Ju-on: The Curse 2

I'll get straight to the point; a little more than half of Ju-On 2 is footage from the first movie. That is a very, very big problem. If it was all original footage, then Ju-On 2 would easily outshine the original. What new material there is is stronger than the first one, and more original, too. But as it stands, Ju-On 2 is mostly just a rehash of the original, which is a real shame. SOme of the many questions from the convoluted story of the original are answered here, but not to a satisfying degree. I get that they were trying to make it so that you didn't have to watch the original first, but it is absolutely absurd to expect returning viewers to sit through the same stuff. Why couldn't there have been a simple opening exposition scene about the previous occurances in the house? That would've been shorter and less annoying, and we would've gotten more time for the great original content.

Honestly, I would reccomend just completely skipping over the first forty minutes if you're hot off the heels of Ju-On: the Curse. If you haven't seen the original, then I would reccomend this movie even more. Just go in with the knowledge that the movie's first half is ripped straight from the first half of Ju-On, and you'll have a good time.

Final Score: 47/100.

Full disclosure: I watched a cut of 'Ju-On: The Curse 2 (2000)' that combines it with its predecessor, thus removing the thirty minutes of recap found in the actual cut of the film. Using that much footage from a pre-existing picture is pretty inexcusable (especially when the film you're padding it with is only seventy-five minutes long), but I can't really comment on it in detail because I skipped the recap entirely. Once the flick delves into new territory, it's a mostly effective - if somewhat redundant - extension to its predecessor. It expands upon the initial concept by making it clear that the curse not only effects those who have been inside the focal house, but also those that get near them. That's its most major contribution to the franchise's lore; other than that, it's pretty much more of the same, which is to say a series of interconnected segments that culminate in a scare. The non-linear nature of the story is played down significantly here, with the segments more-or-less seeming to continue directly on from one another. This isn't really an issue, though, and it makes for a more straightforward viewing experience. The segments themselves are typically engaging, even if most of them are a bit middling overall. There are a couple of segments that stand out above the others and it's these that make the overall film worth a watch. It typically feels less like a full-blown sequel and more like an epilogue, but it has a few arresting sequences and further solidifies the never-ending nature of the series' eponymous curse. 6/10.

... mainly because Ju-on 2 boasts an outrageous FORTY minutes' worth of material literally taken straight out of the first Ju-on - and when you consider that the sequel only runs for 76 minutes, that leaves you with 36 original minutes' worth of film. Ho-hum. I found that deeply irritating - as if viewers simply wouldn't remember the same stuff! - not to mention dull, having to watch it all over again.

OK, that complaint aside, the byline for Ju-on 2 was that it was supposed to explain a lot of the unanswered questions from the first movie, which frankly, over 36 minutes, simply doesn't go far enough to making any kind of sense of the original's highly convoluted storyline.

There are, however, some really nice new horror sequences which show how good the film might have been, had it had some time to develop; and some of the questions raised by the original - some, but not all - are answered.

So in conclusion - if you loved the first original movie and want to see some further developments on the story, go for it - but just remember to keep your remote control to hand with your finger on the fast-forward button for forty minutes.

The first TV movie of Ju-on is one of the creepiest movies I've I've seen. This is considerably less so.

This film begins with a half an hour of material from the first film. While its good, it slows the forward momentum of this film especially if you watched the previous film in close order.

When the new material comes it picks up literally where the first leaves off and follows it to a new end. Some of this is good, but much, like the end, is good looking but rather confused and far from scary. Worse, the now linear story is too literal and doesn't leave enough to the mind.

If you need to know what happens after the first film ends, then by all means pick this up for viewing, however if it were up to me I'd just leave the first film be and forget this as a well intentioned mistake.

5 out of 10

"Ju-On 2" isn't definitely as good as the original.It's very bland and boring film with some occasionally scary moments."Ju-On 2" starts at the beginning of the first film,re-telling the story that started it all in the original "Ju-On",and then about half way into the film the new story picks up.The film offers some downright creepy moments,but there is not enough creepiness for my liking.There is also one scene obviously stolen from Hideo Nakata's horror hit "Ringu"(1998).So if you liked the first film you may be a bit a disappointed with this one.My rating:6 out of 10-and that's being generous.Stick with brilliant original.