The Grudge (The Untold Chapter) isn’t a lazy sequel (or si-quel) and thanks to Nicolas Pesce does have an interesting and dark look, but the story isn’t up to par and does rely a bit much on the jump scares.
The Grudge
(2020)
Genre(s): Horror, Supernatural
Sony | R – 94 min. – $34.99 | March 24, 2020
Date Published: 03/29/2020 | Author: The Movieman
|
|
|||||||||||
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 1.75/5 |
|
Plot Synopsis: Detective Muldoon (ANDREA RISEBOROUGH) investigates a murder scene that has a connection to a case that her new partner, Goodman (DEMIAN BICHIR) handled in the past. The killings occurred in a haunted house that passes on a ghostly curse to those who dare enter it. Soon, the curse spreads to a terminally ill woman (LIN SHAYE) and her husband (FRANKIE FAISON), and another unsuspecting couple (JOHN CHO, BETT GILPIN) who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Review: The Grudge, marketed now as The Grudge: The Untold Chapter, apparently takes place in conjunction with the others in the American series. It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen the American or original Japanese versions but the gist is pretty much the same. I found this addition to be tepid at best, dull and boring at worst, though in fairness, I tend not to be a big fan of the supernatural-horror genre, especially ones that attempt to translate the J-horror kind to an American setting or removes the cultural aspects that don’t translate. In any case, one of the reasons I don’t care for these is they seems to make up the rules as they go along; whatever scares — or jolts the audience awake — goes. Same goes with the iteration, however nothing was particularly scary and worse, I didn’t care for anything that was going on, counting down the time before the film ended. If there were a couple positive elements, at least director Nicolas Pesce, in his first studio film, did provide some great atmosphere; course, kind of ruined with the over-usage of the clichéd jump scares. In addition, credit goes to a nice, well rounded cast. Both Andrea Riseborough and Demian Bichir acquitted themselves well, and their scenes together were well done, in a couple instances, as they ride together, kind of reminded me of True Detective. The Grudge 2020 edition is certainly not very good but it’s the kind of bad movie that didn’t really make an impression on me, meaning I thankfully wasn’t angry while watching and instead found myself thinking about other things. I suppose if you’re a big fan of the 2004 version and its sequel, maybe you’ll find something in this addition. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.0/5 |
|
This release comes with a semi-glossy slip cover and a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. Designing Death (3:03) — Featurette looks at the make-up design for the film, both spirit and human. The Cast of the Cursed (3:44) breaks down the actors and characters for this entry and what drew them to the project. Easter Egg Haunt (4:47) is a cool little featurette showing the connections with the other Grudge movies. Deleted Scenes (30:07) — There are seven scenes here, including the Alternate Ending which is not the one used for the international releases and plays with the timeline. |
VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| The Grudge holds some bitterness on Blu-ray, presented with a 1080p high-definition transfer as it’s shown in the original 2.39 widescreen aspect ratio. For the most part, as dark as this movie is in both tone and how it was shot, looks alright in HD. Detail was fairly good but nothing spectacular and as I noted, colors are more on the natural side of the spectrum while black levels do appear stark without seeming crushed. |
AUDIO – 4.5/5 |
| The disc comes with a strong DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which was quite impressive, at least more than expected. Dialogue of course comes through with good clarity but there is also some nice depth when the score, by the wonderful Newton Brothers, kicks in and even the LFE clicks on for an extra boost. |
OVERALL – 2.75/5 |
|
Overall, The Grudge (The Untold Chapter) isn’t a lazy sequel (or si-quel) and thanks to Nicolas Pesce does have an interesting and dark look, but the story isn’t up to par and does rely a bit much on the jump scares. However, the performances for the most part were solid at least. |