The Forest [Blu-ray]

I gave this film 5 stars to offset the horrible (and quite non-sensical and confused lower star reviews). In truth, I would rate this film anywhere between 3.5 - 4 stars (that's pretty good for a non-A-list type of horror film). I'm objective, I'm picky with what I watch, and I'm greedy with my money. You can be sure that I read through all of the 1 stars before viewing this film for the first time. I wanted to know what I was paying for and was almost discouraged from buying this and watching it. Boy am I glad that I didn't listen to the haters. I rarely leave reviews, but I wanted to give this film its due by adding my two cents to the mix. So here comes an honest opinion from someone who is a film veteran and an avid fan of all types of horror.There are several types of people who will likely be drawn to this film by viewing the trailer:1. Date night/boredom/need something to kill time2. Supernatural horror fans3. Gore/Slasher lovers4. Asian horror loversIf you are possibly one of these people, then you should be aware of something important. "The Forest" doesn't fit into a neat category but, in many ways, encompasses a lot of different things. From the trailer, I went into the film expecting a supernatural scare or something of that ilk. What I got instead was a kind of psychological thriller that took me for quite a ride. There are many elements of the supernatural (as you can see from the trailer), there are elements of Asian horror (aside from the obvious fact that all of this takes place in Japan), there is blood and gore and creepiness (just enough to make you uncomfortable, but not a slasher at all), and there are enough twists and turns to keep the average viewer guessing.This is not a slasher. This is not really a ghost movie. This really isn't classical horror. What truly makes this movie terrifying is the thought that our minds are our greatest enemies and that our fears, regrets, and emotions can be pitted against us in the most monstrous of ways.People in the lower stars have been complaining about slow pace, cheap scares, and bad acting. Let me diffuse that. There are a couple of cheap scares that make you jump then frown at the screenwriter's lameness. These are, all in all, less than 30 seconds of the film. The pace is a bit slow for a classic horror film. It's not all chase scenes, blood, screaming, and mindless terror. This is a movie that takes its time to build a real and believable atmosphere - more than that, it takes time building the protagonist, which is the driving force of this entire movie.The protagonist in "The Forest" isn't a brainless meat bag meant to run around and scream her lungs out or cower in the darkness as footsteps of her hunters approach. This is a character we have to know and believe in because most of the film (and the horror) focuses on her internal conflicts. In that sense, the movie will have disappointed those looking for truly "basic" thrills because they didn't come to the theatre to think about symbolism or to get attached to a character. They came for thrills, but they weren't open to them.The acting wasn't terrible. All in all, the role of Sarah wasn't a difficult one, and the actress they chose pulled through just fine. She didn't carry this movie, nor did she need to because the director and producer did a marvelous job with filming and creating the world of her mind. There were plenty of side characters that did a marvelous job in supporting the movie and making everything much creepier and more believable. Overall, this was a great movie that I'm happy to have in my collection to see again and again over the years.Not quite a Crimson Peak or The Ring in my book, but it's far far away from the true flops of this genre like "Witch".

