The Grudge 2

Director: Takashi Shimizu
Cast: Amber Tamblyn, Edison Chen, Ariel Kebbel, Sarah Michelle Gellar
Genre: Drama/horror/mystery/thriller

Takashi Shimizu is back with the sequel to his 2004 hair-raising adaptation of the Japanese frightener, Ju-On:The Grudge. After the Saeki house is nearly burnt down, the dreadful curse is released from its confines and terrorizes those who cross its path.

The movie follows three main storylines. It starts with three Tokyo schoolgirls, who upon a thrilling dare to enter the afflicted house, are exposed to the dreaded curse. The main storyline is that of Aubrey Davis (Tamblyn), flying to Tokyo upon their mother's request to bring her sister, Karen (Gellar) home. And to show how far the curse has gone, an American family in Chicago is included in the fray, revealed to be the unfortunate neighbors of the only survivor of the three teenagers. All unsuspecting, they are bounded by the sama fate under the baneful wrath of the curse of the grudge.

The movie is a bag of mixed reactions. The acting could not have been blander. The jump-out-of-nowhere surprise scenes save this movie by making the acting forgettable. Most noticeably is that of Edison Chen, an MTV Asia VJ, he should probably stick to his day job. His character, Eason, fails to establish credibility and his motives and purpose as regards to the Davis sisters are never clearly defined. Tamblyn's character on the other hand is not built up as someone that the audience can feel much emotion from, seemingly floating at times without a real sense of direction. Other characters not on the billing may easily be considered minor and mere victims.

On a higher note, the movie succeeds in making the sequel better than its predecessor. Its psychological twists leave the audience with more to ponder, while its exploration of the dark secrets and origins of the supernatural curse answers some questions arising from the movie series. It's a worthy watch if you enjoy mystery thrillers. Even though you haven't watched the first one, the story is still easy to follow. The best part of this movie - what causes Kayako's throaty "death rattle" is finally revealed.