THE GRUDGE (2020) - * out of ****
[WTF? Vault]
Directed By: Nicolas Pesce
Starring: Andrea Riseborough, Demian Bichir, John Cho, Lin Shaye, Jacki Weaver, Betty Gilpin, William Sadler, Frankie Faison
Genre: Horror/Mystery/Supernatural/Ghosts
Running Time: 93 Minutes
Plot: After a young mother murders her family in her own house, a detective attempts to investigate the mysterious case, only to discover that the house is cursed by a vengeful ghost. Now targeted by the demonic spirits, the detective must do anything to protect herself and her family from harm.
Review:
Earlier this year, I did an Original vs. Remake review for both 2002’s JU-ON: THE GRUDGE and 2004’s American remake THE GRUDGE. Both were two films I hadn’t given much thought about until the release of the newest installment, 2020’s THE GRUDGE, which made me wonder what was the point of rebooting a franchise a lot of people stopped caring about long ago. Despite a good cast and an up-and-coming director, 2020’s THE GRUDGE didn’t really grab the attention of a lot of people, not doing all that well at the box office. Still, I wanted to check it out since a lot of people who had watched it considered it the first bad film of 2020. After having seen it, I was surprised that the 2020 film is actually a sort-of-sequel to the 2004 American remake, making me somewhat interested where this side story would go. Still, its execution and justification for its existence leaves a lot to be desired, making 2020’s THE GRUDGE a film only a fan of the franchise should possibly watch.
There are a lot of things that THE GRUDGE does that makes me realize how good this film could have been if things had been done differently. The narrative is told similarly to how the original film was told - in a non-linear structure between multiple characters that eventually intersect to reveal twists or answers to questions asked in earlier scenes. For some reason though, I found the structure to be a bit compelling - which I didn’t find myself feeling about the first two films. Seeing how things intertwined and how all the characters were connected to each other keeps your interest, giving me some “a-ha!” moments through the film’s final act.
That being said, this structure sacrifices any sustainable character development because the film has a lot of characters to follow, yet doesn’t really give much depth to any of them. Even the main character, Detective Muldoon, is given a certain background story and is the nucleus to the entire film as she ties everything together by the end - yet I don’t know much about her outside of the situation THE GRUDGE puts her in. She’s a caring mother. She’s a motivated and pro-active cop when it comes to investigating a mystery. But nothing about her connected with me on an emotional level to really care whether she survived this whole ordeal. The supporting characters get even less, even when they’re given their own scenes that are fairly interesting at times. And they all seem to have interesting backstories and connections to the house that possesses the Grudge. But there’s not enough time given to that for us to really care what happens to them, especially when their fates are revealed before the flashbacks occur within the film. So while the structure kept my interest, the writing itself felt pedestrian.
It also doesn’t help that the evil spirits are now a random mother, father and daughter rather than the more popular Kayako, Toshio or even Takeo ghosts that THE GRUDGE films are based around. I mean, I understand the need to do your own thing and start off fresh with a set of new evil ghosts that could haunt characters in future American films. But it just feels derivative of what’s been done before. Also, these new evil characters don’t have the depth or emotional connection to their backstory as the Saeki family did in the original films. These new spirits felt like something I could catch on certain seasons of American Horror Story, not doing anything interesting but appearing and scaring people. They share the same croaking sound as the previous villains, but that’s really the only thing interesting about them. I do appreciate that the Grudge creates new vengeful spirits no matter where they’re located, possessing new homes to spread the curse. But nothing was really done with the aspect of that story, making it feel like old hat. I think the producers played it a bit too safe when it came to the Grudge aspect in general, making THE GRUDGE feel more like an unnecessary reboot rather than a sequel that could advance the original story and build upon it to create a genuinely intriguing franchise that has a justification to exist. It’s a shame because there’s a good film here somewhere if only the screenplay would take narrative risks. Even the ending is flat as hell, which makes everything before it meaningless. It’s disappointing.
