Shutter seemed like a promising horror flick. I saw The Grudge (American) when it came out and thought it had something to offer my kind of crowd, the college moviegoer. I was expecting for this film to have the same effect. Unfortunately, I think that the best thing about this movie was the trailer, and after finding out that this was a remake, I have to ask why was this movie even made? Was it only made because we can't read (subtitles) and watch at the same time?
Without seeing the original, I can only guess that it is better. The Shutter remake had all the potential to be a great scary movie. It had the creepy music, lighting, and ghosts. It also had a very interesting theme of incorporating a vengeful spirit into photographs that definitely worked better than the whole "noise" concept of the movie White Noise. (Shutter remake is definitely better than White Noise.) However, the concept was not original to this film, and therefore, they really didn't need to remake a movie so soon after the original (if at all). The effects in this movie were probably a little bit more enhanced, but it's nothing I haven't seen before. They definitely weren't on the level of The Grudge (maybe budget constraints?)
I don't think the actors and actresses stood out at all in this movie. You'll think Rachel Taylor is beautiful and Joshua Jackson plays his part well, but they're just blah. Their chemistry is blah. Their performances are blah. You could replace them with another actor and actress, and it wouldn't make a difference.
I just felt like they could have done a lot more. It didn't scare me nearly as much as I would have liked it too. It was enjoyable to a point, but my friend and I both had to ask, was that it? I thought the ending was a bit contrived, maybe because I already gathered everything I needed to know from the trailer so the "twist" was just as predictable as everything else. They needed to do a lot more with Joshua Jackson's character in my opinion to put this movie over the edge, and they failed to do that.
So basically, this film will scare the younger crowd. In fact I think that's why it's PG-13 rated to get kids in the theater and make a buck. It's not going to do anything for anyone who is wanting something more than The Grudge. It'll creep you out a little but its style and concept is predictable and nothing new.
Overall, 6/10 for me for its average horror movie appeal.
Without seeing the original, I can only guess that it is better. The Shutter remake had all the potential to be a great scary movie. It had the creepy music, lighting, and ghosts. It also had a very interesting theme of incorporating a vengeful spirit into photographs that definitely worked better than the whole "noise" concept of the movie White Noise. (Shutter remake is definitely better than White Noise.) However, the concept was not original to this film, and therefore, they really didn't need to remake a movie so soon after the original (if at all). The effects in this movie were probably a little bit more enhanced, but it's nothing I haven't seen before. They definitely weren't on the level of The Grudge (maybe budget constraints?)
I don't think the actors and actresses stood out at all in this movie. You'll think Rachel Taylor is beautiful and Joshua Jackson plays his part well, but they're just blah. Their chemistry is blah. Their performances are blah. You could replace them with another actor and actress, and it wouldn't make a difference.
I just felt like they could have done a lot more. It didn't scare me nearly as much as I would have liked it too. It was enjoyable to a point, but my friend and I both had to ask, was that it? I thought the ending was a bit contrived, maybe because I already gathered everything I needed to know from the trailer so the "twist" was just as predictable as everything else. They needed to do a lot more with Joshua Jackson's character in my opinion to put this movie over the edge, and they failed to do that.
So basically, this film will scare the younger crowd. In fact I think that's why it's PG-13 rated to get kids in the theater and make a buck. It's not going to do anything for anyone who is wanting something more than The Grudge. It'll creep you out a little but its style and concept is predictable and nothing new.
Overall, 6/10 for me for its average horror movie appeal.