Raaz - The Mystery Continues (2009) movie photos :
Raaz - The Mystery Continues (2009) Movie Rating and Review :
Rating :
Acting – 6/10
Direction – 3/10
Screenplay – 3/10
Music – 5/10
Technique – 6/10
Review :
The mystery disappears
A lack-luster mishmash of every horror classic
A genuine horror film takes over your life. A shadow makes you break out into a cold sweat, a sudden noise makes you jump out of your skin, you think twice before stepping into a dark room alone. You are convinced “it’s” coming for you. Director Mohit Suri may claim that Raaz 2 is a tribute to many supernatural films, but much as it genuinely tries to, there is simply not enough in this story of bhoot-pret and andhvishwas to keep you on the edge of your seat for 160 minutes. You feel relaxed enough to check out the cosy couple next to you. The 30-second promos did much better.
For a horror film to hold interest, the scream moments need to come in early and fast. But while Raaz 2 starts interestingly enough with the mysterious death of a temple priest in the morbid terrain of Kalindi, a large part of the first half is devoted to the love story between supermodel Nandita Chopra (Kangana Ranaut) and reporter Yash Dayal (Adhyayan Suman), who runs a television show that rubbishes age-old rituals and belief in spirits. Enter Prithvi (Emraan Hashmi), a painter who stalks Nandita, later revealing to her that her life is in danger.
How does he know that? An unseen force has compelled his brush to come up with a series of paintings that depict her in the grip of a spirit — one painting even shows how she is going to die. That sets off a series of bizarre occurrences — including a couple of gruesome, unexplained suicides — and Nandita finds the harmony of her existence, her relationships and eventually her life threatened. Given up as crazy by the world and abandoned by the man she loves, she takes things into her hands.
Its makers have been crying themselves hoarse claiming Raaz 2 is no Raaz. It’s true. Neither in its storyline nor in its spook quotient. Raaz 2 is also not another Raaz because while the 2003 runaway success was largely loyal to the Harrison Ford-Michelle Pfeiffer starrer What Lies Beneath, this film ends up as a mishmash of The Exorcist, The Omen films, The Ring series and The Grudge flicks, besides a whole lot of Korean horror films whose DVDs the director must have surely stocked up on.
There is the haunted house of The Grudge copied right up to the attic and even the “moment in the killer well” pasted from The Ring. But though the film in entirety may not leave much of an impression — a lame backstory makes you confused and the attempt at a twist at the end leaves a lot to be desired — there are some scenes that do make one sit up, eyes wide open. Like the one in the bathtub in which Kangana’s character is attacked for the first time (yes, there is a nude silhoutte too, but no full frontal) or the one in which she, distraught and spooked, looks away from the mirror, but her image continues to stare at her. Or the one in which a pack of nilgai attack Emraan and Kangana’s car.
With her Medusa-like curls and her high-strung expression, Kangana is a natural candidate for a horror film. She delivers a knockout performance. Saddled with the role of a man tormented by his own paintings, Emraan too does well with his silent brooding act. Adhyayan Suman proves to be the weak link. The man struggles with his expressions and there is very little chemistry with real-life love Kangana. Mr Shekhar Suman, before asking Akshay Kumar to apologise for Chandni Chowk to China, you should ask your son to choose another career!
One doesn’t expect much out of the music of a horror film, but since Raaz 2 has a song popping up every now and then, the music (Raju Singh, Toshi-Sharib and Gourav Dasgupta) should have been better, but only Maahi and Soniye are worth a listen. Ravi Walia’s lens, however, does well for the greater part of the film.
Flickering lights, curtains blowing in the wind, being startled by a face pressed against the car window. Can our horror film makers think of newer — and better — ways to scare us?
And please, we want a less boring bhoot.
Acting – 6/10
Direction – 3/10
Screenplay – 3/10
Music – 5/10
Technique – 6/10
Review :
The mystery disappears
A lack-luster mishmash of every horror classic
A genuine horror film takes over your life. A shadow makes you break out into a cold sweat, a sudden noise makes you jump out of your skin, you think twice before stepping into a dark room alone. You are convinced “it’s” coming for you. Director Mohit Suri may claim that Raaz 2 is a tribute to many supernatural films, but much as it genuinely tries to, there is simply not enough in this story of bhoot-pret and andhvishwas to keep you on the edge of your seat for 160 minutes. You feel relaxed enough to check out the cosy couple next to you. The 30-second promos did much better.
For a horror film to hold interest, the scream moments need to come in early and fast. But while Raaz 2 starts interestingly enough with the mysterious death of a temple priest in the morbid terrain of Kalindi, a large part of the first half is devoted to the love story between supermodel Nandita Chopra (Kangana Ranaut) and reporter Yash Dayal (Adhyayan Suman), who runs a television show that rubbishes age-old rituals and belief in spirits. Enter Prithvi (Emraan Hashmi), a painter who stalks Nandita, later revealing to her that her life is in danger.
How does he know that? An unseen force has compelled his brush to come up with a series of paintings that depict her in the grip of a spirit — one painting even shows how she is going to die. That sets off a series of bizarre occurrences — including a couple of gruesome, unexplained suicides — and Nandita finds the harmony of her existence, her relationships and eventually her life threatened. Given up as crazy by the world and abandoned by the man she loves, she takes things into her hands.
Its makers have been crying themselves hoarse claiming Raaz 2 is no Raaz. It’s true. Neither in its storyline nor in its spook quotient. Raaz 2 is also not another Raaz because while the 2003 runaway success was largely loyal to the Harrison Ford-Michelle Pfeiffer starrer What Lies Beneath, this film ends up as a mishmash of The Exorcist, The Omen films, The Ring series and The Grudge flicks, besides a whole lot of Korean horror films whose DVDs the director must have surely stocked up on.
There is the haunted house of The Grudge copied right up to the attic and even the “moment in the killer well” pasted from The Ring. But though the film in entirety may not leave much of an impression — a lame backstory makes you confused and the attempt at a twist at the end leaves a lot to be desired — there are some scenes that do make one sit up, eyes wide open. Like the one in the bathtub in which Kangana’s character is attacked for the first time (yes, there is a nude silhoutte too, but no full frontal) or the one in which she, distraught and spooked, looks away from the mirror, but her image continues to stare at her. Or the one in which a pack of nilgai attack Emraan and Kangana’s car.
With her Medusa-like curls and her high-strung expression, Kangana is a natural candidate for a horror film. She delivers a knockout performance. Saddled with the role of a man tormented by his own paintings, Emraan too does well with his silent brooding act. Adhyayan Suman proves to be the weak link. The man struggles with his expressions and there is very little chemistry with real-life love Kangana. Mr Shekhar Suman, before asking Akshay Kumar to apologise for Chandni Chowk to China, you should ask your son to choose another career!
One doesn’t expect much out of the music of a horror film, but since Raaz 2 has a song popping up every now and then, the music (Raju Singh, Toshi-Sharib and Gourav Dasgupta) should have been better, but only Maahi and Soniye are worth a listen. Ravi Walia’s lens, however, does well for the greater part of the film.
Flickering lights, curtains blowing in the wind, being startled by a face pressed against the car window. Can our horror film makers think of newer — and better — ways to scare us?
And please, we want a less boring bhoot.
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