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21 out of 21 people found the following review useful: Nothing very new, but not bad., 25 January 2004 Author: JM Rocher (jmroc) from Tokyo, Japan
The biggest problem this film has is that everyone's first impression of it is "Ringu (1998) with a cell phone". While understandable, it's not really a fair assessment. While both deal with spirits using modern technology to exact their revenge, Phone is more a story about personal betrayal and revenge that uses the supernatural as a means of exposing the actions of the living characters. It's not really groundbreaking, but overall I found it to be a very enjoyable film.Special recognition, in my opinion, should go to Seo-woo Eun, who played Yeong-ju. The kid has a definite talent for looking creepy.
17 out of 19 people found the following review useful: Genuinely creepy, 7 February 2005 Author: steve_b33 from poole
Become a major fan of the Tartan video/Asia Extreme movies of late - from the more better known movies like Ring,Dark Water and Ju-On to the more obscure but equally satisfying films like A Tale of Two Sisters and this Korean movie is another fine example. Ji-Won-Hau plays Ji-Won whose story about several men indulging in under-age sex has resulted in them being sent for trial - she is being stalked by one of them so changes her mobile to avoid his abusive calls.As a consequence she begins to receive even weirder calls that she finds really distressing. One of her friends suggests she moves into the house they are renovating to get some peace which she does but all this does is intensify her fears. Her friend Ho-Jeong(Ju-Me-Kim) has a little girl Yeong-Ju(See-Woo Eun) who answers one of the calls and begins to act very strangely indeed.At first this is put down to part of growing up but as begins to exhibit hostility to her Mother and an unhealthy obsession with her Father Ji-Won becomes increasingly concerned.Her anxieties are heightened when she discovers that several people who owned the phone before her have died in mysterious circumststances and this seems to be linked to the disappearance of a local schoolgirl - how this all works out I shall leave but its a very effective film. For obvious reasons it has been dubbed as Ring on a mobile ,but although it does share certain elements with that the way the plot works out makes it distinctive on its own. Some very creepy moments but what lifts it is See-Woo-Eun as the little girl who appears to be possessed - its a very disturbing performance - forget Linda Blair and the green vomit - this kid is genuinely scary in ways that kids her age shouldn't be....it takes the film into a new area.....and one that will haunt you for some time.....and you will never listen to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata in the same way ever again. I can't put my finger on just what makes these Asian movies so effective but with so much dross coming out of mainstream Western cinema these are a haven for people who really appreciate first rate movies.Highly recommended.
13 out of 15 people found the following review useful: VERY Good!, 4 February 2005 Author: Gafke from United States
Ji-Won is a young and ambitious reporter, whose recent articles about underage sex rings have made her more than a few enemies. When she begins receiving threatening calls on her mobile phone, she changes the number and moves into the house that her sister and brother-in-law are currently not using. On an excursion with her sister and young niece one day, Ji- Won's phone begins to ring. When her niece Young-Ju answers it, she begins screaming and crying hysterically. At first, Ji-Won thinks perhaps one of her stalkers got her new number, but when she answers the phone herself the next time, she hears the enraged voice of a teenage girl, screaming incoherently. Ji-Won begins suffering from horrific and realistic nightmares, in which a young girl with a ghost white face and very long hair plays Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" ceaselessly on the piano. Worse, Ji-Won's young niece Young-Ju has begun acting very oddly since answering her phone. The girl (who looks to be about 5) becomes fixated on her father and resentful of her mother. The normally angelic child is having violent outbursts of rage, cussing and injuring herself. Ji-Won soon becomes convinced that a ghost is to blame. When she traces her new mobile number back to the two previous owners, she discovers that they both died under strange circumstances. As Ji-Won digs deeper into the past, she slowly unravels the story of a disturbed schoolgirl named Jin-Hee and her obsessive love for a mystery man..a man who was given the now infamous mobile number by Jin-Hee herself. This Korean ghost story bears similarities to its popular Japanese predecessor "Ringu" but also to other such films as "Memento Mori" "Dark Water" "What Lies Beneath" and "The Exorcist." It is a strong, well-cast film with some amazing performances, particularly by the little girl who plays Young-Ju. It is amazing to see this girl, who couldn't have been more than five or six when she did this film, play her role of possessed victim so well, her facial expressions shifting rapidly with every violent mood swing. The story can be dizzily confusing at times, shifting back and forth from past to present with no warning, but always infused with a strong sense of dread and a few humorous moments to ease the tension. It also has a nice twist ending that I truly hadn't seen coming. This is probably one of the better films that followed in the wake of Ringu's success. Ringu is still my own personal favorite, but Phone is strong enough to stand on its own. Fans of Asian horror will not want to miss this one.