The direction by Nicolas Pesce is alright. Most of the film has this earthy, yellowish tint throughout, making it almost look like a crime thriller between the mid-1990s to mid-2000s - which works since THE GRUDGE takes place between 2004 and 2006. The pacing and the editing of the non-linear sequences is done mostly well, until the film’s final scene which feels like it comes out of nowhere with no time to build up to what happens. The special effects are pretty standard and not all that impressive, considering they look like something you would have seen years ago in films like 2016’s LIGHTS OUT with the film’s use of lighting and scale. I’ve never seen Pesce’s other films, but I have heard by many that he has done some cool indie horror films that are very much well liked. So it has to be studio interference that butchered the tension and suspense from this flick, since THE GRUDGE barely has any momentum. There is more than one moment where you can feel a build of tension, making you believe it’s leading to a big moment. But these moments are pretty much cut short, taking away any sort of atmosphere in favor of jump scares that have been done to death. I will say that this film has some gruesome looking imagery at times, which are pretty cool and help elevate this film. But they are few and far between. THE GRUDGE is a nice looking film, but not much else visually really.
The cast also feels wasted here, but they try their best with the material given to them. Andrea Riseborough, best known for her work on BIRDMAN and MANDY, does what she can as Detective Muldoon, the film’s lead character. She plays it tough, smart, and scared all believably. I wish she was given more of a chance to shine, but she does the best with what she has. Demian Bichir of THE HATEFUL EIGHT gets even less to do, even though he’s in one of the best shock moments of the film. John Cho [of HAROLD & KUMAR fame] and Betty Gilpin [THE HUNT, G.L.O.W.] have some good material to work with as Peter and Nina. They share nice chemistry with each other and get most of the emotional beats in the story, even though the film never really lets their storyline build to something meaningful. Cho, in particular, has really grown to be a believable serious actor as of late and I feel he should have been given more to do because he would have rocked it. Lin Shaye probably has the most fun playing a woman who is passing away, but is comforted by the spirits living in the house she’s moved into. She’s creepy, sympathetic and gets to have the most memorable moments in the film that I actually enjoyed. Jacki Weaver and Frankie Faison get to have their moments as well, but they have short roles that don’t really allow them to chew on the scenery. I do think Faison has one of the more interesting characters in the franchise, playing a man who intentionally moved into the Grudge house knowing what was inside. Feeling his wife was dying anyway, he felt the house would keep her spirit alive even in death, regardless of the evil inside of the home. I wish the film had focused more on that aspect because it’s a refreshing look on the haunted house story. Too bad the studio went with tried-and-true instead.
Overall, 2020’s THE GRUDGE is a film no one asked for and one no one cared about considering it didn’t make much of a dent at the box office. There is genuinely a good GRUDGE film here, as it does present some new and interesting ideas throughout. Yet, the producers were either to lazy to develop them or too scared to create something fresh in order to give horror fans the same ol’ premise they’ve been accustomed to for 18 years now. The non-linear structure is honestly compelling and it’s cool to see the dots connected by the film’s end. But the characters don’t have much depth, making it hard to really care about them - especially when some of their fates are revealed within the first act. The new Grudge ghosts are a mistake, in my opinion, as they’re not as compelling as the original Saeko family. They’re just around for jump scare purposes and nothing more. Nicolas Pesce’s direction seems to have some studio interference as it feels he has a vision for a new generation of THE GRUDGE, but decided to play it straight and give audiences something predictable instead. The film looks nice, however, and it’s edited and paced mostly well. The cast is great and they try their best to make the material stand out. But most of them feel like guest appearances, not given enough time to really develop the characters they’re portraying. Some of the actors get some juicy material to work with, but the film doesn’t bother developing it, focusing on getting rid of the characters in ghastly ways instead. However, Andrea Riseborough, John Cho, Betty Gilpin and Lin Shaye shine the best considering they’re not given enough to do. This could have been a really cool extension of the franchise, taking the story further through the next decade. But instead, THE GRUDGE plays it too safe and didn’t do a whole lot to justify its existence for me. At this point, if you’ve seen one GRUDGE film, you pretty much seen them all. Oh well.
THE HUNT (2020) - **1/2 out of ****
Directed By: Craig Zobel
Starring: Betty Gilpin, Hilary Swank, Ethan Suplee, Teri Wyble, Ike Barinholtz, Wayne Duvall, Emma Roberts, Christopher Berry, Sturgill Simpson, Kate Nowlin, Amy Madigan, Glenn Howerton, Justin Hartley
Genre: Horror/Thriller/Action/Comedy
Running Time: 90 Minutes
Plot: Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don’t know where they are - or how they got there. In the shadow of a dark internet conspiracy theory, ruthless elitists gather at a remote location to hunt humans for sport. But their master plan is about to be derailed when one of the hunted, Crystal, turns the tables on her pursuers.
