Sadako 3D

We live in times where VHS tapes are quite unpopular and idle, so of course a premise which focuses on a cursed VHS tape would not work anymore, as in scaring people who spend most of their times on their tablets, IPhones, Blu-Ray, Netflix etc. Then, through an insane worshiper, the curse reaches Internet, whereby Sadako's ghost searches from a supernaturally gifted host to occupy and live once again. This greatest plot ever thought to upgrade the "Ringu" premise is, unfortunately, misused in "Sadako 3D", which is surprising coming from the J-Horror genre full of such great films, "Ringu" itself included, that left Hollywood jealous and out of attention, forcing them to remake several Asian films.

"Sadako 3D" has a plausible plot for this high-tech times, but is visually absurd and spends most of its length focusing more on action and abusing of 3D effects, forgetting the new kind of thriller the story should provide. Basically, it turns out too much violent and noisy for a "Ringu" (or a J-Horror) film. Hopefully, this is an isolated case and won't happen to upcoming films, otherwise, be sure Japanese horror itself is cursed.

In Japan, there is an urban legend that there is a cursed video clip of a suicide released by a man called Kashiwada (Yûsuke Yamamoto) in Internet that drives the viewer also to commit suicide. When the high- school student Noriko Morisaki seeks the video in classroom, her teacher Akane (Satomi Ishihara) takes her cellular to return it after class. But soon Noriko watches the footage at home and dies and the police inspector Koiso goes to the school to interview Akane and her students. Koiso's assistant Nakamura believes that the video is real, but Koiso does not pay much attention on him.

When Akane's boyfriend Takanori (Kôji Seto) is captured by a woman in the video and Koiso witnesses Nakamura committing suicide, they investigate Kashiwada and discover that his intention is to bring Sadako (Ai Hashimoto) back to a new body and Akane is the chosen one. Now Akane has to fight against Sadako to bring Takanori back and save her life.

"Sadako 3D" is a very bad Japanese horror movie with a senseless story. The plot is silly, with Kashiwada releasing the video to find a strong body to revive Sadako and they actually want Akane's body. Akane uses her super-scream to get rid of the supernatural creatures as if it were a comedy. So why do they need to make a video to kill people? They are very powerful and wouldn't be easier if they simply find Akane and use her body to revive Sadako? The conclusion is awful and in the end only the gorgeous lead actress Satomi Ishihara is worth to be watched in this terrible movie. My vote is two.

Title (Brazil): "A Invocação 3D" ("The Invocation 3D")

Set-up. Set-up. Sudden jump-scare!

Arbitrary poor character establishment scene.

Set-up. Set-up. Sudden dopey, gimmicky 3D jump-scare!

Boring, cliché plot-exposition scene.

Set-up. Set-up. Cheesy creature effect jump-scare!

Nonsensical filler fluff scene.

Set-up. Set-up. Another laughable 3D jump-scare that looks silly when viewed in 2D!

...that pretty much sums up "Sadako 3D', the 2012 film from director Tsutomu Hanabusa. Essentially an attempt to revive the much-beloved "Ringu" (aka "Ring") franchise in the modern internet age, this stinker is pretty much a dead-on-arrival thriller that is more likely to induce unintentional giggles and an occasional yawn than inspire chills in audiences.

I was actually fairly excited to hear this film was being released. I'm an enormous fan of master-director Hideo Nakata's original film, and I even enjoyed the various sequels, prequels and remakes to an extent. (Though I have sadly thus far been unable to read the original Koji Suzuki novels that inspired those films.) The prospect of a more modern take on the "Ring" mythos was intriguing... and to be honest, I didn't have a problem with the idea of the film being in 3D. Some of the iconography and famous images of the franchise would frankly lend itself well the added depth provided by modern 3D technology.

But alas, it wasn't to be. Director Hanabusa trades in the wonderful sense of pervasive dread that the original film oozed to make room for nonstop, effects-heavy scares that come off as wonky and funny due to the overly-gimmicky nature of the 3D. And it's all made even worse by the fact that... it's kinda hard to find a 3D copy of the film, meaning the obvious obligatory "3D Comin' at ya!" effects look all the cheaper and lazier when viewed in 2D.

