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For those who haven't seen Dark Water, I heartily recommend it. It's an atmospheric Horror, maybe not as visceral or plain old scary as Ringu, but certainly more ambitious and important. This film's cuts the typical J-Horror part that involves the investigation of the ghost's past story, maybe to focus more on the characters and the motherhood drama. Most of this movie happens by without us knowing if there really is a ghost of a little girl running loose or this is just a brooding drama about parental responsibility. Then, in the last scenes, it shows us there really is a ghost, something that Dark Water pretty much assumed. The point? I dunno. Maybe the idea of a ghostless ghost movie didn't convince the producers.

Maybe it's better that this is not so much a straight Horror film, because frankly, the creepy sequences here are not very creepy. For all of its purdy cinematography and excellent Angelo Badalamenti score, the movie has a severe lack of atmosphere. Maybe it's the by-the-numbers effect or the fact that I have already seen the story done better, but shit just seemed to happen without anyone caring. The scene where the mother goes up the stairs to the water tank is pretty damn scary in the original. In here, it's very short and sort of out there - none will leave the theater thinking it memorable.

The acting is superb, though, which maybe it's all the worse since the movie doesn't make a good use of it. Tim Roth as the lawyer (there's an added subplot about his lonely life and a hint at an attraction to Connelly) is actually pretty damn funny and charming, and the rest fares well. Koyabashi is impressive and also has his fair share of comedic lnes. If you'll excuse the shallowness, Connelly is so thin these days Salles sometimes uses her figure for scares. No worries - I'd still hug her.

There isn't much more to say, though, unless I start rambling about the original Nakata movie, which I love. Now with Nakata repeating himself in Hollywood and remaking more Asian Horror, this sort of stuff is getting boring. Luckily I have Cult Icon's thread to remind myself that there are still Asian Horror movies that are surprising and captivating I haven't yet seen. I'll do my best of steering clear of the "let's see how the remake fares" line of thinking in the future.