Reincarnation Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: 35 years ago, a professor went mad and killed his family and guests at a hotel as part of an experiment. Now, with a movie based on the massacre filming, the results of the experiment are emerging.

Review: I really want to like this film more than I should, because it has so many original and interesting ideas but, unfortunately, fails to implement them. Let's start with what does work here: the music is awesome; it's so hypnotic and creates the right tone for the film. The acting and pacing are good and with the constant guessing as to what is occurring, you never get bored; there are surprisingly quite a few cameos by Japanese horror alumni which I love to see. It's always enjoyable to see the movie within a movie theme. I liked the idea of many ghosts rather than just the typical black-haired woman; I wish they would have explored this idea more though. The notion that the ghost of your past life is coming to haunt you is eerie and original even if it doesn't quite make sense. The twist at the end as each person realizes who they were in the past life is a nice touch, and I'll admit I wasn't expecting it. The entire concept of reincarnation in general doesn't get enough coverage in films so it was nice to see the subject given some attention here while trying to be innovative. As for the bad: the main problem with the film is due to the incoherent plotline regarding how this "experiment" by the professor is supposed to even work. The audience just doesn't know enough about how it is possible or why he even tried to do it. Some how killing a bunch of people will lead to their spirits recreating the event once they have all been reincarnated? Even if it were possible, what would be the point and why did the professor film it? I felt as though one extra scene explaining things more could have really made this film more memorable, tied things together, and this film could have easily been one of the greats. Furthermore, due to the confusing ending, you could just as easily assume everything was in the main girl, Nagisa's, head. There was evidence she was caving from pressure since this was her first lead role in the movie about the massacre, and also because if the events of the massacre were recreated, as we see depicted, wouldn't the director be dead? There were not enough scares or they were too toned down considering how much potential existed with so many ghosts running about. Lastly, there were many plot points that seemed to lead nowhere or were lost somewhere along the way, once again, demonstrating the wasted potential and incoherence. For many, these flaws can be a deal breaker since you will feel like nothing made any sense, but I appreciate the effort to do something new and original even if the ideas were not fully realized. Give this one a chance but keep your mind open.

Notable Moment: When Nagisa realizes that she really is the reincarnation of the professor and not his daughter.

Final Rating: 6/10