By Frank Scheck
NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) -
The latest disappointing
Hollywood
After all, once we've seen ghosts emerge via videotapes,
cell phones, computers and nearly every other technological
device known to man, seeing them appear through Polaroids feels
a bit retro.
The 20th Century Fox film opened at No. 3 at the North
American box office with weak sales of $10.7 million.
In an homage to its Asian roots, the film is set largely in
Tokyo, where star photographer Ben (Joshua Jackson) and his new
wife, Jane (Rachel Taylor), have arrived for his latest
high-profile shoot. Unfortunately, they've barely gotten to
town before they have a serious car crash, caused by a
mysterious woman on a dark, snowy roadway who promptly
disappears.
Strictly perfunctory in its concept and execution,
"Shutter" presents the usual series of spooky images of a
deadpan female ghost showing up at odd times and moving in the
slow, jerky movements that are de rigueur for the genre.
Genuine scares are few and far between, and the climactic
explanation for the ghost's appearances comes as something less
than a revelation. It must be said, however, that the final
screen image, taking place in a mental institution, is subtly
unsettling.
Jackson displays his usual likable screen presence, and
Taylor manages to look absolutely gorgeous even while
terrified. But despite their respectable efforts, "Shutter,"
like the similar remakes that have preceded it, demonstrates
that Hollywood might have gone to the J-horror well a little
too often.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
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