The Others

Rating:
Summary: We Will Never Leave This House
Review: To a certain extent, one's enjoyment of THE OTHERS will depend on how quickly you recognize the major plot device on which the entire film turns. Once recognition sets in, how much you are able to further enjoy the film will then depend on how much you have become engaged by the characters--and it is here, really, that the film stumbles a bit, not so much through the way it is done but rather through the way the characters must be played in order for their behavior to make sense at the film's conclusion.

The premise, which seems deeply influenced by both Henry James' THE TURN OF THE SCREW and the 1960s film version known as THE INNOCENTS, concerns a woman who resides with her two children in an isloated mansion following World War II. Her situation is dire: her husband is missing in action and presumed dead; her children suffer from a rare genetic disease that makes sunlight dangerous to them; her servants have departed in the night without a word of warning. The latter problem seems remedied by the arrival of new servants--but no sooner are they installed than odd happenings begin to occur. Is the woman going mad? Are the servants involved? Have intruders secretly entered the house? Or could it be--something unearthly?

The cast is exceptionally good here, with Fionnula Flanagan as the newly arrived servant Mrs. Mills and children Alakina Mann and James Bentley giving remarkable performances. But the focus is on Nicole Kiddman as Grace, a role that Kiddman plays with a white-knuckled grip and considerable ferocity--so much so that it becomes extremely difficult to like, much less sympathize, with the character. In some respects, however, this is ultimately necessary for this extremely plot-driven film to have any significant impact, and in hindsight it is hard to imagine that the role could be played in any other way; still, hindsight does not allow you to engage fully with the character when you are in the midst of the film. It is a flaw, but it is an unavoidable one--and the film is so remarkably stylish that it largely overcomes both the anticipated plot-twist and Kiddman's necessarily ferocious performance.

The production values are first rate all the way down the line. Everything looks right, sounds right, feels right. But two items deserve special mention: the exceptional soundtrack, which was composed by director Alejandro Amenabar himself, and the stunning cinematography, which has tremendous visual texture and which neatly blends a fluidity of movement with a remarkably claustrophobic feel. If your tastes run to special effects and blood-spatter horror films, you are likely to disappointed, for there are none in THE OTHERS; Amenabar craftily creates tension more via what is suggested rather than shown, and doors left ajar and half-heard sounds are his devices of choice; it is all very subtle and yet remarkably chilling.

The DVD package is a double-disk set, with the film on one disk and bonuses on the other. Although the bonuses are often quite interesting--particularly a documentary on individuals who actually suffer from hyper-sensitively to sunlight--they actually contribute little to the film itself, and it is a bit surprising that such a small bonus package would require a second disk. The sound for the feature is also problematic re home viewing, and I recommend that viewers play it at top volume, for there is no middle ground--everything is very quiet or very loud, and the contrast adds tremendously to the film's effect.

It is extremely difficult to know how to rate this film, for as I've noted the very nature of the story has two embedded flaws: the almost inevitable recognition of the major plot device and the necessity of Kiddman's over-the-top performance. But even though I recognized the nature of the plot device very early in the film, and even though I found "Grace" an unlikeable woman, this did not actually prevent me from feeling the icy breath with which director Amenabar endows THE OTHERS. Torn between giving the film four stars and five, I err on the side of generosity; it is a classic-style ghost story, and I think most viewers will enjoy it. Reccommended.

Rating:
Summary: Decent Movie
Review: This was an alright movie but was a little too close to the sixth sense in overall theme and not as well written. I like movies with a twists and turns but I don't like movies that you find everything out in the last five minutes. I left the theatre feeling that I could have come in with fifteen minutes left of the film and felt as fulfilled as I did after watching the whole thing. Most of the movie was pretty slow and boring and did not keep me interested to see how things turned out. I sat there thinking the whole time "what are they getting at and why should I care." With that said I gave it three stars mainly because of Nicole Kidman's performance but that is about it. I have one more complaint and that is that is was not scary. Which is not a big deal except for the fact that the studio was selling it as such. When it was clearly not meant to be a scary movie but more of a supernatural drama/thriller.

