Rating: 
Summary: Ominous, but too objective at times
Review: Having seen this movie both in the theater and on DVD, I observed the following: the story was equally compelling both times. Nicole Kidman does some great acting, and it's especially worth it if you're a fan of hers. If you haven't seen it before, you might like it for one viewing anyway (it feels very much like the Sixth Sense: more ominous, but less touching and suspenseful).The plot centers around a mother, Grace (played by Kidman), and her two children, Ann and Nicholas (played by Alakina Mann and James Bentley, respectively), who have a condition that makes them hypersensitive to light. They are constantly in rooms of closed doors and windows, lit only by candlelight. The family lives in a mansion on a small island off the coast of England in 1945. The children's father is a soldier who may or may not come back from the war front. As the film begins, we discover that the servants of the house have left mysteriously, and three new servants arrive to take over the upkeep of the house. This is a movie to see for the acting, and not for perfect direction or razor-edged dialogue. Kidman and her children do an excellent job. Although there were moments in which the director, Alejandro Amenabar, spooks you, they aren't as fluid and surreal as other suspense films. If you're looking for that, turn to "Poltergeist" or the similarly named "The Other," a film from the 1970s that was a better premise, and had better directing and acting, too. Fionna Flanagan, an actress that I don't recall having seen before, does a good job as the mournful, stately servant, but mostly this film is about the interaction of the children with Kidman, and the children with each other. That said, I wish that the director had taken a more or less first person view of the children, instead of stubbornly clinging to the 3rd person. The DVD extras were OK, and it was interesting to learn about the condition that the children in the film suffered from, but having seen the extras for other DVDs, like the Royal Tennenbaums, I can say that these extras seemed, like the film itself, a bit dry and formal.
Rating:
Summary: "Sooner or later...she'll see them..."
Review: Terrific! In the tradition of classic ghost story films such as 'The Haunting' (the original 1963 version) and 'The Innocents', here director Allejandro Amenabar crafts a superb old-school-style additon to those worthy predecessors. Eschewing ludicrous digital monsters and MTV-style editing, Amenabar's film builds slowly and gradually, slyly creating a dense and rich atmosphere, a quality so utterly lacking in many so-called horror films of the last twenty years. ('Silence of the Lambs' and 'Jacob's Ladder' being the exceptions). Here is a wonderfully old-fashioned, truly scary ghost story that brings to mind Henry James' 'The Taming of the Shrew' as well as the aformentioned classic films. Though the entire (small) cast is outstanding, Nicole Kidman gives, in my opinion, the finest performance of her career; her chilly demeanor has never been put to better use. She maintains a tight-fisted grip on a performance that could have, in the hands of a less talented actor, spilled over into irritatingly shrill histrionics, and perhaps even outright camp. Instead, her multi-layered and tense depiction of her character, Grace, allows us to experience the gradual horror along with her, and makes the journey into this weird, creepy universe credible. (If there is any justice in the world, she'll not only be nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award, but recieve it.) To describe the plot would give even the small shocks away; indeed, there are two scenes scary enough that you may actually forget to breathe. Prepare yourself for maximum chills: there is a scene (and this gives nothing away) in which Grace finds something; what she uncovers is unbelievably eerie. And then there is the scene in the fog.... Highly recommended for intelligent viewers who love a well told, classically presented, and seriously goose-bump inducing tale...
Rating:
Summary: "I am your daughter..."
Review: THE OTHERS is one of those movies that once you get done watching it, you either immediately run through the whole movie in your head, or will want to watch it again. If you've seen it, you know what I mean. If you haven't, watch it and you'll understand. Everything in the movie takes on a new look after you watch the movie in its entirety. Grace Stewart (Kidman) is in need of new servants, as the ones she had just up and disappeared, and didn't even collect their wages. Bertha Mills (Flannagan), Edmund Tuttle (Skyes) and a young mute girl all show up at the house, looking for jobs as servants, and Grace decides to take them on. She is alone with her two children, as her husband had gone off to fight in WWII, which had just ended not long ago. She is positive that he had died in the war, but can't bring herself to tell her children that. Later in the film, he arrives back home, but only stays for a day or so, insisting he must get back to the front lines. When Grace tells him the war is over, he doesn't believe her. Speaking of the children, they are afflicted with the disease Xeroderma Pigmentosum, which means that they cannot be exposed to light any brighter than a candle, or their bodies may break out in blisters, and may even cause death. That keeps the house (which has no electricity) dark, and adds to the eeriness of the film. Shortly after the new servants arrive, strange things start to happen. Her daughter Anne (Mann) reports seeing figures around the house, most notably a boy named Victor, and an old woman with scary eyes. At first Grace doesn't believe her, and punishes her for telling stories. However, she soon begins to experience strange goings on herself. Kidman is great in the role of Grace Stewart, and Alakina Mann is also outstanding in the role of her daughter Anne Stewart. The rest of the cast is also well played, though Bentley (Charles Stewart, the other child) seemed a little uninspired. But hey, he's only six or seven, so I'll give him a break. Amenabar's direction is incredible, and I look for more great things to come from him in the future. Overall, this movie draws on what worked to scare audiences in the pre-slasher flicks that dominated the genre from the mid 70's through the mid to late 90's. While a lot of people who grew up with these as their basis for horror movies may be turned off from THE OTHERS with the lack of a crazed killer running amok, if they sit down and watch it, they'll soon discover that there are a lot scarier things than Jason or Mr. Ghostface.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: The Others is a fairly good movie but has a very stupid ending.