Review:
With the craziness that was unleashed to the entire world in terms of a coronavirus that has made most of us have to stay home to avoid catching it and getting sick, I’m sure some have forgotten that we were still going through it for years before this when it came to gun violence - especially in the United States. There wouldn’t be a week where you wouldn’t hear about a school shooting, or a shooting in a mall, or just gun violence where people are gathering. It was alarming, depressing, and just upsetting. The gun debate was a huge part for the last couple of years and will probably continue once a treatment plan and/or vaccine is created for COVID-19. This debate affected Hollywood in many ways, including shelving Blumhouse’s horror-action film THE HUNT before it had premiered in September of 2019.
But then time had passed and THE HUNT was allowed to be released a few weeks ago, considering the gun debate had been brushed under the rug for now in order to combat a virus. With many claiming the film to be “controversial” and “pushing buttons that will upset many sensitive people” through its political satire and violence, the buzz for THE HUNT had built to a point where it found an audience both in theaters [prior to closing] and now on streaming where it’s doing really well.
Seeing friends watch it and compliment the film on certain aspects, I finally sat down and decided to give THE HUNT my full attention. I won’t lie - theaters pulling the film last year made me very curious about the content and how it was so controversial that “the film should never been seen at this certain time in our society”. It also had a lot of actors that I enjoy and the trailers made it seem like it was more of a black comedy than something that could seriously offend anybody. So I wasn’t sure what to expect watching it. Now having sat through it, I have no idea why THE HUNT was even pulled from theaters. And considering the hype the film received by the media and even by friends, I felt let down by the film. I’m not saying it’s terrible, because it’s far from that. But it was just a horror film that had a lot of gore and a commentary that attempted to say something important, but really said nothing all that meaningful due to its execution. It’s personally a conflicting watch.
Let’s get the good stuff out of the way. Betty Gilpin, probably best known for her Emmy-nominated work on G.L.O.W., is the only reason to watch THE HUNT. Out of the cast, she’s really the only one that’s given material to really chew on and do something with. Her portrayal of Crystal could have been pretty cliche, as the character is a tough and smart military veteran who doesn’t flinch at danger and is completely detached from the politics and social norms around her. Gilpin could have been over-the-top with it, giving us your typical action heroine who can miss bullets by just moving an inch to the side, or reciting punny one-liners to establish the character into the pop culture lexicon. But Gilpin does the total opposite, playing Crystal as a woman that seems slightly unhinged due to the War in Afghanistan and not caring what others think about her. She twitches, stays quiet most of the time and only cares about her own survival if she feels others around her will jeopardize it. I thought Gilpin did an incredible job in the role. The other major player is Academy Award winner Hilary Swank as Athena, the person responsible for The Hunt itself. We don’t see much of her until the film’s final act, where Swank really shines along with Gilpin as the two finally meet face-to-face. But Swank is always a presence throughout and it seems she’s having a lot of fun playing against type. I haven’t seen her in a major project for a while, so it was nice seeing her after all this time.
As for the rest of the cast, they all provide their moments even though they mostly don’t get a ton of screen time. When you think a recognizable actor is going to have a major role or possibly be the lead of the film, they’re quickly gone and you kind of feel shell-shocked by their exit. The first couple of times, I was actually surprised by this turn of events, thinking it was actually clever to give the audience a sense of false security. Too bad the rest of the film can’t maintain that feeling, but it works wonderfully in the film’s first act. Some great actors all contribute to that - such as Emma Roberts, Glenn Howerton, Ian Barinholtz, Ethan Suplee, Amy Madigan, and so on. THE HUNT has a great cast and uses them well for the most part in different ways that keep the audience on their toes.
I also liked Craig Zobel’s direction here. The film is well paced for its 90-minute runtime, capturing some nice action and intentionally funny moments throughout. The first act’s take on The Most Dangerous Game is both shocking and thrilling, constantly twisting and turning the situation to keep one visually invested. THE HUNT is incredible violent, especially during the film’s beginning. The gore is pretty gnarly, with people getting blown up into many pieces or just until half of a body is left. People are getting shot left and right, stabbings to the neck, arrows targeting people, grenades and mines blowing people up, and other messed up violence. It’s all shot well and some it done tongue-in-cheek, which livens up the mood. Even the quieter moments are allowed to resonate and allow the actors to flesh out some of the characters a bit. It’s a nice looking film and balances the horror and action very well, while sprinkling some black comedy that made me laugh at times. Nothing about the visual presentation bothered me.
