I think this could very easily have been a 10/10 movie ranked amongst the greatest horrors of all time. However the director appears to have been given slightly too much power. Rather than create a gripping, punchy narrative we instead get an arty conflicting narrative with a "make your own interpretation" ending. The movie is also considerably too long.
I think the movie should have been heavily edited by the producers - it should have been cut down to around two hours. The strongest narrative strand was the one with the female ghost. Parts of the story that conflicted with this should have been altered. The zombie scene for example could have been made to fit with this narrative, it's a great scene though I wouldn't have cut it entirely. Also the photos needed to be explained - maybe the Japanese guy is actually keeping the zombies from returning to life? Then of course we need a punchier ending.
I think it was of dubious taste to insert some Christian themes. There was NO GOOD REASON for the guy to trust the female ghost, a couple of Jesus references in no way can compensate for how suspicious she had behaved previously - she had made the shaman spew blood lets not forget (and the Shaman had appealed to Buddha for help). Lead character has developed some courage and stamina and is no longer just a wimp. He flees home to his family ready to crack skulls. Final battles rages, shaman and ghost are both killed perhaps? Priest character shows up from hospital and helps out too?
OK, so I hear you say - it wasn't suppposed to be that sort of movie.
But the rest of the movie was AMAZING - It could have appealed to EVERYBODY. Entertainment is still what most people are looking for in a movie. It didn't have to entirely make sense, but just make more sense than it did.
.... then in a few years from now, the director could have reduced his own two and a half hour cut of the movie with the interpration ending.
I think the movie should have been heavily edited by the producers - it should have been cut down to around two hours. The strongest narrative strand was the one with the female ghost. Parts of the story that conflicted with this should have been altered. The zombie scene for example could have been made to fit with this narrative, it's a great scene though I wouldn't have cut it entirely. Also the photos needed to be explained - maybe the Japanese guy is actually keeping the zombies from returning to life? Then of course we need a punchier ending.
I think it was of dubious taste to insert some Christian themes. There was NO GOOD REASON for the guy to trust the female ghost, a couple of Jesus references in no way can compensate for how suspicious she had behaved previously - she had made the shaman spew blood lets not forget (and the Shaman had appealed to Buddha for help). Lead character has developed some courage and stamina and is no longer just a wimp. He flees home to his family ready to crack skulls. Final battles rages, shaman and ghost are both killed perhaps? Priest character shows up from hospital and helps out too?
OK, so I hear you say - it wasn't suppposed to be that sort of movie.
But the rest of the movie was AMAZING - It could have appealed to EVERYBODY. Entertainment is still what most people are looking for in a movie. It didn't have to entirely make sense, but just make more sense than it did.
.... then in a few years from now, the director could have reduced his own two and a half hour cut of the movie with the interpration ending.