Well I give 3 stars and rent it but don't buy it.
Rating: 
Summary: BOO!!!
Review: "The Others" is a cinematic rarity these days, a good, old fashioned, ghost story! In fact it's so old fashioned that some of the things you won't find in it are killer cyborgs, acid spewing aliens, or genetically engineered puking dog-thing snot-monsters! But don't worry, because what you will find is a superb story, a clutch of breathtaking performances, and a palpable sense of dread that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat 'til the very end. The story is set during the last years of WWII on an island off the British coast. On this island is a secluded, fog-bound mansion, inhabited by a single mother, who's husband went off to the war, and their two children who suffer from a strange condition, "Xeroderma Pigmentosum," which means they are hyper-sensitive to light. The mansion is permanently shrouded in fog outside, and permanently dark inside, as the heavy drapes in each window are kept permanently shut to protect the children. Any prolonged exposure to full sunlight will result in the children being subjected to blistering, 3rd degree burns, or even death. The mother, Grace Stewart, a breathtaking performance by Nicole Kidman, is overly protective of the children, to say the very least. She frets and worries incessantly about their condition, and is compulsive in her checking of door-locks, and the security of the drapes over the windows. The children, Anne and Nicholas, luminously portrayed by Alakina Mann and James Bentley, live a stifling twilight existence within the walls of the mansion, dealing as best they can with their medical condition, and the suffocating love of their mother. As we meet Grace for the first time, screaming herself awake from an unseen nightmare, we can see that she's under incredible pressure, and at the end of her rope. She's barely able to cope with the loss of her husband, the children's condition, and running the mansion single-handedly, the servants having deserted the family a week ago, without even collecting their last weeks pay! But help arrives in the nick-of-time, in the shape of 3 estate workers, a housekeeper, scullery maid, and gardener. Grace is initially suspicious of the 3 as she had yet to post a "Help Wanted" ad in the village shop. The housekeeper, Mrs Mills, wonderfully played by Fionnula Flanagan, explains that they used to work at the mansion in years gone by, and called on the off-chance of finding work, in doubtless trying times. As if the initial set-up isn't bizarre enough, with the arrival of the new staff things start to get really strange; inexplicable noises, talk of ghosts, a photographic "Book of the Dead," musical instruments playing unaccompanied... and Mrs Mills knows far more than she's letting on, as do the scullery maid and the gardener! I'm not going to say anything else about the film; I don't want to spoil it for you if you haven't seen it already, I'll just say that I'm not ashamed to say I did NOT guess the final twist in the tale! In fact, I actually saw the film twice when it was first released, because the cinema was evacuated about half way through when there was a tornado warning in the area; I couldn't wait to go back and see it again the next day!!! Much has been said about Nicole Kidman's performance, and I have to say she is amazing! Highly-strung, brittle, compulsive, fiercely protective of her children...and her accent is wonderful! She drives the film relentlessly, along with the performances of Fionnula Flanagan, and the children; James Bentley, as Nicholas, in particular, gives an incredible, jaw-dropping performance. But it's the writing and directing of Alejandro Amenabar that is the secret of "The Others." The story is wonderful, and the direction exemplary; Amenabar builds the tension and sense of dread relentlessly, 'til you don't think you can stand it any longer! This is a 2-disc set, and the "extras" disc contains a couple of interesting items. There's the ubiquitous "making of" feature, and a documentary on a family who's children actually suffer from "Xeroderma Pigmentosum," the disease featured in "The Others." There's also an SFX feature... like I said, no killer cyborgs, snot monsters etc, what SFX?!?!?! I was certainly surprised by the explanation; this film just goes to show how subtle modern CGI effects can be.
Rating:
Summary: "Others" Among Us
Review: THE OTHERS is one heck of a ghost story. In the tradition of intellegent films of the genre, such as THE SIXTH SENSE and POLTERGIEST, this movie keeps you on your toes from start to finish. Grace (Nicole Kidman) awaits her husband's return from war. She and her children, who suffer from a rare medical condition, called Xeroderma Pigmentosum, (extreme sensitivity to light) live isolated from the outside world. Then, one day 3 mysterious servants, led by Bertha Mills ( Fionnula Flanagan) arrive at the door...Soon after Grace finds herself struggling to keep her children safe from strange forces as her sanity slowly slips away. This film has all the classic touches that make a good ghost story. Creaking doors, a big house isolated and poorly lit, strange noises and happenings, all helped along by a great performance from Kidman. Written and Directed by
Alejandro Amenábar, the movie is tops, where so many other recent ghost stories have failed, relying to much on dopey effects to push the story ahead (the remake of The Haunting for example). The 2 disc DVD set is pretty good even though it all could have probably fit on one disc. The features are made up of documentaries and featurettes. The most intriguing of which, is on the aforementioned disorder, seen in the film. The still gallery includes rather typical looking photos from the film. I would have liked for a commentary track, but I know that not every DVD has to have one to be solid. Nicole Kidman makes this film more than just a story about "things that go bunp in the night" Recommended
Rating:
Summary: Super
Review: This is a grand flick of the abilities of the super natural beings. I find most ghost movies to be fruity and tasteless, the hokiness bores me. However, this movie was actually quite interesting and entertaining. I liked it because it made me think...it's movie that makes you think. I want to watch it many times simply because after you view this movie once, you will want to watch it again in order to see it from different perspectives.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT SPOOKY ATMOSPHERE & A FINE TWIST.
