PRELIMINARY REVIEW: "JUON: THE GRUDGE 2" IS THE LOWER-QUALITY EXTENSION OF ITS PRECURSOR

Since it has been some months since I have seen this film, this review is mainly based on my periodical consideration of its qualities...
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PRELIMINARY REVIEW: "JUON: THE GRUDGE 2" IS THE LOWER-QUALITY EXTENSION OF ITS PRECURSOR

Since it has been some months since I have seen this film, this review is mainly based on my periodical consideration of its qualities and defects. I will update this review upon seeing the film again.


Released only a year after the screening of the first theatrical installment of the "Juon" series (of which there are four parts: two installments made for TV and two made for theatrical release), "Juon: The Grudge 2" immediately falls under suspicion as being a cheap shot by Shimizu Takashi at capitalizing on the success of the first. Indeed, its content does support this. "Juon: The Grudge 2" shows itself to be a financial contrivance in the selection of cast, the poor cinematography, and its lack of dramatic differentiation from its precursor. Suspicions that this film was meant purely for profit are reinforced immediately by Shimizu-san's selection of Sakai Noriko to play the star role of Harase Kyoko. Sakai is a popular Japanese singer and has little experience in acting (this is her first movie and second time on screen). One can tell from the very first sequence that Sakai-san lacks any innate ability to realistically portray her role. Throughout the entire film her actions fall very much into the stereotype of the "hysterical young woman". Particularly when Shimizu-san was able to make a contract with Okina Megumi (Nishina Rika from "Juon: The Grudge), one must question why it is that he should choose Sakai Noriko to inherit the role as heroine. The cinematography in "Juon: The Grudge 2" is considerably lower quality than its predecessor. Whereas Shimizu-san succeeds in the first to enhance the insecure atmosphere through use of light and shadow, the second contains numerous scenes that simply feel 'safe': the lighting is bright and warm, and the viewer occasionally has the impression that he is watching a low-budget drama instead of a professionally done horror movie. Of course, filtering the camera and editing the film is time consuming and costs money, so this is not actually a surprise considering the movie's purpose. Finally, "Juon: The Grudge 2" adds nothing to the first. The film is again divided into somewhat randomly ordered 'vignettes' that have little interconnection or dramatic interdependence. Each of these vignettes is within itself a horror sequence, and the viewer watches each sequence knowing that the main character will be killed by Kayako. Thus Shimizu raises the expectations for horror higher every time, turning this into a test of his ability to recycle scenes in hopes of providing another scare. He fails. Most of the stories are, as stated in the previous paragraph, unprofessionally shot, and in addition have little to boast about in terms of finesse. The horror sequences are all either far too absurd to be scary (a killer toupe), too uncomfortably intimate (a grown woman giving birth to a grown woman), or just too silly (a five-mile-an-hour car crash putting the driver into a coma). The only sequence I will exempt from this is the last one about the school girl, Chiharu (Ichikawa Yui), which is so detached from the rest of the film and so different in its general feel that one should wonder whether Shimizu-san actually wrote it. "Juon: The Grudge 2" has little to offer anyone who has seen "Juon: The Grudge", and those who have not yet seen the first would do well to avoid predisposing themselves against the entire series by watching the second. Shimizu Takashi, despite his great potential, was far more interested in filling his pocket book than producing a quality movie. "Juon: The Grudge 2" is an bitterly disappointing movie and if Shimizu-san is still to be viewed favorably, it is necessary that this movie be put where it cannot be seen.