Cliff Notes version: This movie lands us in Japan and is centered around "The Suicide Forest", which actually does exist. Not exactly a tourist hot-spot, but our main character, Sara, travels to Japan in search of her immensely irresponsible twin sister, Jess. Jess, who now lives in Japan for work, has disappeared into the ethers. Enter, Sara, Jess's sister. She takes off after she receives a phone call explaining her sister has been reported missing, assumed to be lost forever in the Suicide Forest. The ever helpful police tell Sara they will simply declare her sister dead after 3 days because 'nobody escapes alive'. On to the "meat" of the movie: Sara, the main character, is NOT a likeable heroin by any stretch of the imagination. There is a huge difference in being a strong, independent woman and one who is simply just a massive bitch. 'Sara' is the latter. There is NOTHING likeable about her. Nothing that makes you silently cheer for her throughout the movie hoping she finds her sister and lives happily ever after. In fact, I wanted to see her eaten by wolves, pushed off a cliff, or hit by a car. There is a scene where she falls into a pit, I smiled and was chuckling inside, like a sociopath, hoping she was meeting her end. Next up: 'Aiden', also an unlikeable character. He is a journalist from Australia who just happens to speak with an American accent (Say what??) and is currently living in Tokyo. He is a VERY underdeveloped character, so much so in fact, you kind of wonder why he is even there at all. He ultimately ends up "helping" Sara search for her lost sister in the Suicide Forest in exchange for the rights to their story so he can write an article about it. But is he there to help her or to murder her?? We don't know if he is well meaning or a serial killer and frankly, as the credits roll, you still have no idea as to "what he is about". The Forest is more of a paranormal-psychological-thriller than it is a horror movie. There are a few jump-scares peppered throughout, but this is by no means a slasher type movie. It's good at showing the psyche and what happens with the power of suggestion vs what is reality. In this sense the movie scores points with me. The acting, at times, is horrible. The script is even worse. Pair this up with an unlikeable lead female, a wishy-washy story line and you have a messy concoction that leaves you shrugging your shoulders and forgetting the movie within minutes after viewing. I really wish this movie was done by a Japanese director as the Japs have mastered the art of scary movies and paranormal chillers like nobody else can. In closing: Deep thinkers may appreciate this movie more than slasher, blood and guts lovers. You may want to wait until it premiers on HBO where you can watch it for free. The movie can be confusing at times but then it hops back on track and grabs you again just when you've decided to walk the dog rather than finish watching the movie.

Hmmmm, where to begin.The review of the Amazon experience is 5 star. Easy to order, shipped quickly and prices are good.Review of the movie is 3 stars. It isn't bad. It isn't great either. This is more of a suspense and psychological thriller than a slasher movie (which is a good thing). To watch the character's mind spiral out of control is amazing to watch. If given the right script Natalie Dormer could be a major A list actress. Taylor Kinney is great as always. He too could be a major big screen force if given a decent script. They both did a respectable job with what was presented to them. There are a few editing mistakes but they don't detract from the story. This movie could have been so much more but it was still an enjoyable watch.

Great movie ! A little trouble at the resolution as its usual with horror stories, but a great round movie. Based on the true stories of the suicide forest of Aokigahara Natalie Dormer ( Game of Thrones ) goes on a horrifying trip to find her lost twin sister. Only to find that those who enter the forest with sadness in their hearts get played by the Yaori ( Restless and angry spirits of the dead ) who use visions and mischief to make people kill themselves.Story 4/5 Good story overall, a little loose on the ending but a good ride. You dont feel dissapointed although you kinda know how its going to end.Cinematography 5/5 Beautiful looks and views, beautiful cinematography for an indie horror film.Music 3/5 Nothing special but gets the job done.

The Forest comes across as Natalie Dormer grabbing a high-profile movie opportunity with both hands, to cash in on her Game of Thrones fame. And who can blame her? She's charismatic, with an odd but attractive grace that could carry more films. In this, she's a twin who discovers her sister has gone into a notorious forest on Mount Fuji where locals go to kill themselves. Has she gone in to commit suicide? Or is she just tempting fate and exhibiting the latest in a string of irresponsible behaviours? Desperate to find out, 'Sara' flies over and has soon convinced a flirtatious journalist and a nervous Ranger to let her join them on a search of the forest... You get the impression several times that the filming of the forest is supposed to be eerie. Portentous music swells...but over visuals that just look pretty and lush. It's one of a number of mis-steps that lessen the impact of the film. An early, completely unnecessary jump scare in a taxi utterly fails to elicit both a jump, and a scare. In fact, the film only begins to hew close to its intended effect when it slows down. A nicely handled 'what's that?' scene in a badly lit corridor builds some nice nerves, and there's an enjoyably twisted sequence where Sara may or may not be being stalked by something in the forest as she fearfully tries to ignore it.However most of the time, it's squandering good ideas. The notion that the Forest can trick you into acting against your best interest is rushed past in several scenes - and although the consequences are there for all to see, the eeriness and malevolence of it isn't allowed any time to build impact or meaning. Similarly, Dormer isn't too great pretending to be a twin in flashback scenes which feel too 'timed' and staged. The film reins itself back on the chills and gore, preferring to focus on paranoia, and following a route that feels a little too predictable. I wasn't surprised to find David Goyer's name in the credits, as I thought the approach felt overly familiar. For a film set in a notorious Japanese suicide spot, if you're going to ignore sensitivity, at least make it feel distinctive and alien. Most of the plot could easily have been set in North America for all the feeling of cultural difference the film managed. Several 'rush at the camera' shots felt unearned or tacky, and the ending felt faintly daft - both ridiculous from a character perspective, and melodramatically 'Hollywood' in execution. It's a shame the producers and director didn't have a little more faith in their concept, as a real investment in the feeling of being a stranger lost in a strange land, and committing to Dormer's reaction to that, could have elevated the material into being special.

