Bunrushedaba
Being a big fan of Korean horror (Oldboy, I Saw the Devil, Hansel & Gretel etc.) I decided to look at a few lists of people's 'top 10 Korean horror movies' and found that a little obscure film, that I'd never heard of, called, "Bunshinsaba" was number 1 a lot of the time (or at least near the top). However, I was disheartened to find that it had a low average score on IMDb, so I found it on Youtube (didn't want to risk buying it), hoping that IMDb was going to be proved wrong, but unfortunately it wasn't.
Bunshinsaba was extremely disappointing. I liked the creepy opening which immediately set the atmosphere and had me feeling for the main character, but after that it seemed to be incredibly rushed through so I found it hard to get into. There are a lot of ideas pushed into Bunshinsaba that are skimmed over in a flash and not allowing for any sort of character development, thus detaching you from the story. There's also no discourse markers to let you know that the film is going to move on to a different idea, it just goes onto a different scene and it's as if a whole chunk has been cropped out.
The ideas are also not wholly original. It relies on the long-haired white-face ghost were creepy in The Grudge and The Ring, but have become over-used in Japanese horror films, and now it seems the Korean's have started copying them. Although, at least they had a go at constructing a fresh story instead of remaking one! There are also a range of recycled and over-used ideas in ghost films, you could count the clichés on your fingers: We've got the vengeful spirit, possession, exorcism, a secluded town etc. All that have been done to death, and Bunshinsaba doesn't even try doing them in any new or exciting ways.
However, that's not to say that Bunshinsaba is a terrible film, because it's not. Its strongest moments lay in the flash-back sequences, which take upon a slower pace which is much better suited for the film. The back-story is also genuinely interesting, and I found myself gripped to those scenes. There is also some exciting moments dotted around the film, I just wished it had been more original and had taken a slower and more meaningful approach.
It also got a little too confusing at the end and I found myself, just leaning back and watching what unfolds without really knowing what's going on, because the film doesn't allow any time for the viewer to work it out. Bunshinsaba is an OK film and does pass the time on a rainy Friday night, but it should not be the main aim of your life to see this film. It's nothing we haven't seen before and haven't seen done more effectively.
Bunshinsaba was extremely disappointing. I liked the creepy opening which immediately set the atmosphere and had me feeling for the main character, but after that it seemed to be incredibly rushed through so I found it hard to get into. There are a lot of ideas pushed into Bunshinsaba that are skimmed over in a flash and not allowing for any sort of character development, thus detaching you from the story. There's also no discourse markers to let you know that the film is going to move on to a different idea, it just goes onto a different scene and it's as if a whole chunk has been cropped out.
The ideas are also not wholly original. It relies on the long-haired white-face ghost were creepy in The Grudge and The Ring, but have become over-used in Japanese horror films, and now it seems the Korean's have started copying them. Although, at least they had a go at constructing a fresh story instead of remaking one! There are also a range of recycled and over-used ideas in ghost films, you could count the clichés on your fingers: We've got the vengeful spirit, possession, exorcism, a secluded town etc. All that have been done to death, and Bunshinsaba doesn't even try doing them in any new or exciting ways.
However, that's not to say that Bunshinsaba is a terrible film, because it's not. Its strongest moments lay in the flash-back sequences, which take upon a slower pace which is much better suited for the film. The back-story is also genuinely interesting, and I found myself gripped to those scenes. There is also some exciting moments dotted around the film, I just wished it had been more original and had taken a slower and more meaningful approach.
It also got a little too confusing at the end and I found myself, just leaning back and watching what unfolds without really knowing what's going on, because the film doesn't allow any time for the viewer to work it out. Bunshinsaba is an OK film and does pass the time on a rainy Friday night, but it should not be the main aim of your life to see this film. It's nothing we haven't seen before and haven't seen done more effectively.
- asda-man
- Oct 18, 2012