Shutter

Based on the 2004 shocker of the same name, Shutter follows newlyweds Ben (Joshua Jackson) and Jane (Rachael Taylor) as they move to Japan after Ben is offered a lucrative position as a fashion photographer. Their jubilation is ultimately short lived, as the pair inevitably find themselves caught up in a mystery involving a creepy long-haired girl who died under suspicious circumstances. It’s thanks primarily to Jackson’s expectedly charismatic work that Shutter fares marginally better than its nigh unwatchable predecessor, as the movie has been otherwise outfitted with a myriad of less-than-enthralling elements that cement its downfall. The excessive familiarity of the film’s storyline is exacerbated by the almost unreasonably plodding pace, with the hopelessly inert midsection, in which Ben and Jane investigate their demon’s tragic past, certainly proving a test to the viewer’s ongoing patience. And while there are admittedly a few nifty twists within the third act, all of which, naturally, were present within the original film, Shutter‘s place as an absolutely redundant piece of work is undeniable virtually from start to finish (which is a shame, really, given how infrequently Jackson is afforded the opportunity to take on leading man roles within theatrical releases).

** out of ****