16 out of 21 people found the following review useful: A good horror movie, 23 September 2003 Author: TheSciBoy from Sweden
Most of what can be said about this movie has been said by other commenters, but I still would like to put my views forward.The is a horror movie, in the wake of The Ring (Ringu). The main character is a journalist (as in Ringu) who has written a series of articles about sex offenders which has brought down on her some dangerous people who have been exposed in the scandal.When she changes her cellphone number to escape her tormentors she ends up with a number with special significance - 6644. From this point on she ends up getting very weird phone calls and after each one, she experiences increasingly violent visions.The movie is very derivative, this is true. But which horror movie isn't? Dismissing a horror-flick and saying "This movie from 1954 has the same thing" is stupid. You can always find some older work which is similar or even the same. It's no mean feat. What's important in a horror movie is one thing: is it scary? My answer is: it is.I was very skeptical at first and found the opening scene to be almost dull. But the enterprise takes off, most of all with the incredible performance of the little girl who can turn from sweet little angel to devlish banshee on a dime. If for no other reason, go see it and you'll have to agree that she is completely believable as possessed.I also believe that the story is richer if less original than the Ring. It is also a very well made without much special effects or gore. It relies heavily on acting and suspense and does this well.More story than the Ring, less originality. About as suspenseful. I think that if I'd seen the Phone before the Ring I would've liked it more.That's my two cents worth. :) Go see it if you like horror. Don't see it if you're just going to go look for similarities with older movies.
9 out of 10 people found the following review useful: A haunting to remember, 6 August 2002 Author: Thomas Giammarco (giammarcoken@hanmail.net) from Jeonju, Korea
There is nothing subtle about ghost in the movie Phone. No slow build up of atmosphere or gradually letting its presence be known. This ghost is direct, purposeful and terrifying.The first 40 minutes or so of this movie kept me at the edge of my seat and I was more frightened by this movie than I have been in a long time. Unfortunately, once we learn the identity of the ghost and we think we have discerned its motives, it takes some of the impact away. The movie cannot maintain the tension it set up at the beginning of the film and the ending seemed somehow tame compared to the scares of the first half..not to say that it isn't scary..just less so than what came before.I don't want to give away too much before it has been seen by a wider audience, but if you enjoyed Ring or Gawi, you will like this movie as well. A special Kudos should be given to Seo-woo Eun, the little girl who plays Young-ju. While she is possessed by the ghost, this little girl will terrify you with the looks of pure hatred and the aura of menace she generates. She manages to be more frightening without an ounce of make-up than any CGI ghost or squib-soaked demon I have ever seen on screen. Linda Blair, eat your heart out.
11 out of 14 people found the following review useful: Outstanding and frightening horror film, 7 April 2005 Author: ThrownMuse from The land of the Bunyips
Ji-won is a reporter who recently uncovered a kiddie sex-scandal. Now the target of hatred by the allies of those she exposed, Ji-Won finds herself being stalked and harassed via her cellular phone. She gets a new phone, but the malicious calls continue. When her young niece Yeong-ju answers the phone one day, she starts yowling and seems permanently traumatized. When Ji-Won starts seeing visions of what appears to be a ghost, she sets out to determine what the hell is going on with her cellular phone, and finds out that the terror is much more personal than she realized.So there's lots of familiar stuff going on in "Phone." We have a female investigative reporter, the typical female ghost with long black hair, a haunting via modern technology, and jumbled chronology. But this splendid little horror movie is not a rip-off of the effective (but overrated) Ringu. In fact, where many contemporary Asian "supernatural horrors" fail, Phone succeeds. The lead character is admirable and tough as nails, the antagonists are genuinely frightening, the tension is severe, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to follow the non-linear narrative.The story twists and turns to the point of unpredictability but not absurdity. The acting is great, mostly by first time actors. But this movie really belongs to the little girl who plays Yeong-ju. This girl OWNS the movie and the right to the title of "Creepiest kid." She goes from an adorable little kid to a demonic looking imp with wild facial contortions (sans CGI!) that has violent outbursts and tries to snog her father.Some parts of the film are cheesy (after all, it is about a possessed cellphone), but all in all this is a great and rather sick movie. Phone confirms for me that the new wave of South Korea cinema is one of the best places to look for effective horror films these days.My Rating: 8/10.
