Count another movie where the American remake is an epic fail. I watched the Japanese film Pulse, also known as Kairo (lit. 'Circuit), a very creepy if sometimes confusing technological ghost story. The confusion is deliberate since not understanding exactly what is happening is crucial to the film doing what it does and making the points that it makes.
Despite the murky nature of the narrative ideas, Kairo is quite well-considered amongst critics and viewers. Not so much the case with the American version. I don't think I'm even going to watch it. Frequently I do watch for comparison's sake... I watched Quarantine several months ago, and then recently, the original Spanish film REC. Quarantine and REC are almost the same film... shot for shot. And they both do their job pretty effectively. I preferred the lead in Quarantine, but I thought the lower-tech climactic horror in REC was actually creepier.
The American Pulse is so badly reviewed and for such fundamental reasons, I can't be bothered to spend the two hours watching it. I'll be pissed I can't get that time back.
Ironically, it was a pretty interesting trailer for the American Pulse that made me seek out the Japanese one.
I found the American version of "The Pulse" on DVD in a cheapo bin a few years ago, and I bought it.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a good movie by any means, but there is some decent creepy imagery in it... I used it as "background noise" while painting miniatures one night, and while I haven't watched it again, I don't regret the purchase.
I feel almost morbidly curious to watch the two American sequels... I was vaguely aware that it's a remake of a Japanese film, I suppose I'll have to track that down and watch it some day.
-Alex