Re-cycle Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: While working on her newest book, a successful writer is inexplicably pulled into a supernatural world.

Review: After completely forgetting I had the DVD for "Re-cycle," I immediately popped it into my computer for a view. There are a few caveats to understand up front. One: this is not a horror movie. Two: do not believe almost any plot synopsis regarding this film. Yes, this was made by the same people behind "The Eye," and stars the same chick, Angelica Lee, but that doesn't magically turn this into a horror movie. Oh, sure, there is a Kayako-wannabe for no good reason, but "Re-cycle" is more "The NeverEnding Story" mixed with elements of Dante's "Inferno." There are plenty of great ideas involved with this film, however, the way in which everything comes together is a huge disappointment and failure of execution. Ultimately, the story is trying to tackle far, far more than the filmmakers can handle and this results in a nonsensical, unsatisfying stream of ideas.

What works? The single best aspect is the imaginative, supernatural world depicted. This idea that everything ever abandoned, both physical and abstract, resides in a single space opened up nearly endless potential to explore. The design of the world is creative and incorporates many impressive set designs. There is shoddy CGI all over the place, but I can overlook this due to the ambitious nature of the world displayed. Other than this, I can appreciate the attempt at pulling this story together. It doesn't work, but I can understand the vision which could have been quite remarkable if pulled together coherently.

As for the problems...oh man, where to start? There are simply too many plot tangents that either go unanswered or come out of fucking nowhere. So Ting-yin is this successful romance writer who wants to write a horror book. However, she comes to realize elements of her story are coming true. Fantastic. Roll with that. Oh, wait, don't roll with it...let's instead add drama with some boyfriend who got married and expected her to wait 8 years for him to divorce or something? Whaaaat? Uh, okaaay. Next, Ting-yin is being haunted by that Kayako-wannabe...yet...we come to learn that Kayako-clone is mad that she's a rejected character...before she was rejected. Whaaaaat?! But then Ting-yin thinks her book is coming to life...except it's not at all. Then she's pulled into this supernatural world by just going on an elevator. Again, whaaaaat?! And this world makes no damn sense. It doesn't matter...anything from discarded toys, aborted babies, ghosts, and imaginary characters can all exist together equally. And yet, this world doesn't exist in a fixed state--things vanishing without rhyme or reason. And why are there so many malevolent obstacles to be overcome if a living person is never supposed to enter this world? It's not as if it's addressed that, perhaps, these abandoned...things...could be free if they, say, latched onto a living person. BUT, plot twist, the entire premise of the damn movie is invalidated by the ending! GOOD JOB! We are led to believe that the main character is reaching some kind of catharsis for having an abortion and discovering that her daughter was "raised" in this world. Except, the main character is also not real herself! ARGH! Soooo...either nothing in the movie was ever real to begin with, or it's real and is a huge plot hole as the main character is also fictional and would never have drawn the attention of anyone in the abandoned world to begin with! Oh, fuck it, there is no use trying to rationalize the events.

I really want to like "Re-cycle" for the creativity involved, but nonsense going on with the story is impossible to ignore. This is a fantasy-adventure movie that shifts more into a dark fairy tale. A few scenes could be considered scary, but that's more of an ancillary development when presenting the supernatural world. You have lame drama with the main chick and her loverboy, drama with the main chick's daughter, a surprise appearance by her grandpa, a forced antagonist whose motivations are laughable and her inclusion is beyond tacked on to spice up a trailer, there is an attempt to include a feeble hero's journey, an attempt at a tragic decision, and a ridiculous final zinger that negates the film itself. What a debacle. I am giving "Re-cycle" a modest rating simply because I really do feel the vision was there--it just wasn't realized in any capacity. The imagery can be good, but audiences need to know this isn't a horror movie whatsoever and fails to deliver the goods.

Notable Moment: Despite the flaws, I was impressed by the section of the world where all the books resided, raining down from the sky. We needed more of this and less of that seizure-inducing editing depicted in the abortion realm...well, among other things.

Final Rating: 5.5/10