Phone is a 'haunted technology' movie, like the Ringu trilogy
(where Ringu had a possessed video tape, Phone has a possessed mobile phone number), which has, of course, led
some reviewers to simply label this film as merely a Ringu clone.
But this is unfair, as Phone's use of flashbacks is well-used and,
once the heroine starts looking into the origin of the phone number
(another nod to Ringu, and also The Eye), the plot becomes much
more twisty and engrossing than similar films. The bitter, spite-oriented origin of the possessed phone number is
typically Far Eastern in flavour, and the story, reaching a satisfying
denouement, is clever and is certainly as well-constructed (if not
more so) than in the Ringu films.
The weakest part of Phone's story is the inclusion of an attacker
(angry at the reporter heroine's expose of him) who tries to kill the
protagonist and, when he dies, is never mentioned again. This
could be a (bad) case of cutting in order to reduce the film's
running time (as with Bichunmoo) to please Korea's cinema
chains (who demand films be short enough to to be shown as
frequently as possible each day.)
All in all, though, Phone is a fine horror tale with some genuine
scares and a superb performance from the little possessed girl.
(where Ringu had a possessed video tape, Phone has a possessed mobile phone number), which has, of course, led
some reviewers to simply label this film as merely a Ringu clone.
But this is unfair, as Phone's use of flashbacks is well-used and,
once the heroine starts looking into the origin of the phone number
(another nod to Ringu, and also The Eye), the plot becomes much
more twisty and engrossing than similar films. The bitter, spite-oriented origin of the possessed phone number is
typically Far Eastern in flavour, and the story, reaching a satisfying
denouement, is clever and is certainly as well-constructed (if not
more so) than in the Ringu films.
The weakest part of Phone's story is the inclusion of an attacker
(angry at the reporter heroine's expose of him) who tries to kill the
protagonist and, when he dies, is never mentioned again. This
could be a (bad) case of cutting in order to reduce the film's
running time (as with Bichunmoo) to please Korea's cinema
chains (who demand films be short enough to to be shown as
frequently as possible each day.)
All in all, though, Phone is a fine horror tale with some genuine
scares and a superb performance from the little possessed girl.
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