Review: Set in a vast, dark house which is located on the isle of Jersey, in the days just past WWII, THE OTHERS casts a bleak, somber mood the moment it begins. Nicole Kidman plays Grace, the lady of the house, a fastidious woman of intense religious faith. Grace suffers from inconsolable grief over her husband's disappearance during the war. Grace welcomes a trio of servants to the house. She mentions that the previous ones just departed without warning one day. Her two children suffer from a rare allergy to sunlight: to protect them the windows must be covered at all times. Things get spooky when little Anne says she speaks to a boy nobody can see... I thought Kidman's performance was quite excellent: she's learned a thing or two as an actress. The suffocating atmosphere is flawlessly photographed by cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe - definitely a first-rate job. Is the story predictible? Rather. But it's done with great style and taste. Makes you feel like a kid again - when you were psychic all the time: when we grow up most of us lose this gift (I haven't) because its deemed childish or foolish. Okay. I'll admit that I like to get out of the thirties and forties sometimes! I was recommended this film by my Amazon friends, and, because I found it reminiscent of THE HAUNTING, THE INNOCENTS & THE UNINVITED, naturally I ate it up. I find that good ghost stories in the movies are WAY too few and far between: in Scotland, they are practically an everyday reality. Thus my 5 star rating.
Rating:
Summary: Strikingly original and genuinely scary.
Review: Highly atmospheric and foreboding, "The Others" is unlike any ghost story I've seen since Robert Wise's "The Haunting" in 1963. Director Alejandro Amenabar brings to the screen a uniquely chilling tale that slowly makes its way under our skin until it's almost unbearable. I don't know which aspect of the film I liked better: the ominous setting where the eerie story takes place, or the magnificent performance from Nicole Kidman. Kidman plays Grace, a mother of two children living in an expansive New England mansion surrounded by a ceaseless fog and dry vegetation. When three house servants show up at her door, they are bewildered by the manner in which Grace runs the household, closing each door before opening another, and closing any and all curtains to prevent all sunlight from invading the rooms. We learn the sunlight is harmful to her young children, Anne (Alakina Mann) and Nicholas (James Bentley). From the beginning, Anne speaks of a past event that occurred between her and her mother, and of apparitions throughout the house. Grace dismisses her comments as rubbish, but becomes increasingly uneasy once she begins hearing voices in the upstairs rooms, and finds that doors in the house open and close by themselves without a key. As the movie progresses, Amenabar creates a distinctly uneasy atmosphere in which even the audience knows better than to look at this house as little more than an expensive home. From a continuous fog to the whisperings of voices and things that go bump in the night, the scares come not from what we see, but what we don't see, which is even scarier than you may think. Amenabar proves that one needn't be subjected to a special effect in order to be frightened. What helps the movie is the fact that it has a solid story to back its scares. What starts out as a slow-moving introduction to the characters and settings evolves into a first-class mystery on par with such mysteries as "The Sixth Sense," though this film's clues are much more apparent. You may have found the pieces to the puzzle involving the three housekeepers, but that doesn't mean you've solved the film's resolution, which is an unexpected gem. The real delight comes from the involving performance from Nicole Kidman, who evokes much of the fear throughout the film. There are times when she slowly makes her way into rooms to investigate suspicious noises, her eyes growing wider with psychological fear, and times when she becomes frantic, such as when she searches desperately for the curtains taken from the windows. "The Others" may very well be one of the best scare films we've ever seen. Amenabar gives his unique story a sense of fear that comes from the mind. In a decade of born-again slasher pics and gory bloodshed and mayhem, it's nice to be able to embrace something entirely different from the rest.
Rating:
Summary: ATMOSPHERIC
Review: This movie reeks of atmosphere, from the constant fog outside to the spartan grey interiors. Did I mention the fog? The director likes fog and in a special feature he shows how he created the fog effects. In segment after segment he shows us. It was sorta neat the first couple of times, but really it's just fog. Like others, I wondered why there are two DVDs. The extras don't really merit a full DVD. I also had some problems with the sound. Bearing all this in mind, the movie is good. The ending didn't suprise me. I figured it out about halfway through. My advice-don't think and you will be suprised. Kidman and the children give good performances. This movie is entertaining, but not very rewatchable.
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