Ju-on 2

Full disclosure: I watched a cut of 'Ju-On: The Curse 2 (2000)' that combines it with its predecessor, thus removing the thirty minutes of recap found in the actual cut of the film. Using that much footage from a pre-existing picture is pretty inexcusable (especially when the film you're padding it with is only seventy-five minutes long), but I can't really comment on it in detail because I skipped the recap entirely. Once the flick delves into new territory, it's a mostly effective - if somewhat redundant - extension to its predecessor. It expands upon the initial concept by making it clear that the curse not only effects those who have been inside the focal house, but also those that get near them. That's its most major contribution to the franchise's lore; other than that, it's pretty much more of the same, which is to say a series of interconnected segments that culminate in a scare. The non-linear nature of the story is played down significantly here, with the segments more-or-less seeming to continue directly on from one another. This isn't really an issue, though, and it makes for a more straightforward viewing experience. The segments themselves are typically engaging, even if most of them are a bit middling overall. There are a couple of segments that stand out above the others and it's these that make the overall film worth a watch. It typically feels less like a full-blown sequel and more like an epilogue, but it has a few arresting sequences and further solidifies the never-ending nature of the series' eponymous curse. 6/10.

... mainly because Ju-on 2 boasts an outrageous FORTY minutes' worth of material literally taken straight out of the first Ju-on - and when you consider that the sequel only runs for 76 minutes, that leaves you with 36 original minutes' worth of film. Ho-hum. I found that deeply irritating - as if viewers simply wouldn't remember the same stuff! - not to mention dull, having to watch it all over again.

OK, that complaint aside, the byline for Ju-on 2 was that it was supposed to explain a lot of the unanswered questions from the first movie, which frankly, over 36 minutes, simply doesn't go far enough to making any kind of sense of the original's highly convoluted storyline.

There are, however, some really nice new horror sequences which show how good the film might have been, had it had some time to develop; and some of the questions raised by the original - some, but not all - are answered.

So in conclusion - if you loved the first original movie and want to see some further developments on the story, go for it - but just remember to keep your remote control to hand with your finger on the fast-forward button for forty minutes.

I have not seen the original film, so I can't make any comparison. Supposedly this "sequel" contains 40 minutes of the original and just 36 minutes of new material.

No matter to me, as this is one of the creepiest films I have seen. I was literally jumping out of my seat at times. The mother and child really creeped me out. People dying all over the place due to some curse that resulted from a murder by a father.

Creepy music, and some bizarre deaths make this an interesting movie. The non-linear style may put some off, but I really enjoyed it.

There are apparently four of these films, so I will be looking for them all. Of course, I can also check out the American remakes which feature the mother (Takako Fuji) and the father (Takashi Matsuyama).

The first TV movie of Ju-on is one of the creepiest movies I've I've seen. This is considerably less so.

This film begins with a half an hour of material from the first film. While its good, it slows the forward momentum of this film especially if you watched the previous film in close order.

When the new material comes it picks up literally where the first leaves off and follows it to a new end. Some of this is good, but much, like the end, is good looking but rather confused and far from scary. Worse, the now linear story is too literal and doesn't leave enough to the mind.

If you need to know what happens after the first film ends, then by all means pick this up for viewing, however if it were up to me I'd just leave the first film be and forget this as a well intentioned mistake.

5 out of 10

I enjoyed the foreign horror film 'Ju-on' and the remake that was made by Tackashimi Shimzu, the man who directed the American remake.'Ju-on 2' isn't nearly as good as the first or the remake.Sure, it was worth watching, but the fact that almost half of the movie is the same footage from the first movie makes it seem like one of those movies that you have already seen before.The movie is also short.It runs in at 76 minutes, but really runs at 74 minutes if you take out the end credits.Yeah, it's a pretty short movie.I can't guarantee that if you liked the first movie that you'll like this one.Still, I found 'Ju-on 2' to be an enjoyable sequel.