sadly, none of these films have lived up to their makers' potential, and have showed the American population only a fraction of what they're capable of.   There have been few successful horror remakes, John Carpenter's “The Thing,” springs to mind, as well as the remakes of “The Blob” and “Night of the Living Dead.” On the opposite end of things, I can think of countless more that are a waste of time. Recent remakes of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “The Amityville Horror,” and “The Fog” certainly weren't worth watching, neither was the American remake of “Ringu,” (Gore Verbinski's ‘The Ring') and there are countless others. “The Grudge” is among the worst however, as it aspires to do nothing original, and is completely content aping the original films, while bringing nothing new for the audience to enjoy. I can only compare it to Gus Van Sant's atrocious shot-for-shot remake of ‘Psycho.' What's the purpose of recreating a previous work, your own or someone else's, if there's no ambition to insert anything new? The main difference between the two films – Shimizu showed a lack of creativity, whereas Van Sant managed to bastardize one of the finest works of an incredibly respected filmmaker.   I realize this review is hardly specific to the film in question, and is more of a general reflection on the mass of horror remakes… It's understandable, as the films mentioned are seemingly interchangeable, and disposable, without even an attempt at differentiating themselves. Once again, the Grudge is the worst however, as it is an example of an incredibly talented filmmaker failing to live up to even a fraction of his potential. That's Hollywood for you…   (Zero stars)   This review was provided in HTML format, as your browser is not capable of displaying flash content. To experience Critical-Film.com the way it was meant to be seen, please download the flash player from <a href="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash&promoid=BIOW">Macromedia</a>.