The Doll

I picked this movie for the a long weekend's choice as it's said that the 3rd sequel will be released this year. I believe I've watched it few years ago but not sure it was memorable enough to make me intentionally re-watch it in 2022. The Doll (2016) is one of those cheesy creation by Indonesian that finally caught my full attention in the last 10 mins (at least) after the appearance of Sara Wijayanto, tbh. I decided to grasp the entire lame conversation and plot in the first 20 mins but still can't help dozing off because its raw execution of scenarios, irrational bridging, or even the poor roles. So, I jumped the cursor to the last 20 mins and finally, a fruitful stories to witness.

I usually don't count the stars I gave to rate a film but as a proud Indonesian, I felt obliged to address my reviews for a better execution of horror movies in the future, especially in collaboration with the best production house and movie stars like this one.

1st star = for the actors choice and location 2nd star = for the adopted and adapted scenes from conjuring series. Yes it was smooth anyways, but I love horror genres and conjuring universe is one of a hail series deserved to re-watch, thus I recognized "that" parts you used and re-created 3rd star = for the special effects and logical impact during the thrilling scenes only 4th star = for a light moral value by Mrs. Sara as usual. I love DMS, might this be a biased comment but her narratives were virtuous for us who still alive.

I previously planned to watch the 2nd sequel, The Doll 2, but seeing the first one was kinda like this, I might re-think first.

I liked this movie. Yes, The Doll is scary. Valeria Lukyanova is great in this movie, but honestly so is Anthony del Negro. The outwardly cold psychopath that Natasha turns out to be, in the movie is placed into the context of two ordinary kids who live together. Anthony goes through a breakup, gets dumped, and Natasha is pretty much terrifying. This movie is sort of like a serious attempt at making the Movie 43, with Emily Rose, into a horror film, if the lead actress was'The Human Barbie'. I think that The Doll might be the beginning of something wonderful! I'll tell you how I take my coffee, with Valeria Lukyanova in it.

I recently viewed the Indonesian 🇮🇩 film The Doll (2016) on Netflix. The plot revolves around a construction worker who, after finding a doll, unwittingly brings it home to his doll maker wife. However, his mistake becomes apparent when he discovers the doll's dark past-once owned by a little girl brutally murdered with her family. Now, the doll possesses a sinister mind of its own.

Directed by Rocky Soraya (Indigo), the film features Shandy Aulia (Tarot), Sara Wijayanto (Tarot), Denny Sumargo (A Man Called Ahok), and Demian Aditya (Sabrina).

Despite its potential, the movie has more misses than hits. The dialogue and character interactions feel cheesy, resembling a made-for-television production. The horror elements lack the intended intensity, with underwhelming scratches, uncreepy messages behind the doll, and disappointing CGI vomit. However, the transformation of the doll into a ghost is incredibly well done, showcasing scenes that, with better use of the effect, could have elevated the movie to gem status. Despite its flaws, I plan to watch the sequels.

In conclusion, The Doll falls short of its potential, earning a score of 4/10. Still, if you're seeking something different, it's worth watching once.

I dropped the ball a tad, this is the first movie of The Doll trilogy and not realizing I went and watched the last part Sabrina (2018) first. My bad! However based on this I get the impression that's not really an issue as they appear to be independent stories with recurring characters.

Now regarding Sabrina it was flawed but oddly competent stuff and not the silly killer doll movie I expected, The Doll is very very similar and in many regards almost the same movie. It is however almost the same movie but on a lower budget and it shows.

It tells the story of a supposedly haunted doll that gets brought into the new home of a young couple, you can probably work out how this plays out.

I've been watching a fair few Indonesian movies lately and though not groundbreaking I've actually enjoyed them, they're not what you'd expect at all and seem to be a blend of western and eastern methods of film making.

The Doll is hardly original and some parts look really quite terrible, however it's a passable enough effort and Sara Wijayanto shines as franchise recurring character Ms.Laras.

If you're new to Indonesian cinema The Doll franchise is a harmless place to start and I'm now looking forward to watching the 2nd movie to complete the trilogy.

The Good:

Some creepy moments

Sara Wijayanto

The Bad:

Some really quite bad cgi

Has its fair share of flaws and cliches

Yes, there were Puppet Horror movies well before Annabelle and there will be more in the future. But this seems to be quite inspired by that universe (string of movies). Horror movies will be horror movies and either you like some of them no matter how much cliche is thrown into the mix or you will be utterly annoyed by watching.

Hide and seek is one thing, when your doll is playing that game with you, you should consider consulting someone who knows what is up. And while there are western influences as I already said, you can also see that it does have its own mythology when it comes to ghosts, respect for the dead and the other/under-world. There have been worse movies out there, but there have been way better horror movies too (and no that is not a pun for the sequel)