By: Tom Owen
I must admit, when I walked into the theater I was expecting another Dark Castle letdown along the likes of 'Ghost Ship' or
'13 Ghosts'. Such good premises, ground up and served on our plates as slop I wouldn't feed to my dog. After taking my seat
I opened up and prepared to be force fed another big Hollywood cast that seems totally out of place, another script that
scares me almost as much as the 16 year old kid in the hockey mask working at last years haunted house, and another movie
that seems like it's trying to rely on fancy special effects to 'wow' you into staying in your seat as if we wouldn't notice
that what we're watching barely deserves a spot on the wall at Blockbuster.
Gothika, unlike your Dark Castle siblings... you proved me wrong.
Meet Dr Miranda Grey (Halle Berry), a loving wife and brilliant criminal psychologist who works at an asylum along with her
husband (Charles Dutton) and Dr. Pete Graham (Robert Downey Jr). Besides Chloe, a troublesome patient played eerily well by
Penelope Cruz, it seems that Dr Grey had things pretty well sorted out. After spending a late night at work though, a detour
on the way home leads her to end up behind bars and along side her nutty co-star in the very asylum where she worked.
She wakes up in a cell with no recollection of
the past few days to be told by Pete that her husband was murdered, and all the evidence points directly to her. Surprise!
Now Dr. Grey has to figure out what the hell is going on and how she is going to convince everyone she's not crazy. Each
claim of innocence though is just perceived as another step towards the cuckoo's nest by everyone around her. The deeper
she gets and as more of the plot unfolds, we realize we have much more on our hands than a housewife gone insane. Dr. Grey
realizes she was the pawn of a very pissed off spirit, and now has to decide if it's herself or the truth that's crazy.
Is the story a little bit predictable? Sure. Everyone knows someone who likes to say "I had that whole movie figured out
before the opening credits finished", and they'll get their opportunity to prove to you how smart they are after watching
Gothika. Knowing what's going actually had a way of making the movie more enjoyable though. The more Dr. Grey figures out
the more you get immersed into the story, getting frustrated because nobody will believe her. Who's going to believe a crazy
person anyways?
While things were moving along there seemed to be a pattern of suspense.. suspense.... suspense...... nothing. I'd feel let
down like they passed up a good scare, until I ended up jumping at something I never would have expected a few minutes down
the road. It worked well in keeping me on the edge of my seat and made the jumps that did hit pack even more of a punch.
The score played an integral part in this and was seriously good work. John Ottman, who has worked on a number of big films
including The Usual Suspects, Halloween H20, and X2, is responsible for what you hear and keeping you spooked through the
film's entirety.
The special effects were awesome and well used. Unlike previous Dark Castle movies where the fx seemed the primary vehicle
for carrying the movie, here they serve simply as a way to exemplify the nightmarish story and creep us out to it's fullest
extent. A few sequences were so well crafted, they actually coaxed a Keanu-esque "whoa" out of my mouth and others around me
as our eyes were fixated on the screen.
Director Mathieu Kassovitz obviously knows ghosts are always scarier when they flash across the screen making us
not totally sure of what we just saw, than when we're continually bombarded with images of translucent bumbling monsters a la
Scooby Doo, or say 13 Ghosts. Whenever our ghost appeared, I could sense the uneasiness and hear the groans from everyone in
the theater.
I really had my doubts that they would be able to scare anyone after first learning the cast. It obvious studios rely on
stars like these to ensure themselves box office draw and when Hollywood goes big ( and the hiring of Halle Berry fresh off
her Oscar win is about as big as it gets) we tend to lose substance in a trade off for the glitz and glam of a larger
production movie. Halle does an amazing job though and really nails her character's role, which happens to be her first
true lead. Alongside her in the asylum is Penelope Cruz, who looking battered and torn could convince even Sigmund Freud
she was really crazy.
Gothika seemed to switch genre's like nobodies business. Jumping around between being a horror film and a thriller, I don't
think it ever planted it's feet too firmly on either side. Most of the time I'd say that's not a good thing but it worked
well here and kept the story compelling. One thing the film doesn't stray from though, is a constant direful and ominous atmosphere that comes with the aid of great acting and a great score. Supernatural thriller fans will love the suspense, action, and of course our
creepy little ghost. Horror fans will find solace in the good old fashioned scares, dark story, and blood.. yup there's
blood! Not a lot but enough to satisfy calling it a horror movie, and the scene where we get the most is particularly
good.
The 'twist' ending which you'll have figured out looong before it begins to rear it's ugly head is my only complaint. It
just seems way to easy, but how much creativity can you really expect from the major motion picture companies these days. It's the type of movie where you are thinking the whole time, there has to be something more going on that this... it's just too obvious. I've learned to go into these types of movies not expecting some mind bending rollercoaster, but just a good time and a few good scares.
Overall with Gothika, I'd say they did exactly what they set out to accomplish and it gives me hope that we can expect good
things from the otherwise underachieving Dark Castle Productions.
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Gothika Review Thread
Score: 8 / 10
