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Grudge 3 (The)
R1 - America - Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (12th May 2009). |
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The Film
 I’m at a complete loss here. Not necessarily for words, but at the simple fact that this film was even made. Haven’t we already passed the point of relevance Japanese horror remakes have to the horror genre? Theirs was a short run to begin with, and the trend hit a nadir before it even had a substantial amount of time to gain real momentum. The kickoff officially began when Gore Verbinski released “The Ring” (2002), a remake of the superior Japanese film “Ringu” (1998). And thus, the trend was born. Each and every single one of these watered-down, U.S. clones, from “The Grudge” (2004) to “Dark Water” (2005) to “One Missed Call” (2008) have all been pale imitations of their imminently more enjoyable Japanese brethren. Now that the theatrical revenue well is dry as a desert, studios are turning to cheap-to-produce, direct-to-video sequels. Unsurprisingly, “The Grudge 3” (2009) isn’t a step in any direction. It’s another limp, lifeless attempt at keeping this much-maligned trend alive. According to the synopsis on the back of the cover, this film concerns Jake (Matthew Knight), the lone survivor from “The Grudge 2” (2006), who is now locked away in a mental hospital. Believing he is about to be killed by the customary creepy female ghosts, Dr. Sullivan (Shawnee Smith) decides to investigate his home in Chicago to figure out just what exactly is going on and if Jake isn’t as crazy as he seems. The funny thing about that synopsis is that it’s incredibly misleading. Without giving too much away, Jake doesn’t spend much time on-screen and Dr. Sullivan is a glorified supporting character at best. The real focus of the film is on Jake’s sister, Lisa (Johanna Braddy), his landlord/her lover, Max (Gil McKinney) and his asthma-suffering younger sister, Rose (Jadie Hobson). The three of them live in an apartment building in Chicago, where Rose begins to see the obligatory signs that something is definitely amiss. I found all three performances to be satisfactory, but none of them shines in particular. I don’t think it’s impossible to find a good cast for DTV horror, but often times actors are hampered less by their limited abilities and more by a poorly written script with little growth room offered. I’m not sure when a pasty-faced, nubile Japanese female became all the rage in horror, but any past impact they had on genre audiences is surely lost at this point. Does anyone even find this stuff scary anymore? I’ll admit that, were I to see of these things in real life, I’d probably be scared half to death. But on film their ubiquity is quickly becoming a running joke which is too often parodied in lesser comedy films. I could go the rest of my life without watching another film featuring a ghostly figure with an unhinged mouth that looks ready to swallow a bowling ball. The only thing that really intrigued me about this sequel was that it was directed by Toby Wilkins. It’s funny that I even took that as a selling point, since I have yet to see his acclaimed indie horror film, “Splinter” (2008), but the praise I had heard was enough to convince me that this would at least be competently directed. And it is, for the most part. I don’t envy anyone who takes the reigns of the third entry in a long overdone horror series, so the fact that Wilkins managed to make this one mildly entertaining is cause for minor celebration. I should note that I’ve never seen either of the previous two films in this series, “The Grudge” (2004) and “The Grudge 2” (2006), but I didn’t think that they were much of a required pre-requisite to understand the gist of this entry. I’d like to think I was right, because my loathing for these needless remakes isn’t giving me the itch to track them down anytime soon. Sequels such as this one are designed purely to exploit younger horror fans that are willing shell out their parents’ hard-earned money for every pathetic sequel a studio can turn out. So, if you fall into that category I’m sure “The Grudge 3” is right up your alley. For those of us with more discerning tastes, well… I’m sure you’ve already kept this one off your radar.
Video
The film’s 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer isn’t terrible, but it definitely does nothing to make the film look impressive or noteworthy. Colors are well-produced, and there is a good amount of detail present, but the overall image is marred with a fairly heavy sheen of grain. I’m so used to seeing DTV horror flicks looking slick and overly-produced that I was surprised this looked relatively sub-par.
Audio
Audio is presented here as a standard English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound track. There is also a French Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound track included. This isn’t anything to get too excited about; the surrounds are given minimal use, but there is some life to them. As expected from most new films, it is a clear track free of any hisses or cracks. Subtitles are in English, French and Spanish.
Extras
Sony has given “The Grudge 3” a rather slim package, with nothing here being of particular merit. Included are a couple of brief featurettes, some deleted scenes and way too many bonus trailers. There are 3 deleted scenes are available to watch separately or together with the “play all” option: - “Catfish, Dogfish” runs for 55 seconds. Max and Rose talk about different types of fish, both real and imaginary. - “Subway” runs for 1 minute and 39 seconds. Max and Lisa talk about potential careers while waiting for the subway. - “Naoko’s Story” runs for 2 minutes and 2 seconds. Naoko talks to Lisa about her past, particularly her sister and mother. “Tokyagoaria” is a featurette which runs for 9 minutes and 45 seconds. The cast & crew talk about shooting a film that takes place in Tokyo and Chicago yet is shot in Bulgaria. They discuss the advantages of shooting there and how they used to location the replicate the film’s settings. “The Curse Continues” is a featurette which runs for 5 minutes and 55 seconds. Director Toby Wilkins and the film’s cast discuss the legacy of the series and how the third film fits into the overall storyline. Their comments are told over behind the scenes production footage. Finally, there are a nauseating amount of bonus trailers: - “Blu-ray Disc is High Definition!” promo runs for 2 minutes and 28 seconds. - “Nothing but the Truth” runs for 2 minutes and 23 seconds. - “The Messengers 2: The Scarecrow” runs for 1 minute and 39 seconds. - “Vinyan” runs for 1 minute and 45 seconds. - “What Doesn’t Kill You” runs for 2 minutes and 32 seconds. - “Boogeyman 3” runs for 1 minute and 19 seconds. - “[REC]” runs for 2 minutes and 3 seconds. - “Anaconda: Trail of Blood” runs for 40 seconds. - “Against the Dark” runs for 1 minute and 4 seconds. - “The Lodger” runs for 1 minute and 10 seconds. - “Red Sands” runs for 1 minute and 19 seconds. - “Resident Evil: Degeneration” runs for 1 minute and 3 seconds. - “Passengers” runs for 2 minutes and 6 seconds. - “Breaking Bad” runs for 1 minute and 3 seconds. - “Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour” runs for 55 seconds. - “Fearnet.com” promo runs for 33 seconds.
Overall
I’d like to think this is going to be the final word from “The Grudge” series, but something tells me we’re going to see a fourth entry whether anyone wants to or not. I wish films this cheap to produce and market had at least some merit, maybe as horror junk food, providing us with just enough sustenance to get through the next 90 minutes of our lives. Sadly, and unsurprisingly, it does not.
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