8 out of 10 people found the following review useful: Nice horror movie, 14 March 2004 Author: PeterRoeder from Lyngby, Denmark
although not quite as good as Ringu or Dark Water - or even Oodhishon - this movie is very interesting and a good horror movie from Korea. The little girl plays enormously well - it is amazing that such a young girl can perform like that. The horror elements are quite good, and the story is pretty good. I wonder why all Asian horror movies contain classical music? Anyway, I really enjoyed watching this movie and I am hopeful that Asian horror will at least stay on this enormously high level which it has achieved in recent years. The ghost story in Phone blends well with the drama, and like in Oodishon, sometimes it is difficult to know what is real and what is not. The lead role is so beautiful. I thought she is very attractive and that might remove some of the horror. Anyway, this movie is not as scary as Ringu or Dark Water. It does contain a few chills though, and I actually had to watch it at daylight because when I saw some of the first scene in the elevator I thought we would see a re-run of the unbelievable terror and ghostly "realism" of "Dark Water". "Phone" is highly recommended! 7/10.
6 out of 7 people found the following review useful: Scary and Consistent Ghost Story, 31 August 2007 Author: Claudio Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
After writing a series of articles about pedophilia, the journalist Ji-won (Ji-won Ha) receives threatening calls on her cellular and she changes her number. Her close friend Ho-jung (Yu-mi Kim) and her husband Chang-hoon (Woo-jae Choi) invite Ji-won to move to their house in Bang Bae that is empty and closed. When the young daughter of her friends Young-Su (Seo-woo Eun) answers a phone call in her mobile phone, the girl screams and changes her behavior, feeling a great attraction for her father and rejecting her mother. Meanwhile Ji-won receives weird phone calls and sees and listens to a teenager playing Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" on the piano. After investigating her phone number, Ji-won discovers that the original owner of the number, Jin-hee (Ji-yeon Choi), had vanished and the two next owners of the number have mysteriously died in unusual circumstances. Her further investigation about Jin-hee discloses that the teenager was absolutely disturbed with her obsessive love for a man that had broken the relationship with her, and later she unravels dark and tragic secrets about the fate of Jin-hee."Pon" is a scary and consistent ghost story that uses elements of many other horror movies but works very well. The association is immediate with "Fatal Attraction" and "Memento Mori" with the obsessive love of Jin-hee; "The Exorcist", with the possession of Young-Su; "Whispering Corridors" franchise with the ghost in the high-school; "Ringu" , "Dark Water", "Ju-on the Grudge" and many other Asian horror movies with the shape of the haired ghost and supernatural situations. The screenplay follows the standard of most Asian horror movies, with non-chronological sequences and a strong twist in the very end. The actresses are excellent and extremely gorgeous, but I was impressed with the performance of the very young Seo-woo Eun, specially after her possession, with her face changing abruptly in many situations. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "O Telefone" ("The Telephone")
3 out of 3 people found the following review useful: Nice supernatural murder mystery, 28 December 2005 Author: bensonmum2 from Tennessee
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Shortly after popping Phone in the DVD player, my thoughts were, "Oh no. Not another Asian long-haired ghost story". I thought it was going to be the same old thing. Since watching, I've read reviews on the internet that complain about the movie being "derivative" or "unoriginal" (if you want to see derivative and unoriginal, check out Ju-rei). And while I agree to a certain extent, Phone has enough twists and turns in the plot to keep it from being just another "ghost with long hair" story. I see it as a murder mystery with supernatural elements. I'll admit that the mystery had me guessing up to the big reveal and the supernatural stuff had me jumping on more than one occasion. While it's certainly not the best Asian horror movie I've ever seen, I was reasonably entertained after a slow start.If the current crop of Asian horror has one thing in common, most all of the ones I've seen are technically brilliant. Phone is no exception. The house where most of the story takes place is visually stunning with a load of atmosphere – a real feat in a modern setting. Sound, lighting, locations, special effects, etc. are all what I've come to expect when watching one of these movies.One area where Phone does not measure up to its Asian brethren is in the acting department. It's not that the performances are bad, but with one exception, no one really stands out. The performances are "workmanlike" at best. The exception is See-woo Eun who plays the little girl, Yeong-ju. And while most of her acting consists of a series of strange faces and growls at the camera, considering her apparent age, it's a solid and memorable performance. Given the subject matter and some of the things she was asked to do, I was impressed.
