El bosque siniestro

I had my eye on this movie since it came out earlier this year. It was a January release so I was in no rush to see it, but it had a genuinely cool premise: looking for someone in the suicide forest, which is an actual place in Japan where people go to commit suicide. It's pretty unsettling. In the movie, it's said that the forest compels people to kill themselves due to supernatural forces or vengeful spirits. The Forest focuses on Sara, whose sister has gone missing in said forest, and Sara's desperate endeavors to find her sister despite the evidence pointing to her being dead. Up until about the 30-minute mark, I was on board. The pieces were set, the exposition was established, and the characters (Sara, her journalist friend Aiden, and a tour guide) were finally heading into the forest. Again, the atmosphere is creepy throughout. The director clearly has a grasp on how to build tension.

The problem is that the promising build ups lead to zero payoffs. There are handful of cheap jump scares, a couple of which admittedly shocked me but only momentarily. Once the initial shock wore off seconds later I was in the same state of mind as before. Effective jump scares linger for a while; they imbue dread and usually add something to the narrative. The jump scares here are your typical, "Boo! Something's behind you!", which are easy to shrug off. Also, once they're in the forest, the characters make some decisions that are unfathomably stupid and out-of-character. Like, the main point of the forest is that it makes you think you see things, a psychedelic effect if you will. So after Sara receives this crucial information, she runs after the first thing she sees scurrying around in the forest. While it's pitch black, mind you. It completely takes you out of the movie and makes you lose all empathy for the characters for putting themselves in these avoidable situations.

Also, The Forest focuses more on the bond between Sara and her sister than the actual forest. So there are plenty of flashbacks, dream sequences, all that garbage that just muddles the fact that, hey, this forest is really f*cking scary. Why not focus on the forest instead of forcing character development, if you can even call it that? It makes no sense. Also, there's nothing we haven't seen before. People being hung? First scene in Sinister. Claustrophobic underground tunnels? The Descent. The only thing that makes the movie unique is the actual setting which is used as a backdrop more than anything.

The acting is good, as is the premise, but the potential littered within this movie is never fully realized. The director can definitely creep you out but he'll need a better script if he wants to make a truly great movie. The Forest just leaves you feeling hollow and disappointed.

But then again, wouldn't you if your sister was missing? It's a bit of a stretch and yes there are crazy decisions involved, but there have been far worse stretches in horror movies. So this is kind of "logical" if you want to call it that. Also the horror/shock moments are build up nicely too.

Don't get me wrong though, it's not that it's not predictable or does not have its downfalls, I'm saying that it's still decent considering all those things. Also the ending had a punch (bullet/shock, whatever you want to call it), that is kind of worth watching it through. While not the best of the bunch, you can have some "fun" with this ...

An idea can be a powerful thing. Especially when explored well and thoroughly.

And indeed a horror-film based around the famous (and infamous) Aokigaha Forest of Japan is a powerful idea, filled to the brim with endless potential for drama and sheer ghostly thrills.

The problem is... even a great idea can falter and disappoint when mishandled and when not explored properly. Which is sadly the case with the 2016 horror-flick "The Forest."

It's a movie with a great idea behind it... that sadly falls just short of being anything special due to an over-reliance on generic jump-scares, abbreviated story development and occasional convolution in its storytelling. And while it's definitely not a terrible film, its inability to elevate itself beyond the level of "mediocre" is most definitely its greatest fault. It's neither bad enough to become unintentionally entertaining or be dismissed, yet also not good enough to warrant serious consideration from anyone except the most desperate horror fans looking for a quick-fix of the creeps. It's merely a "meh" movie with nothing special to set it apart.

The film follows American Sara Price (Natalie Dormer), who is informed that her twin-sister Jess has vanished into Japan's Aokigahara Forst- a vast forest at the base of Mount Fuji, well- known for the numerous suicides to have occurred deep within. Unable to believe her sister is dead due to their deep and complex connection as twins, Sara ventures into the forest with reporter Aiden (Taylor Kinney) in hopes of finding her before the dark forces surrounding them claim her very soul...

The fundamental issue with the film is that the idea- an intriguing one- is mishandled. In the hands of a better storyteller, this set- up would hold much promise. But director Jason Zada and the screenwriters seem scared to try anything new beyond "throw in a few eerie establishing shots and then have something jump out in front of the camera every 10 minutes." It feels very stock and clichéd with its over-reliance on jump-scares and a distinct lack of atmosphere building in many scenes.

Not that I can only blame the director and writers, because it is pretty darned obvious watching the film that there was a fair amount of studio-meddling. Particularly in the first 10 minutes... a prolonged montage of events that clearly were a heavily-abbreviated versions of a much larger sequence, and just stank of "a producer thought the scene was boring and made them edit it down to a break- neck pace." (As happens all too often.)

That being said, the film isn't a total loss. The storyline definitely has its moments, and its fun trying to figure out where things will end up. Dormer is a charming enough lead. And even though the scares routinely rely on cheap jumps, there is a few genuinely startling moments of atmosphere peppered in that will generate an honest thrill or two. (Including one well-executed sequence involving the body of a hanged man stalking our hero, and a few moments where the characters are completely surrounded by spirits in very fun shots that have a great tone of oppression.) And sue me... I liked the idea behind the ending, even if its execution was a bit too fast. (Though I will not spoil it here.)

Overall, "The Forest" is nothing more than a middle-of-the-road thriller. I can't recommend it (thank god I didn't have to pay for my ticket), but I also can't NOT recommend it. It's the sort-of film that would be worth checking out on cable or Netflix for free on a slow rainy afternoon. Good for a laugh and maybe a jump or two... but nothing more.

I give it a VERY average 5 out of 10. If you're a horror fan and happen to catch it on TV, by all means give it a shot. But don't make it a priority.

Natalie Dormer plays a woman who is searching for her twin sister(also Dormer) who has gone missing in Japan, last seen in a forest where everybody seems to die, but she is determined to find her no matter what, but will she find her, or will the forest drive her insane?

The film does have some good scares, and Natalie Dormer does give it her all here. But the story itself feels to cut down, and actors like Taylor Kinney who play it so bland, he just does not have much to work with. The movie tries to hard and it shows, the ending does not leave much to be explained. All in all, it could have been better. Just don't leave much to enjoy all of it.

5.5 I would say is right on the money. Not academy material but good for a couple of jump scares. Just saw the movie tonight. First jump scare was so good lady next to me spilled her full bag of popcorn and tipped over her drink...we laughed and laughed...then the usher came.

I had the movie pegged to go in another direction but I guess the joke was on me, and everyone I was with thought the movie was going in the same direction I thought, so it was pleasant surprise that it was not that predictable.

Overall 5.5 is good, watchable, scary enough. More psychological than it was Horror or Terror.

It was a little light on the Horror, and there was 1 single plot line, but still enjoyed it.