Search - The Grudge 2 (UMD Mini For PSP) on UMD for PSP

Gives Too Little Screen Time To Some Excellent Ideas, But St

Stephen B. O'Blenis | Nova Scotia, Canada | 01/09/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Not remotely the same as the Japanese "Ju-On: The Grudge 2", this movie picks up from the same point ("The Grudge" and "Ju-On" were almost identical anyway) but heads off in a completely different direction, with mostly different characters from "Ju-On 2" and different concepts. It's not on par, in my opinion, with "Ju-On 2" but it is a very good movie in its own right, above both the first "Grudge" and the first "Ju-On" and introducing new ideas that beg for further follow-up.

"The Grudge 2" follows three paths - Karen Davis's sister Aubrey (played by Amber Tablyn) journeys to Japan where her sister is hospitilized and ends up drawn into the growing Ju-On curse; two private school idiots trick an insecure classmate into going with them to the vacant Saeki house, where they delight in locking her in a closet - admittedly not believing that the house really is haunted and that their poor prank-victim is about to encounter Kakuro; in an apartment building in the United States, the curse set loose in the first movie has somehow crossed the ocean and begun its hauntings there as well. The three plots end up tied together, but not in the way one might expect.

"The Grudge 2" has a lot going for it, but it's also hobbled by some shortcomings - the same thing seems to happen to all the Grudge movies except "Ju-On 2". Although the good outweighs the bad, the movie is still hampered. One of the faults could conceivably be fixed when the Unrated edition of the DVD is release, assuming it's extended in length. Probably the most interesting plot idea introduced here - a horrifying angle that looks at Kakuro's past and explains why she and her son were, of all the people who die violent deaths, the two who ended up transforming into Ju-On ghosts upon their deaths - is given all too brief play in the movie. This angle deserves more, either in a significantly extended cut of "The Grudge 2" or in a further sequel that makes it one of the main focuses.

Also, and though this happens only briefly, there is a single scene where the generally frightening spirits come off, instead of frightening, as kind of campy; it really put a crick in the movie right when it was building up some tension. Also, you've got three seperate plots (four if you count the all too-brief Kakuro backstory) in a one-and-a-half hour movie - it doesn't need to be extended with a couple of scenes, it needs to be Seriously extended, like at least another thirty minutes. The parts of the movie that didn't really work were because it kept 'cutting to the chase' way too quick instead of developing. A number of characters needed a bit more screen time. Personally, I would have liked for Jenna Dewan's character (I can't recall her name) in it longer, and not just because she's hot (although that's a part of it. This movie has some really nice-looking female cast members) but also because, gathering by what was on the screen, her character seems to get drawn quite deeply into the whole web of the Ju-On curse, but we see only a brief moment of its results rather than developing this point.

It probably comes off like I'm saying that everything that could go wrong does, but that's not it. It's just that we've got a really good movie here, but it could have been better - quite a bit better in fact. If there's more scenes shot, I hope they include them in the extended edition (which apparantly Is going to be quite a bit longer, so that's a good sign). The theatrical edition alone is good; with some of the angles allowed to play out longer it could be great. Even the theatrical cut 'as is' is worth getting though. You may also want to check out 'Ju-On 2', for an entirely different story following up the original events."

Dreadful film

Gogol | England | 04/18/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Having watched the original Japanese Grudge 2 I didn't think it could possibly get worse but nope, the American version even beat that one.

A pointless plot that goes nowhere (The same croaking female ghost with disjointed body movements, the little boy with the large eyes that turns into a cat every now and again and the mad ex hubby thrown in at the end (That is, if you can be bothered to watch that far, personally I was busy tidying up the living room by that time))

For some reason the director of these films seems to think viewers are going to be scared out of their minds by a Japanese woman with large eyes and a hair loss problem which sadly (for him at least) they are not. Not even throwing in a majority American cast (Even though the film is set in Japan) Is going to convince the audience.

Avoid at all costs, there are far better things to be doing with 2 hours of your life."

I thought it was good

Book lover | Northen, Ca | 09/07/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You know I have seen many bad reviews on here about this movie, but I think that it's just so many people today are just so desensitized, and they have to over analyze every frame. It's just ugh.... Will it win a Oscar? no. Is it just a good movie that you can sit back and watch with a bowl of popcorn? yes. Get 1 and 2 or rent them and sit back and enjoy a couple of good movies.

I have also seen both of the original japanese movies and they are really good also."

A lot of potential that it doesn't live up to

R. Gaeta | Joliet, IL USA | 02/12/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The first film wasn't anything special and a little forgettable but was interesting because of some pretty good acting and storytelling. Sarah Michelle Gellar did a fantastic job as Karen in the previous film but it's extremely disappointing to see her role drastically reduced in this film. It's almost as if the producers only wanted her to return because they knew she was a huge draw in the first film, partly because of her dedicated "Buffy" fans.

It's no secret that the character of Karen doesn't last very long and she is her successor is her sister played by Amber Tamblyn. Tamblyn, who turned in a great performance on her two years of "Joan of Arcadia" does the best she can with her character (which has a total of two facial expressions throughout the whole movie: devastated and confused). I suspect it's the writers fault for not giving the character anything to do because she drifts throughout the whole movie not knowing what is going on.

The storyline itself is pretty intriguing. In the first film, the curse of Kayako was contained within the house but in this film it's moving to the outside world. What's intriguing about this storyline fails with all the cutting between different story lines. The secondary characters aren't very interesting and the death scenes are just horrible. They come and go and you can automatically tell from the beginning who will die or live.

The ending of the film is what makes the film better. It probably will leave a lot of people confused or angry by how abstract it is but I think it'll lead perfectly into a third "Grudge", if they make one."