Mata Batin 2

I stumbled upon the 2019 Indonesian horror movie by sheer luck. Seeing that it was an Asian horror movie, I was sold immediately and had to sit down and watch it.

I will say that the first half of the movie was phenomenal, and it was very much reminiscent of the 1982 "Poltergeist" classic, except set in an Indonesian setting, but having all the intensity and creepy atmosphere to it as seen in "Poltergeist". Yeah, the movie was on a very good track here, and director Rocky Soraya was definitely making things right.

But then the movie introduced possession, and it all went south. Fast. It was abysmal. The movie took a turn from where it would have otherwise received a 7 out of 10 star rating from me, and it spiraled into a laughable storyline where everything previously established just came apart.

So the first half of the movie was great, the last half was abysmal. Yup, there you have it, ladies and gentlemen.

The acting in the movie was good. And as always, I thoroughly enjoy watching the faces and talents of unfamiliar actors and actresses on the screen. And I wasn't familiar with a single face in this movie. So that was bliss. And I will say that they had some nice actresses and actors on the cast list to perform the various roles and characters. Just a shame that the last half of the movie totally derailed and offered the actors and actresses nothing to work with.

As for the special effects. Well, they were there and they worked well enough in favor for the movie and definitely added to the atmosphere. Just keep in mind that you will not be blown away or bedazzled in any manner.

"Mata Batin 2" (aka "The Third Eye 2") had such great potential to be a really genuinely creepy and disturbing horror movie, but it all went down the drain and the movie became less than mediocre, given the horrible last half of the movie.

After having her third eye opened, enabling her to see the dead, Alia (Jessica Mila) begins work at an orphanage. And whaddya know... it's haunted!

Director Rocky Soraya is clearly a believer in the old adage 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it', because this sequel is almost identical to his 2017 movie, a mix of spooky elements borrowed from a whole host of other ghostly horror movies. The structure is exactly the same as before: supernatural occurrences, a mystery involving an unsolved murder, possession, and a trip to the other side via astral projection. If, like me, you watch the two films back to back, the sequel does become rather tedious.

At almost two hours long, the creepiness leads to boredom, although it's worth hanging in there for the final act (or skipping forwards), Soraya delivering a real doozy of a decapitation via rotary saw.

As with the first film, this one ends in a manner that lets us know that another sequel is a definite possibility: I just hope that the formula isn't the same next time around and that the runtime is a little shorter.

But also as the first one a lot of fake scares. Boo I'm here to scare you ... now run away, because I won't hurt you (yet). If it sounds like I'm not entirely convinced with the movie, you might be onto something. But I have seen way worse horror movies and I wouldn't go nearly as far as to call this a "bad" movie (no matter the genre).

Now we get a continuation from the first 3rd eye movie, though as you can guess you can watch this without prior knowledge of the other film. Of course if you do, you will have a couple of insights and "know" the characters (it's a nice touch, but let's keep it real, paper thin). If you are into this sort of stuff, sound design and so forth - well done.

Some moral messages that I get from this film :

1. Don't be sad for the calamity that befalls you for too long, wake up and start a new, better life.

2. Take advantage of your strengths or abilities to help others.

3. Don't be afraid if you do the right thing.

4. Get rid of fear, face the real reality, and be brave.

5. Every crime, whether real or hidden, will surely be revealed in its time.

6. Get rid of vengeance and cultivate forgiveness.

7. Don't be easily fooled by whispers that tell us to do bad.

8. Every human being depends on his actions in this world, if he is good then in the hereafter he will be placed in Heaven, but if he is evil he will be placed in Hell.

9. True happiness is when you can make other people happy.

May be useful =)

Not as great as the first one but was a decent flick. It seems they used their best ideas on the first one.