Gin gwai 2

Although it explores some of the same themes (someone seeing ghosts and being 'stalked' by a specific one) it is anything but a sequel to The Eye. A woman has a near death experience and starts seeing ghosts. She seems to see one more than the others and as she discovers this one has a connection with her without her even knowing. The scares in this movie are not really there. There are no 'jump up' moments anywhere and it all becomes quite dull when our main character just keeps on screaming for every little thing she sees. Not really a must-see movie, although the concept of reincarnation as explored in this movie is an interesting one.

Danny and Oxide Pang follow-up their 2002 horror movie with this non-related sequel. It's not as effective as the original, but still has a few scenes worth watching for.

Joey Cheng (Shu Qi, who you might recognize from her terrible performance from Transporter) is a young, pregnant woman who attempts suicide, and fails, only to obtain the ability to see ghosts. There's no plot though. Some of the ghosts seem cursory and are never fully explained. They're weird and visible just for the sake of it, with no explanation. There's a slight mystery involving the woman Joey sees lurking in the train station which leads to sweet ending, but it's not really enough to sustain a 95-minute running time.

It falls short of the Eye, though there are a couple of tense moments and it's not completely dissatisfying.

While not as intense and emotionally involving as the original Jian Gui, this sequel still provides some interesting ideas about life after death...and life before birth.

Mentally fragile Joey, suffering from a recent break up with her boyfriend, makes yet another suicide attempt. As consciousness fades away, she glimpses shadowy figures gathered around her bedside. Once her stomach is pumped and she makes a full recovery, Joey realizes she is pregnant. As the pregnancy progresses, Joey begins seeing ghosts. They're in taxi cabs, falling off of rooftops and hanging around elevators. They seem particularly interested in the pregnant women that now surround Joey in her everyday activities. One in particular, the ghost of a sorrowful young woman, seems determined to keep Joey from harm, preventing further suicide attempts and even viciously attacking a would-be rapist. Joey realizes that the ghost was once the wife of the man Joey was having an affair with, and who is now the father of her unborn baby. But is it revenge the ghost wants, or something else entirely?

This film lacks some of the scares that the first one provided quite well and moves along rather slowly, but it is by no means a bad movie at all. Its ideas about the dead and the unborn are quite intriguing and the film, much like the first one, proves to be an uplifting experience. The performances are all excellent and the story quite intelligent. A scary scene in a taxi cab with a Ringu- ish ghost is especially tense and worth the wait.

I much prefer the original Jian Gui, but this one is a worthy effort. Fans of the genre shouldn't miss it.

Ratjng: * * * *

Synopsis: Joey is unlucky in love. After her third relationship comes to an abrupt end she attempts suicide. But this brush with the other side has left with the ability to see things that a person isn't supposed to see. After she finds out she is pregnant she tries to put her life back in order she finds that she is being menaced by one of the various spirits she now sees. She must save her baby from the spirit at all costs.

Review: This sequel to the highly successful creepy 2002 original stars Shu Qi as the lead Joey. This time around the scares are lessened as the narrative of this sad woman takes center stage. Very good acting across the board lends emotion to the story and at times helps drop your guard long enough to nail you with a good jump. The scares are often creepy little set pieces that add to the overall somber atmosphere of the film. The script incorporates many different elements including suicide, broken hearts and a little reincarnation for good measure. Well written you feel for the Joey character as her life goes to pieces. The Pang Brothers turn out another outstanding chiller full of emotion and chills, two combinations hardly seen together. The look of the film is awesome with a colorful look at times and a drab menacing look when needed. What is this thing that the Pang Brothers have with elevators? The music is very good and frames most of the scares in a usual fashion. A very bassy and cello heavy sound mix run through out the film and lends itself to the atmosphere. Overall a very worth continuation but I had a minor complaint with the ending; it kind of got away but was made up by the cool final scene.

I generally don't go into sequels expecting much. This movie isn't really a sequel, in the traditional sense, as it has nothing at all to do with the original. But it is a very effective little thriller, with some disturbingly good special effects and a decently conceived story. Better than a lot of the fashionable J-horror films currently being imported, and a worthwhile evening's entertainment. Hsu Qi is great as the lead character, a suicidal woman who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant by a former lover. If you fell in love with her in Jackie Chan's "Gorgeous," you will probably enjoy seeing a different depth of her talents here.