Sadako 3D Blu-ray review

Actors: Satomi Ishihara, Kôji Seto, Yûsuke Yamamoto, Tsutomu Takahashi

Director: Tsutomu Hanabusa

Format: Blu-ray, Dolby, NTSC, 3D, THX, Widescreen

Language: Japanese

Subtitles: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: June 4, 2013

Run Time: 96 minutes

 

 

         I don’t know what level of popularity the Ringu film franchise or the books by Koji Suzuki which they are based on have in Japan, but I can’t imagine that there are many international audience members eagerly awaiting another chapter in the chronicle. Sadako is said to be the “terrifying” conclusion to the story of the media-savvy serial killer spirit. The fact that Sadako has taken advantage of the popular 3D format only makes for a horror film with forced brightness and far too little terror. As cleverly as the story has been adapted to modern technology, there are too many things wrong with this film to live up to expectations brought on by the original, not to mention Gore Verbinski’s long-winded remake.

 

         Sadako, the evil spirit from the original VHS tape, has now made it viral. She waits in the deadly video clip that can only be found at certain times, killing the suspecting viewer. There is a huge plot hole in the film with the only people searching the internet for the clip seem to be the ones who honestly believe that it has the ability to kill. This makes little sense to me. I understood the VHS version of the curse, mostly because it was often viewed on accident and by a group of slumber party girls trying to scare each other. In this film they go through great length to find something that they believe will kill them if they view it. This is never addressed or even cleverly avoided, like many other plot holes in this horror film with very little horror.

 

         The death of one girl in a high school brings the suspicions of a fellow student and a teacher, who investigate the phenomenon of the forbidden video that kills you. There is no longer a time delay either, and apparently the clip is always viewed in private. It all build in the usual Japanese ghost horror film manner, providing a film left for die-hard fans of the franchise with the understanding that the 3D format completely alters the feel of the film. The Blu-ray release also comes with a 2D version of the film.

 

Entertainment Value: 4/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 3/10

Historical Significance: 4/10

Disc Features: 3/10