4 out of 5 people found the following review useful: A bit confusing and meandering, but a success overall, 11 April 2005 Author: Brandt Sponseller from New York City
Ji-won (Ji-won Ha) is a writer who has just published an exposé on men having sexual relations with under aged women. She begins receiving harassing calls on her cell phone, and pegs them to a man whom she sees stalking her. Strange calls continue despite Ji-won changing her number. She also temporarily moves in to her sister and brother-in-law's second home in another town, or another part of the same town. Her young niece, Yeong-ju (Seo-woo Eun), receives one of the first calls--primarily strange noises--on the new number, and shortly after, Yeong-ju begins acting very strangely. At the same time, Ji-won begins seeing ghostly apparitions, and she starts investigating the source of the harassing calls, which leads her to a girl named Jin-hie (Ji-yeon Choi) and her perplexing, frightening story.As you can maybe glean a bit from the above, Phone has a very complex plot--often too complex for its own good. When all is said and done, the story is fairly standard thriller material, albeit with a couple interesting sub genre twists, but director Byeong-ki Ahn and crew do a lot of hedging to get there. There are a lot of subplots, such as the girl in the elevator in the opening scene, and even the male stalker, which are just completely dropped after awhile. Quite a few small scenes remain a mystery. About one half of the way through the film, the Jin-hie thread enters as yet another subplot, but eventually comes to dominate the film. While all of the material is captivating, even if it's a bit derivative, the result is too overloaded for its own good. Ahn had enough material here to fill three or four films, which is what he should have done instead of meandering around for half of this one.On the other hand, the loose threads do help set a mood, and some of them become incorporated in what I called "subgenre twists" above. Even though Phone is eventually pared down into a thriller, Ahn sustains his other elements by making the catalyst behind the thriller plot more complex. There's a possession story occurring at the same time, as well as a ghost story. The possessed party ends up subsuming the stalker, shortly after the "stalker proper" disappears. As it might sound, these enmeshed ideas are not the easiest to untangle and comprehend while you're watching the film, at least on a first viewing, which is all I was able to give it so far. Like much Asian horror, it can help to try to read Phone more like a filmic representation of a dream (more a nightmare), even though in this case, I'm not sure that was the intention.For better or worse, Ahn incorporates many elements that are becoming clichéd in Asian horror. There is a freaky young girl whom other characters come to fear. Water is a ubiquitous, symbolic motif. The antagonist has long black hair, which becomes associated at various times with the water motif/symbolism. There are "spooky elevator" scenes. The horror is fueled by a revenge subtext and is a metaphor for relationship/familial problems (it seems that much horror in Asia is due to a breakdown of traditional modes, or at least the traditional public representations, of relating to others, both romantically and otherwise). Ghosts pop up whom characters do not realize are ghosts. There are scenes showing social dilemmas at a school. A stairway plays a prominent role in the climax. The protagonist is a reporter. And of course, telephones are used as an instrument of the uncanny (perhaps one reason for this is that telephones--and especially in this film, cell phones--are one way that the non-traditional can suddenly intrude into one's life, particularly with unusual communicative modes).Every one of the above elements can be found in at least a few Asian horror films prior to this one, but all since the mid 1990s. If you give bonus points for originality, or if you subtract points for a lack of the same, and you're familiar with a lot of recent Asian horror, you may be more disappointed with Phone than I was. I don't mind derivativeness in general, as long as a film employs its derivative elements effectively. For me, the familiarity of the themes and signifiers actually helped me sort through the plot and enjoy the film more. Ahn may be wearing borrowed clothes, but he wears them well.One of Phone's biggest assets is its cast, especially Seo-woo Eun, who appears to be not more than about 8 years old here. She's simply amazing--Korea's answer to Dakota Fanning. She has to carry much of the film in its latter stages while she plays a complexly layered character; she does so with ease. In fact, the end hinges on a twist that is very difficult to see coming because of the skill of the cast.I was also impressed with the cinematography and the production design. The sets and settings are imbued with symbolism, and even some overused elements--such as the perpetual rain, were given a nice twist when Ahn has it turn into snow instead. A small "flair" accessory can turn those old clothes into something unique, can't it? Like much Asian horror, Phone's more visceral aspects tend to be very understated--this is no Lucio Fulci gorefest. Still, what is present is introduced so it produces maximum impact. The violence, few deaths, and bits of blood that occur are keyed to enhance the drama, which they do extremely well. It's just too bad that the story couldn't have been tightened up more to enable a higher score. But I have hopes that I may like (and understand) the film more on a second viewing.
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