Rating:
Summary: ITS NOT HOW U THINK IT IS.
Review: THIS MOVIE IS NOT HOW I THOUGHT IT WAS. I HTOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE A SCAREY MOVIE BUT ITS NOT. THE WAY THE MOVIE START OUT I THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE GOOD. LOOKIN AT THE WHOLE MOVIE MADE ME MAD. I DONT WONNA SEE THAT MOVIE NO MORE AND I DAVISE YALL NOT TO GO AND SEE IT TOO. IF U DO THEN U'LL BE SORRY.

Rating:
Summary: Great Ghost Story
Review: This movie is very good from beginning to end this and kept me on the edge of my seat. Great acting and superb directing make this movie a must see. If you like ghost stories you will love this one.
Nicole Kidman is a real good actress and not just a beautiful face, I think film shows it.
If you like classic horror and have not seen this movie, buy it, rent it, borrow it but defiantly watch it.

Rating:
Summary: Deliciously Creepy!!!
Review: What exactly are "The Others"? That is the question haunting the audience through most of this elegant, sophisticated, and scary gothic thriller. The film, from Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenabar, takes the "old dark house" movie and reinvigorates it through intelligence and imagination. With its star, Nicole Kidman--at her enigmatic, beautiful best--the movie holds you in its clutches from the opening moment, when Kidman's troubled character awakens in bed with a terrifying scream, and doesn't let go until the final twist at the end.

The story takes place in the absolute seclusion of a stately, cavernous mansion on the fog-enshrouded Isle of Jersey, the southernmost of Britain's Channel Islands, in the days following the end of World War II. (the entire film was shot in Spain.) Grace (Kidman) lives here with her two young children. All are sadly aware that her husband and their father is not likely to return from the front. Three servants arrive to replace those who have inexplicably disappeared. Everyone tries to settle into a semblance of normalcy, but something is definitely not right. The children suffer from extreme photosensitivity whereby sunlight might kill them. So Grace darkens every room with heavy curtains, using only candles or fireplaces for light. Then, her daughter claims that she has seen and talked to "intruders." A deeply religious woman, Grace refuses to believe her "ghost" stories. Yet locked doors are discovered open, and a piano bursts into music without a player in sight. A strong sense of foreboding lodges in every shadow and mysterious noise. What caused the original servants to vanish so abruptly? What happened to Mom when she went "crazy" a few months ago? And why do the new servants, who claim to have worked at the house years before, exchange oblique references to impending "changes?"

Kidman, coifed and groomed so as to remind you somewhat of Grace Kelly, rules this nightmare with a steely determination to ward off any evil that might threaten her children. But her nerves are quietly going to pieces. Equally as formidable is Fionnula Flanagan's nanny, a strong, no-nonsense presence who also wishes to shelter the children from these intruders.

The youngsters are marvelous. Alakina Mann possesses a combination of curiosity and stubborn pride that makes her a constant thorn in her mother's side. James Bentley has large, bewildered eyes that swim in a pasty-white face, a perfect mirror of the audience's increasing anxiety at the super-natural incidents.

Elaine Cassidy's (her perormance being one of the few aspects of FELICIA's JOURNEY I actually enjoyed) mute servant girl and Eric Sykes' stolid gardener give the staff a commonplace touch at odds with their often strange demeanor.

Directing his own meticulously crafted screenplay, Amenabar manages to craft an intelligent and suspenseful psychological thriller, a rarity these days...

Rating:
Summary: Troubling, Worth Watching Twice
Review: You may figure out the plot twist long before the characters do. But in a way it isn't the point. This movie offers glimpses of troubled human souls. It's almost more Chekhov than Hitchcock.

