Gothika (2004)
Advertized as a spookfest along the vein of The Sixth Sense and promising a lot of good scares, Gothika falls far short of this and falls less into the niche of a horror film and more into the realm of supernatural thriller. Borrowing story elements from just about everything from "The Uglies" to "8mm", Gothika also falls short in the category of originality.
Starring a rather unconvincing Halle Berry as a Psychologist (or psychiatrist, they never really say) who specializes in deeply disturbed patients. Her ham-handed performance wrecked even moreso by an unrealistic love for her husband (Charles S. Dutton). The one scene they shared did not convey their relationship in the least and was, frankly, awkward. Yet we are supposed to care when he turns up dead and she's been locked away for having comitted the crime.
Of course, it is after her incarceration that the film actually starts to get good. There are no truly horrific images, but there is a mystery that somehow, despite the performances, becomes compelling. As strange as it may sound, this was a film that I wanted to turn off until after the first thirty minutes.
Now don't get me wrong, it's not a BAD film, just not a very good one. Still, it's a decent popcorn flick with a fairly well written mystery even if the ending is full of more holes than OJ's testimony. Gothika's main flaw is that it tries to be a cerebral film yet fails miserably under too much scrutiny. My advice on this one, if you can't turn off your brain and just enjoy a movie, skip this one. You'll be better served checking your brain at the door.
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