The Park

I've watched this movie in my country. It's uttermostly stupid movie. The story is bad, going on without reason. Some scene was copied from Ju-On. And the ghost capture by photo camera idea came from a game.

There are some bad 3-D scenes but it's just a cheap and cannot-frighten-you 3-D.

It's not worth watching. Try some movie else.

I give this movie an F grade.

PS. This is just my humble opinion. Thanks!

I love the recent spate of Asian horror films that have been coming our way: Dark Water, Ringu, The Eye, Ju-on, etc. And I can honestly say that even most of the bad horror films I've seen had at least something in them that was worth watching, whether for scares or laughs. I have to say that this movie is a complete waste of time. I never got scared, laughed, or even said "Hmmm." As I watched the film end I realized that I was incredibly relieved that it was over, not because I was so scared, but because I was so bored! This thing went on and on and on...and I never ever cared about one of the characters. Oh, and don't forget the crummy 3D effects...really awful. I rarely say this about a movie, but this is one you can safely miss without any feelings of guilt.

Whichever way you approach this movie, you can't escape the fact that it is downright awful!! Anyone expecting something along the lines of the standout far east films such as the Ring, the Eye, the Grudge etc is in for a massive disappointment when viewing this effort. In fact, it's difficult to find any redeeming features about this movie - storyline is flimsy in the extreme, acting is atrocious, screenplay and script are diabolical and, for a supposed scary film, it just isn't in the least bit scary. In addition, the few 3-D scenes are quite simply not in the least bit 3-dimensional! The whole thing is an utter mess from start to finish, and its 90 minute duration seems more like 90 hours! All in all, a quite dreadful experience!!

Whoops I forgot my 3D glasses to experience those mind-popping images (where we are informed when to put them on or take them off), but I doubt that gimmick would have saved this already below-average, if bizarre supernatural/slasher tale from Hong Kong. It looks like it had a bit money behind it, but it feels second-rate when compared to others of its field and that ending is a complete wimp out.

At least it has going for it some stylish visual brushes by Wai-keung Lau's frenetic direction and an imposingly eerie setting (an abandoned theme park, which has some freaky looking clown dolls on a hanging tree) with some sensational art direction (like the opening entrance of the clown face). Too bad that it's senselessly penned with an messy same-old, same old structure (even though the concept showed more promise than your copy-and-paste 'Ringu' clone) of cheap jolts, typical thrills (that steals its thunder from other films) and lazily constructed characters. Even throughout it demonstrates some unwelcoming camp qualities, where the witless script and self-knowing humour just don't come off. It irritated, but not as much as the performances do. Bobo Chan in the lead role never convinces and her screaming/crying gave me a splitting headache.

Yen along with her friends are looking for her missing brother, despite the warning from her medium mother that he's dead. It leads them to an amusement park, which closed down over a decade ago after a horrible accident involving the death of a young girl. Instead of finding her brother they come across restless spirits who pick them off one by one.

The computer effects are well-done and never distracting, as there's one memorable decapitation sequence that's brilliantly executed and there's a little bit of blood 'n'gore in the traditional style. Sound effects hold an atmospheric grip, but those constant whooshing noises and whispering voices could've been toned down. The music score wasn't all that effective, even with some jaded cues.

Pretty much like a foreseeable, underwhelming haunted house theme park ride.

I have no idea why this movie is getting so many bad comments. The reviewers must have been expecting an actual "horror" movie - where you get scared and throw your popcorn around. I think the first clue that you shouldn't take this movie seriously is the fact that IT IS A 3-D HORROR MOVIE! I knew going in to the theater at Sundance Film Festival that it would be campy and satirical and silly. And it turns out it was exactly that.

I enjoyed it as a kind of homage to 80's B horror flicks in America. It had all the right ingredients:

teenagers

a deserted place (amusement park) that used to be fun but has been abandoned because BAD THINGS HAPPENED THERE

unrequited love (boy likes girl who likes other boy, 1st boy gets to "save" girl, making him wonderful and attractive)

group starts out on dangerous search to solve a mystery, couple splits from group to search alone (what will happen?!)

running/chasing scenes that involve tripping, falling down

etc, etc, etc

This is so Scooby Doo meets every horror film made from 1975 to 1989. Plus it's 3D!

I got exactly what I expected from this movie. It's dumb, it's silly, it's not really scary at all -- I had a great time.