68
Metascore
21 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxIf one masterpiece were to emerge from the recent glut of generally good quality Japanese horror movie, this chilling apocalyptic ghost story from Kyroshi Kurosawa is it.
- 90The New York TimesAnita GatesThe New York TimesAnita GatesThe most horrifying thing in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's fiercely original, thrillingly creepy Pulse (released as "Kairo," or "Circuit," in Japan) is the way the ghosts move.
- 80The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasStorytelling clarity has never been a Kurosawa strong suit, yet Pulse baffles even under those standards, so it's best to just get on his abstract wavelength and ride the thing out.
- 75New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoPleasantly free of blood and guts, with Kurosawa using instead the mighty power of suggestion to give Pulse an invigorating aura of menace.
- 75Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversJust know that Pulse possesses the dark art to make your pulse pound and your hair stand on end -- with no cheating.
- 70VarietyDerek ElleyVarietyDerek ElleyResult is always watchable, occasionally creepy and teasingly pitched halfway between a genre riff and a genuine scarefest.
- 60Film ThreatStina ChynFilm ThreatStina ChynA horror film that scares you to insomnia is good in the sense that it succeeds in what it sets out to do.
- 60Village VoiceJ. HobermanVillage VoiceJ. HobermanWith very few strong characters and a great many middle shots, Pulse sometimes plods--it's the price of Kurosawa's restraint and his indifference to structure.
- 58Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanNothing in the two snail-paced hours of Pulse makes close to a shred of sense?
- 50New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanPulse works as a hypnotic meditation on contemporary alienation. Traditional horror fans, however, will search in vain for signs of life.