I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that I'm one of the many sad individuals who thoroughly enjoyed the Americanized version of Takashi Shimizu's insanely popular Japanese chiller Ju-On. Though it was really nothing more than a bland rehash with smiling Hollywood faces, I found The Grudge to be a refreshing change of pace for what was passing as American horror at the time.
Others obviously felt the same way, since the film went on to make quite a tidy sum at the box office, spawning what could easily be described as a completely pointless sequel. While not a total disaster, The Grudge 2 is a bit too cluttered for its own good, inserting a plethora of interesting ideas into an otherwise boring excursion into familiar territory.
Picking up where the 2005 picture left off, The Grudge 2 explores three separate stories that ultimately tie together in the film's final few minutes. How original. The central and most compelling tale involves the irritatingly meek Aubrey Davis (Amber Tamblyn), little sister of Karen Davis, also known as Sarah Michelle Gellar's character from the previous entry. To avoid spoiling the film's lone surprise for those who didn't bother to watch the trailer, I'll refrain from divulging what becomes of the former Buffy star in this review.
Anyway, Aubrey has been given the thankless task of bringing her traumatized older sibling back from Japan, a journey that eventually thrusts her into the middle of the dreaded curse that has destroyed countless lives over the past few years. As the story slowly unfolds, Aubrey enlists the help of a charismatic journalist named Eason, a Chinese transplant living in Tokyo who's working on a story about the Saeki household and the many strange events linked to it. Together they attempt to stop these supernatural freak-outs once and for all.
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Article comments
1 - Frank
Ok, it wasn't as good as the first but Sarah Michelle Gellar did a good job and she is very talented ! I like the movie !