Where it comes to the screenplay though, that’s where THE HUNT becomes frustrating. Adapting The Most Dangerous Game and using politics and social issues to drive the story isn’t a new concept, as it has been done before countless times. But that part of the narrative is handled well and is one of the reasons why the film works as well as it does. We clearly have two sides and it’s not too hard to root for the side where the victim is trying to rise up and free herself of this terrible game over the evil bastards who see this game as something fun and necessary to prove a point.
The issue is that THE HUNT is so focused on the idea of politics and how both sides are really one-and-the-same that it sort of misses the point of what it’s trying to execute. We currently live in a society driven by social media where things like politics and religion have brought people together as much as they have driven people apart. It’s almost an online Civil War at times because a lot of people can’t seem to understand the other side’s point-of-view without lashing out in nasty and even violent ways just to prove that their opinions are the right ones. It’s a great concept to use if you’re trying to readapt The Most Dangerous Game because you can easily see why one side would want to target the other side. The problem is that typically, you’d want one side to be clearly good and the other side being clearly bad. But THE HUNT, even though it’s obvious writers Nick Cues and Damon Lindelof [who worked on HBO’s Watchmen TV show] have clearly picked a side, wants the audience to see that the world is really a shade of grey. While that’s true in reality, it doesn’t make for a compelling story on film since you’re left wondering who you’re supposed to empathize with and trust.
I guess the people in charge of The Hunt are liberals who are completely politically correct and refuse to be bullied by clearly ignorant and non-PC folks who enjoy their gun laws and the old ways things were done. The players in the game are more conservative and probably fans of a particular President who are anti-immigration, have no issue using guns, are seem to be residing in red states. If the script had chosen a side, I’d feel the supposed controversy of the film would have been justified. One side of the fence would have been upset and the uproar would have created a massive buzz for the film, regardless of half giving it some bad publicity. But Cues and Lindelof show that both sides are flawed to the point that only Crystal comes out of the film as the only real likable person because she doesn’t take a side at all nor particularly cares to. The Hunters felt bullied and decide to use their power to hurt those who hurt them. The Hunted don’t understand what’s going on, but sometimes come across as racist or just plain vulgar. And they’re almost portrayed as a bit stupid, which doesn’t help their cause. Yes, each side has its pros and its cons. That’s just the world we’re living in and some of us are just thicker-skinned to deal with it. But when it comes to cinema, there should be a clear message and commentary with a chosen side for audiences to latch on to. Telling people that no matter side you may stand for, neither one will make you a hero or a villain is something people will have trouble comprehending. The political commentary just feels like decoration than something meaningful to the plot. Yes, people are going to be upset with the subject matter. But if you’re going for it, go for it and think about the consequences later. It seems the writers may have backed off and played it safe to please a general audience, which is the total opposite of this film’s intent. I mean if you think about it, it’s obvious who the villains are here. But the film wants to have its cake and eat it too by pointing out that the other side is also as bad besides a couple of folks. The use of George Orwell’s Animal Farm is inspired, but it doesn’t matter all that much until the last few minutes of the film. It’s too bad because I always dig this particular concept, but the wishy-washy commentary brought it down for me.
Overall, THE HUNT is a film that doesn’t warrant the controversy it had received in 2019 during the United States’ struggle with massive amounts of gun violence that seemed to happen on a daily basis. Yes, THE HUNT is a pretty violent film and there is a lot of gunplay at hand here [as well as arrows, grenades, land mines, and knives]. But it’s nothing that hasn’t been done in previous films or films that have been released since, using The Most Dangerous Game trope to justify it’s violent existence. The action and gore sequences are nicely shot, and the cast is really good - especially G.L.O.W.’s Betty Gilpin as a woman who can handle herself very efficiently in a violent situation while behaving in a intriguingly bizarre and deadpan manner that separates her from everyone else.
While the concept is used well [it’s a hard one to screw up even after all these years], the political commentary is mishandled as both Nick Cues and Damon Lindelof try to present both the far-left and the far-right characters as both unlikable without really choosing a side for the audience to get a sense of what they’re really trying to say that isn’t obvious. It’s clear who the villains are here, but the writers felt like they had to complicate it to justify THE HUNT’s existence, which brings the film down. It’s a decent and sometime fun watch bogged down by a flawed point-of-view… or lack there-of really. THE HUNT is a film that deserved to be as controversial as described with a powerful message. Instead, it’s just your above average The Most Dangerous Game adaptation with quirky characters who don’t really have much to say that we didn’t know already. What a shame.