The Forest.Certificate:15/PG-13.Genre: Horror.Running Time: 93 MinutesSynopsis.Mount Fuji, Japan a place where people go to end their lives, a young American woman named Sara comes to the Japan in search of her sister Jess who has gone missing.But in spite of everyone's warnings not to stray from the path Sara enters the forest in search of her sister, only to be soon confronted by the tortured souls of the dead who prey on those they encounter.Timelord Thoughts.'The Forest' is a movie that has a interesting concept of a supernatural forest possessed by tortured sinister souls that prey upon the vulnerable, the first act of the movie creates mystery & intrigue about a mysterious forest but that concept sadly dwindles away by it's third act which after showing promise early on disappointingly climaxes with a lacklustre conclusion that left the movie feeling downbeat & flat.Natalie Dormer to be fair does well in dual roles as identical twins Sara & Jess but neither of these characters is fleshed out enough to give audiences a reason to care about there fates, we do get a couple of flashbacks that hints of something more sinister with their father shooting there mother but this arc is never fully explained or resolved as to why the incident even occured.There's also several dream sequence jump scares that I find to be a cheap lazy parlor trick gimmick scattered throughout the movie to jolt the audience's attention now & again, there is one particular moment that did make me jump, it's the scene which involves a kiddies toy view finder but eventually the movie loses it way & becomes just another cliché bog standard PG-13 hokum horror flick.The character's behave unrealistically & do all the things you shouldn't do in horror films, Sara is told not to venture from the path & under no circumstances stay in the forest after dark or attempt to communicate with any spirits she may come across but Sara ignores all warnings & follows the first spirit she comes into contact with, this is your typical lazy horror of a copy & paste of other movie clichés like when characters run upstairs & hide under the bed in slasher moviesTaylor Kinney co-stars as Aiden who's only reason for being in this movie to deliver a all too obvious red herring & while Kinney gives a decent enough performance with his character he just seems far to eager to help Sara, a person that he's only just met the previous night.The settings of the forest are particularly eerie especially at night as director Jason Zada manages to create a claustrophobic unsettling atmosphere within the forest by adding some creepy disturbing camera tricks of shadows & ghostly imagery via clever lighting effects, this injects some must needed mystery & suspense into the film's second act but which goes to waste by a weak third act of a muddled incoherent script that sets up arcs which end up going nowhere.Overall, 'The Forest' despite showing early signs of promise quickly becomes just another average horror flick, if a few risks had been taken then maybe this film could've been something quite unique but with it's undeveloped characters & a disappointing disjointed conclusion this is one horror to check out on Netflix rather than purchase on Blu-ray..

Natalie Dormer's great (like most of the sterling cast) in GOT, and she does her best in this poorly directed film to pretend to be afraid. Unfortunately, despite her best efforts, this film goes nowhere and relies on cliched jump out on you moments in an effort to scare. Dormer plays a woman who has gone in search of her lost twin sister (played by herself) who has purportedly gone missing in a supposedly haunted forest somewhere (can't remember) in Japan. She meets a guy in a bar who decides to help her find her sister along with a Japanese guide who knows the forest well and warns them both that it is dangerous to stay there at night, as they might see things that aren't really there. The premise isn't too bad but sadly the film just doesn't work, mainly due to a lack of ideas and originality on the director's part..

I saw The Forest with my friend last year and it’s a really interesting film so I though I must get it. Also I learnt something new about Japan with finding out about the Aokigahara Forest.

An ok movie although not much happens in fact it drags a bit to be honest theres quite a twist at the end