The suspense and thrills are Hitchcockian, but the desperate attempt by the main character to cling to Catholic catechism and the emphasis the movie places on religion seems something new-- Almedovarian? Trapped on the foggy isle of Jersey, a mother tries to keep things under control-- which is not easy, since her two children are so allergic to light that any light stronger than a candle causes them to break out, and sunlight would kill them. Her husband has not returned from the war, though the war's been over for a year and a half. The servants have disappeared without a word, not even waiting for their wages, and to top it all off, Ann, her daughter, claims to hear noises and see a boy named "Victor."

Three new would-be servants arrive and are hired at once. Lydia never speaks, but nobody is quite sure what happened to traumatize her.

What's of most interest I think in Almedovar's spooky film is the emphasis on religion. There's a sorrow running throughout that approaches tragedy. Whoever is haunting the house, nobody is going to Heaven. The movie raises issues of madness, love, devotion and alternate realities that are broached delicately and with insight.

I found myself more interested in the movie after learning the surprise ending-- it made the characters' behavior early on, and the revelations of what they knew or tried not to know, more human and powerful. Ultimately, there is no happy ending here-- the movie is practically nihilistic. Very interesting, and some great acting from Nicole, too.

Rating:
Summary: Creepy atmosphere; Rental material
Review: Another psychological thriller. *The Others* sets in post-WW2 England. Grace's (Nicole Kidman) two children Ann and Nicholas suffer from a strange illness: They cannot be exposed to direct daylight. The house must always be kept in semidarkness. Door cannot be opened until another is shut. Curtain remains shut. Ann has insistently mentioned seeing "Victor" wrapping himself in the curtain and hearing strange noises up in the attic. One foggy morning, three new servants turn up and strange things begin to happen. Grace's husband, Charles, suddenly turns up at the door from the front... This movie is another psychological thriller, what many call a plot twist. It will not scare the hell out of you but maintains its creepy suspense. The movie does not hold up to repeated viewings. Rent it and turn off all the light to see it. 37/50 3.7 stars.

Rating:
Summary: I still have chills from this movie.
Review: I seen this movie with my girflriend and she got scared but as scared as me ! I realy was scared while watchin and after seeing it and knowing that those kids were dead and walking around the house scared me to death and also the way it was always dark around the house gave me the chills !!! I love scary movies but this was to scary for me. I mean, it wasnt grousome you know ? or violent but it had something called morbid and this was sure a morbid movie. Buy it !

Rating:
Summary: Things that go bump...
Review: Nicole Kidman's awful performance aside (she's terrible!), "The Others" is a decent addition to the growing number of modern horror flicks that eschew special effects for more subtle, psychological thrills and, of course, the "plot twist." Seriously, the most visually creepy thing in this movie is the woman with the "funny eyes" but how much did that halloween costume cost? For minimalistic chills, "The Others" is a decent addition to a growing genre of "psychological" thrillers with supernatural elements.

Now call me old fashioned but after "The Sixth Sense", the awful "Stir of Echoes" and the lacklustre "Signs", I'm starting to miss the old blood, puke and guts horror flicks. I miss that old pancake batter on Linda Blair's face in "The Exorcist" or the flying murderous appendages in "The Evil Dead."

I like the old plot twist as much as anybody but when you base the whole film around that (they're dead but don't know it yet), the film does not hold up to repeated viewings. I mean, once you know they're dead, there goes the neighborhood. While "The Exorcist" presents a terrifying subject matter in a spine-chilling way, that movie does hold up to repeated viewings because there's no "twist" to speak of. It just scares the ... out of you time and time again.

So my advice to the dozen or so people who haven't seen this one yet, or know about the "plot twist", RENT (don't buy) the DVD and watch it with the lights turned down low. Return to video store and forget.

Rating:
Summary: A good movie, yet a bit predictable....
Review: The movie starts off kind of strangely and doesnt give you a whole lot to work off of (as far as trying to figure out what was going on) but then about half way through, you get clues as to where the movie is going. Its a good movie for a Sunday afternoon with nothing much to do.