Shutter DVD Review
You know that saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”? Well, in the case of American remakes of Asian horror films (or J-Horror), I’d have to say enough is enough. The Ring was good. The Grudge was o.k. But Shutter brings things to an all-time low.
Shutter, the remake of a 2004 Thai film, thrusts yet another type of technology into the spotlight—this time, a camera. It stars Ben (Joshua Jackson) as a photographer who recently married Jane (Rachael Taylor). Because of Ben’s career, the newlyweds skip the traditional honeymoon and head to Japan, which Ben is returning to after a two-year hiatus to regroup with co-worker/pals Bruno (David Denman) and Adam (John Hensley).
Ben and Jane move into a creepy loft in an even creepier building, and things start getting fuzzy—literally. Jane sees pictures her and Ben that have weird blurry spots. Rational Ben thinks it’s a technical problem, and open-minded Jane believes it’s tied to “spirit photography.”
Director Masayuki Ochiai and writer Luke Dawson spend a lot of time on shots rather than fleshing out characters, and the extremely likable Jackson (“Fringe”, Bobby, “Dawson’s Creek”) seems miscast as the good guy with the dark past. Taylor (Bottle Shock, Transformers) brings little to the film, and she and Jackson share little chemistry. Megumi Okina (Ju-on: The Grudge) seems to have the best role of the lot, and expresses more with her face than the rest of the cast with their mouths. Shutter’s remaining co-stars include David Denman (“The Office”, Fanboys) and John Hensley (“Nip/Tuck”, Teeth) as Ben’s friends; Maya Hazen (Lucky You) as Seiko; and James Kyson Lee (“Heroes”) as Ritsuo.
The film is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, with audio in Dolby Digital 5.1., Spanish and French 2.0 surround, and subtitles are available in English and Spanish. There are a whole bunch of extras (that are better than the film, actually), starting with the full-length commentary track with executive producer Alex Sundell, writer Dawson and actor Taylor.
Featurettes include “A Ghost in the Lens,” offering a collection of interviews with actors Jackson, Taylor and Hensley; producer Roy Lee; writer Dawson; and spirit photography expert Hideyuki Kokuho. Next up is “A Cultural Divide: Shooting in Japan”, which features Jackson, Taylor, Lee, Dawson, David Denman, Shinji Noro (stunts) and interpreter Chiho Asada. The featurette “The Director: Masayuki Ochiai” offers a subtitled interview with, you guessed it, the director. In “A Conversation with Luke Dawson,” the writer talks about the script development.
The most interesting of the lot is “A History of Spirit Photography,” regarding the “reproduction of a spiritual materialization or psychokinetic manifestation by film exposure.” Rounding out the extras are a DIYers dream come true—“Create Your Own Phantom Photo,” which shows how to make a fake spirit photo; and “The Hunt for the Haunt: Tolls + Tips for Ghost Hunters.” There are also 11 deleted/alternative scenes.
The problem with Shutter is that it sticks to a formula and offers few surprises. There’s an angry spirit, Americans out of their element, and clues dropped like breadcrumbs the size of boulders. Shutter is rated PG-13 for “terror, disturbing images, sexual content and language,” but it’s really pretty tame, especially compared to The Grudge and The Ring. The fact that it’s not even scary makes it a waste of time.
I give Shutter ½ star out of 5.