I do not recommend the movie "Pulse"

[jaques]

A blurb on the box of this film says something like, "Unlike any horror movie you have ever seen -- or will ever see."

This is true enough ... if you've never seen a horror movie in which an ill-defined supernatural phenomenon menaces a small group of people and then kills them one-by-one until the male and female leads are the only characters left and manage to repeatedly avoid the effects of the phenomenon thanks to its capabilities and limitations never quite getting explained by the screenplay. Or if you've never seen a horror movie in which, even after it should be clear that something monstrous and deadly is going on, the characters persist in remaining clueless and blithely continue to do idiotic things that get them killed.

For instance (SPOILER alert), if a wave of suicides were happening, and one of your friends was among the suicides, and during a chat session with a bunch of your pals, you all started getting a message from that dead friend saying "help me" over and over again, and a variety of other creepy things started happening around your computer and/or cell phone, and you got a package from the dead friend with red masking tape and a note saying "It keeps them out -- I don't know why," and then you booted up your computer and got a message asking, "Would you like to see a ghost?" is there any chance that you would move your cursor over the question and click on it??? Well, for every single character in this movie, the answer to that question is, "Yeah, sure!"

I did actually find the film pretty scary (because I'm a terrible wimp about horror flicks), but that actually just made me resent its shortcomings all the more.

[kenjib]

Thanks for the warning. Thankfully I haven't seen that one but if you like monster movies I do recommend The Host if you can still catch it at a theatre near you. It's a crazy good Korean film. How often does a horror film get 92% on rotten tomatoes, anyway?

[jaques]

Originally Posted by kenjib

Thanks for the warning. Thankfully I haven't seen that one but if you like monster movies I do recommend The Host if you can still catch it at a theatre near you. It's a crazy good Korean film. How often does a horror film get 92% on rotten tomatoes, anyway?

We've got four small kids, so we don't get out to the movies much except for kid flicks. But I'll keep an eye out for that one on DVD.

Thanks!

[Havokscry]

but Kristen Bell is soooo cute!!

I agree, the movie was silly. The only reason I went to see it is because I'm a huge fan of Veronica Mars (Kristen plays Veronica Mars). It had perhaps the weakest developed characters I have ever seen. If they died, I didn't care.

[Annerios]

The original Japanese film Pulse is adapted from is a rougher and yet more satisfying piece of filmmaking. It has a lingering creepiness and sense of hopelessness that the remake only has a little of.

I also focuses more on the concept of isolationism through the use of technology that allows the catastrophe you see in the end take place.

I thought the remake got some of the ideas across, but I'll stick with the original despite the cuteness of Kristen Bell.

[Hex_Enduction_Hour]

Never heard of Pulse.

Originally Posted by kenjib

I do recommend The Host if you can still catch it at a theatre near you. It's a crazy good Korean film. How often does a horror film get 92% on rotten tomatoes, anyway?

I have seen the trailer for The Host and it does look great.
Apparently The Host carries a bit of an anti-American message.
I'm okay with this - I still want to see it.

[kenjib]

Originally Posted by Hex_Enduction_Hour

Never heard of Pulse.

I have seen the trailer for The Host and it does look great.
Apparently The Host carries a bit of an anti-American message.
I'm okay with this - I still want to see it.

Yeah that's there but IMO they just use the United States as a prop to make a more universal point because it is just as critical of the South Korean government. I think that it is much more anti-police state/anti-bureaucracy generally than it is anti-american specifically.

[Hex_Enduction_Hour]

Originally Posted by kenjib

Yeah that's there but IMO they just use the United States as a prop to make a more universal point because it is just as critical of the South Korean government. I think that it is much more anti-police state/anti-bureaucracy generally than it is anti-american specifically.

I'm definitely going to see The Host.
It looks fun, frightening, and the trailer shows plenty, but still keeps the gist of the story in the dark for me.
Thanks for some insight, Kenjib.

[moorific]

I thought this movie was Ok, but I never understood how the two guys that made the virus made the ghost-thingy that sucked the will to live out of everyone.

[geddy lifeson]

My wife and I actually paid money to see it. We have only gotten to see a couple movies together since the birth of our daughter since we don't like leaving her with others and we have no family nearby. It was nice to get out and have a "date" with my wife (other than playing HS), but we were both surprised at how awesomely bad this movie was. Not the worst ever but it ranks up there.