I am sure you are all familiar with how a good book can be ruined by its movie rendition. Well, this is a perfect example of how a good movie can be ruined by its American remake. Sure there are advantages to Hollywood-ification; take a look at the difference in special effects for 'The Ring' and 'The Grudge'. But, in turn, what is then sacrificed is quality in story and plot development, case and point being the American 'Ring 2' involving an attack from possessed deer. Yes... deer.
The movie that inspired this one, 'Kairo' (aka 'Pulse'), had a very complex plot line with real suspense, real attachment of audience feeling, and real take-home messages. The storyline for the new 'Pulse' is something a child could have come up with and is highly reminiscent of a movie released a few years back - 'Dot com'. The whole direction and point of the American version is so far distant from that of the original Japanese that I have no idea why they didn't just separate themselves from it in the first place. Basically, whoever wrote the script had just seen 'Kairo' and thought to himself, "Hey, some of those scenes were awesome! And the way they did this and that? Wow." Twenty minutes later, the script for an 'original' Pulse was created where certain events were directly copied but liberated from all that 'plot' baggage.
Honestly, I cannot find an ounce of merit for this film. Not suspenseful, not scary in the least, and even the effects failed to impress. The action felt rushed, the logic behind everything abandoned for the sake of a 'just go with it', and the message dumbed down so far that even the densest of movie-goers can get smacked across the face with it.
I am not preaching that you should watch the original; just, please, for the sake of America's general intelligence level, do not consider this movie good or clever or inventive. Or good. Thanks.
The movie that inspired this one, 'Kairo' (aka 'Pulse'), had a very complex plot line with real suspense, real attachment of audience feeling, and real take-home messages. The storyline for the new 'Pulse' is something a child could have come up with and is highly reminiscent of a movie released a few years back - 'Dot com'. The whole direction and point of the American version is so far distant from that of the original Japanese that I have no idea why they didn't just separate themselves from it in the first place. Basically, whoever wrote the script had just seen 'Kairo' and thought to himself, "Hey, some of those scenes were awesome! And the way they did this and that? Wow." Twenty minutes later, the script for an 'original' Pulse was created where certain events were directly copied but liberated from all that 'plot' baggage.
Honestly, I cannot find an ounce of merit for this film. Not suspenseful, not scary in the least, and even the effects failed to impress. The action felt rushed, the logic behind everything abandoned for the sake of a 'just go with it', and the message dumbed down so far that even the densest of movie-goers can get smacked across the face with it.
I am not preaching that you should watch the original; just, please, for the sake of America's general intelligence level, do not consider this movie good or clever or inventive. Or good. Thanks.