Remember back in the day when remaking a Japanese horror movie was a fresh and new idea? I recall seeing THE RING remake and liking it and THE GRUDGE films have been pretty good. So why has it taken so long for all of the other remakes to get rolling? We were ready for them about five years ago. Now coming up in 2008 we will see remakes of THE EYE, A TALE OF TWO SISTERS AND SHUTTER, but to kick them all off is the long awaited remake of ONE MISSED CALL from Warner Bros. Pictures - or shall we just call this PULSE 2?
In the film a college student misses a cell phone call, but when she checks her messages she listens to herself getting murdered three days in the future.
The film carries your typical creepy ghost kids, a scary teddy bear and a disgruntled cop trying to figure out why his sister’s death is connected to the other random deaths. All the victims have one thing in common; they die with a piece of hard candy in their mouths… ohhh spooky!
The movie starts out in a style reminiscent of the FINAL DESTINATION films, sans the cleverness. How will they die? We know when it will happen, but now we have to see the hilarity ensue as the moment approaches. The story here is the main problem, things just don’t make sense, and it fails to adhere to its own rules. For instance in one scene a victim will be killed by a scary hand, and the next it’s a ghost, and the next it’s an amazing zombie like corpse. Huh? I thought this was about scary cell phones! Now you understand why it’s “hilarious.”
One positive thing about ONE MISSED CALL is that it looks amazing; it has a kick ass style to it, and while it isn’t very original it certainly works for the film. Some genuinely creepy effects also help give the final product a nice expensive looking gloss.
Unfortunately, the acting isn’t going to win any Oscars - as a matter of fact, Ed Burns is just phoning this one in (pun intended), doing his best CSI wannabe cop investigations. Do I smell a Razzie nomination? Shannyn Sossamon puts in the usual great performance, but it’s not enough to save the film from its convoluted script by Andrew Klaven.
One of the best parts of the film is (the insanely underrated) Ray Wise, who is extremely underused. He shows up about a third of the way through the film, and then just kind of disappears into nothing. Maybe they will put him in a sequel (if it gets made). ONE MISSED CALL probably won’t be the worst film of the year, but it’s sad to know that this is how 2008 is starting out. This is the one time you’ll wish for a dropped call…
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