The plot is a messy, forgettable affair. And I'm not joking. I watched the film about a year ago, and I couldn't really tell you what happened looking back on it. Something about a video released online that drives people to commit suicide, and an evil plot to resurrect the spirit of the dreaded Sadako. But trying to recollect specifics of the plot... it's just a blur of nonsensical imagery and flat characterizations. The prior films would stick with you. Even after a single viewing, you could vividly recall every major detail of the plot. Every twist of the story. Every single eerie moment. But this film leaves as little impact as the viral videos it seems to be drawing inspiration from. Like every supposedly "big" YouTube clip you've seen... you'll forget it within days once the "next big thing" comes along.

Although to give credit where it is due, there are a couple of stand- out moments. Including a fairly accomplished sequence involving a slew of genuinely disturbing spider-like "Sadakos" in a pretty suspenseful little sequence that makes good use of body-horror imagery. While it didn't contribute much to grand scheme of the film, it was a pretty zany, creepy sequence, and horror-fans who are disturbed by things like the alteration or unnatural changes of the human form should get a kick out of it.

But outside from that and a couple other moments that work, this is otherwise an enormous mess. The constant jumps get predictable to the point you'll be giggling in anticipation, and the plot is a thin excuse for nothing but special effect after special effect. And the fact it appears to have the production values of a low-budget TV-movie doesn't exactly help.

It's odd. I've been wanting to review this for some time now. But I could never quite put together the words to describe it. And I realized that's the big problem for me... there just isn't much to say about it. It's an underwhelming follow-up/light-reboot that adds nothing to the "Ring" franchise, outside of stylistic betrayals of the prior films.

And that's about it.

I'm giving "Sadako 3D" a weak 3 out of 10. It's not the worst horror film ever made. But it's a shocking fall from grace given how good the franchise was in its prime.

Being a big fan of the Japanese originals as well as the American remakes, I'm always in for more of this franchise it seems. That being said, I'll be the first to admit that this movie is extremely far removed from its source material. Both the books and the movies. It is just completely bonkers, in a way that only a Japanese movie can be, being such a bizarre mix of a seriously attempted plot and obviously ridiculous things, that you constantly keep wondering what you're actually looking at. If you're in the right mood, that can be very entertaining.

This movie is many things. Silly, bizarre, creative, over the top, but never boring. It takes the basic concept of Sadako and that's about it. Yes, there is a cursed video, but gone is the 7 days requirement and all the suspense it brings. Gone is her backstory as well. This Sadako doesn't follow many rules, and has as many faces and forms as all the other movies in the franchise combined. Some of them were so crazy I just had to respect the creativity of it. I mean, wow. It's a lot. Most of it wasn't actually scary, but certainly memorable.

This movie really makes me see Sadako (2019) in a different light. I think the original director returned just to remind people that Sadako 3D is not what the franchise is about. 2019 had some silly aspects, but Sadako 3D makes it look almost gritty and realistic with its utter ridiculousness, almost like an attempt at 'return to form'. It shows just how far a franchise can derail if it runs long enough.

If you want a serious suspenseful horror film like the original Ringu, nothing to see here. Me personally, I'm used to seeing long running franchises go completely off the rails (Alien and Godzilla come to mind), so seeing an interation of Sadako this crazy isn't all that surprising. Go in with an open mind, and you might have fun with it.

This piece of rat-infested dog poop is simply not worth watching. Almost everything about this film is just wrong. The onryo ghost, which I personally find to be a very chilling entity, is included in a variety of laughably stupid sequences. The way the horror scenes were constructed is grade D filmmaking at its worst. We're talking head-slapping stupidity. For example, Sadako is "controlled" by a young dude with an oh-so-lame Japanese rockstar fashion sense who is played by an actor who should not be working. Right from the opening scene, this guy is an absolute embarrassment with his terribly acted "evil laugh." Imagine if Michael Cera tried to be scary, and this is what you'd get. Sadako just friggin' pops out everywhere, like some mentally challenged CGI jack-in-the-box. There's no emphasis on creepiness or atmosphere at all. The storyline is also haphazard and totally boring. There's literally no talent behind or in front of the camera here. Everyone involved in this travesty should be thrown down a well.

If you're looking for good recent Japanese horror, check out "Tormented" (2011), "X Game" (2010), "Tomie Unlimited" (2011), "Kaidan Horror Classics 1-4" (2010), and "Gomenasai" (2011).