Shutter (2008) Reviews

Pros: Besides looking gorgeous, Rachel Taylor's acting was good and convincing at her role. Her emotions were natural and believable. Not much else pro about this movie besides her acting. Cons: Joshua Shaw's acting was very flat. He was not convincing and his emotions looked forced and not believable like Rachel. Also, there were several moments in the movie where his response to the situation did not fit the moment. I can't exactly fault him for that tho, it was more an issue with the script or the director. It was out of place and did not fit right. The special effects were amateurish at best, and the story was predictable and boring. STOP the stupid pale faced skinny girl in a nightgown with black hair scare tactic. It's been done so many times, it's not scary anymore. I give this a 2 star, only cuz of Rachel.
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This review refers to the unrated version which includes scenes that probably took the movie from "PG-13" to "R". If you were expecting another good remake of an Asian horror movie like the "The Grudge" or "The Ring", think again. This retake on the Thai version is not scary or even creepy. And given the number of Japanese cast credits on the "Movie Details" tab and the fact that the majority of the movie was shot in Japan, you'd think there would be a considerable amount of Japanese dialogue. Here again, you'll be disappointed as nearly every spoken Japanese word is not translated, but subtitled "[Speaking Japanese]". The contrived acting was typical of most American horror movies with new actors. However, the directing and cinematography were very well done. The audio defaults to Dolby Digital 5.1 and made good use of surround sound. There are a number of extras that don't improve the DVD viewing experience. Not recommended.
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