One Missed Call 2

After the ultimate success of its predecessor, "One Missed Call 2" is released in 2005 with a different crew on-board. Having an upgraded premise, you'd expect this sequel to be better--but it really isn't. Sure, the deaths are more intriguing, but you've got to listen--the film has more cons than expected. The ending is somewhat unsatisfying, and it seems that a brand new story is attempted to be forced into the original lore of Mimiko from the first "One Missed Call" film. Fortunately, the runtime is much more reasonable than the first film, and the terror stays the same, not changing much from the original film!

I tend to like Japanese horror, whether is it a gory slasher, or just a creepy film like this one. I prefer the characters over the WB actors they use in Hollywood remakes.

There were some really good actors in the film: Mimura as Kyoko Okudera, Yû Yoshizawa as Naoto Sakurai, and Asaka Seto as Takako Nozoe.

It was a little hard to follow all the characters, but it still was scary and well worth watching.

It may have been better to see Takashi Miike's first part of this to have a better understanding, but it is not necessary to enjoy the movie.

Japanese horror, like any other cinema industry, has it's duds. Ju-on the Curse 2 (TV), Dead Waves, Gozu, Shikoku, and the entire Tomie series qualify as disappointments, just to name a few. As a fan of East Asian horror, I demand good entertainment by the industry, and have no problem lambasting a crappy movie when I see one. Fortunately, One Missed Call 2 is not an utter disappointment, as some on IMDb have claimed. Unlike my other comments, this review will be short and sweet.

The storyline is more complex and intricate than the original. Multiple supernatural elements and threats are introduced and the structure of the plot is more like a mystery, which keeps the viewer off balance and engaged at the same time. I actually needed a pad and pen to jot down notes because there was a lot of relationships and events to keep track of. If anything else, One Missed Call 2 is not easily predictable, and that is a good thing. Also, the technical quality is solid. Good cinematography, acting, and lighting.

One negative is that the movie drags a bit in the middle and is not quite as scary as the original. The filmmakers should have added one or two entertaining kills during the middle half hour. That would have made this one as good as the original. In it's current state, however, it is less entertaining to a degree – but still entertaining nonetheless.

I can't see how people can complain about One Missed Call 2 when they are constantly peppered by the sheer idiocy and low quality tripe dished out by Hollywood. Sure, this film is not as good as Kairo or as original as Tetsuo, but it's MUCH better than Hostel, Silent Hill, The Hills Have Eyes, or The Devil's Rejects, just to name a few.

So if you liked the first one, give this one a try. Remember, even the most formulaic horror films from Japan are still better than your average American slasher.

I didn't care for the first one; it was competently made, but too derivative for my liking, along with multiple endings, the final one of which didn't seem to make sense. There was a funny line in this movie as some characters recalled the events of the first one and asked "how did that end?"

In the first, there was a chain of deaths linked by cell phone calls apparently originating with a death in a home involving Munchausen Syndrome-by-Proxy. The deaths typically involved some sort of poltergeist activity preparing a location for a death by falling, and then a person being dragged or thrown from a height. Some of the deaths involved twisting of the body in bone-cracking ways. One clue found on the bodies is a red candy, and each call is announced by an annoying ringtone taken from a children's television show (one that exists in the world of the movie).

In this one (I might have called it Two Missed Calls rather than One Missed Call 2), the manner of deaths, and clues and possible cause are mixed up somewhat. The two female leads are quite attractive. Again, I guess it could be said that it is competently made, but I didn't find it very interesting and again the ending involves some sort of twists that aren't particularly appreciated. Those who liked the first one a lot might enjoy this one too. The first one is being remade and I would guess that a sequel will be made to that one as well though it will probably not be a remake of this one (think the American Ring 2 or The Grudge 2).

There's a short film "gomu" on the second disc which takes place in the One Missed Call world, though when in relation to the two films, I'm not sure. It is poorly shot on video and isn't really worth the minute or two that it lasts.

In Japan, the daycare teacher Kyoko Okudera (Mimura) is convinced by her colleague and friend Madoka to visit her boyfriend Naoto Sakurai (Yû Yoshizawa) in the restaurant where he works instead of studying as planned. When the owner Mr. Wang answers the cellular call of his daughter, he receives a message telling that he would die in an accident in the kitchen that immediately comes true. Later, Naoto is visited by the snoopy journalist Takako Nozoe (Asaka Seto), who is researching the death call, and she plays the deadly ring tone for him. He recalls that not only Mr. Wang, but also Madoka have received similar calls. Meanwhile Kyoko is talking to Madoka and she sees a ghost in her phone. She rushes to Madoka's apartment and finds her dead in the bathtub, with Naoto and Takako arriving immediately after. Their investigation shows that Mimiko's grandfather Wei Zhang is in Taiwan and Takako asks her former husband Yuting to search him. Meanwhile, Kyoko receives a phone call and the autopsies of Mr. Wang and Madoka indicate the presence of coal dust in their lungs and no candies in their mouths. Takako, Naoto and Kyoko travel to Taiwan expecting to solve the mystery and save Kyoko from her fate.

"Chakushin Ari 2" is scary like most of the Asian horror movies, and has a promising beginning supported by a good sequel of Takashi Miike's "Chakushin Ari". I saw both movies in sequence and I found many explanations about characters and situations of the first movie. However, like in the first story, the conclusion the movie is confused, not clear, needing interpretation of the pretentious plot point that contradicts the whole plot and character development; therefore, the screenplay writer Minako Daira or the director Renpei Tsukamoto or both failed since they were not able to transmit a clear conclusion of the story to the audience. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Uma Chamada Perdida 2" ("One Missed Call 2")