WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Ok. When are people going to realize that upon someone advising not to go somewhere, much less additionally pointing out the reasons to boot, it’s probably best to heed their warning?? When ominous portents indicate things will most certainly not be fine and dandy if treading on ground notorious for bad things occurring, just maybe it might be best to stay away?? But, then we wouldn’t have horror films now would we? Sara (Natalie Dormer) has concerns with the disappearance of her twin sister Jess (also Dormer), who’s been teaching in Japan. Rumored to have gone into the notorious Aokigahara Forest located at the base of Mt. Fuji, a locale known for people entering to end their lives, Sara insists on investigating.
Despite the locals warning of the forest being haunted by angry spirits, or yurei, Sara dismisses this as superstition and manages to convince a visiting reporter she meets at her hotel, Aiden (Taylor Kinney), and his park ranger contact Michi (Yukiyoshi Ozawa) to accompany her in looking for Jess. With Michi stressing that they must stay together and only search in daylight, even a startling discovery doesn’t dissuade Sara from wanting to stay overnight and keep searching. But, the forest indeed has its dark secrets and paranormal atmosphere, of which Sara soon becomes all too familiar with. How do you keep doubting, when all your secrets, fears, and inner sadness are used against you? Is it really all just in your head?
Next, my Mind:
As mentioned in times past, this reviewer is not a huge fan of the horror genre as it is, so to even consider taking one into consideration, it has to pretty much be established ahead of time that the general tone and execution will be more about the creepy, scary elements in place of blood and guts everywhere. Director Jason Zada’s effort here does, to some extent, manage to pull this off, as there simply is something inherently frightening about being out in the forest, especially at night, with all its sounds, creaks, etc., notwithstanding having a reputation of being home to angry ghosts. The forest here, even in daylight, is suitably eerie and forbidding, with several freaky sounds and “jump” moments to absorb.
However, after that, it just cannot help but sink into typical horror film cliché, and loses much of it’s overall sense of dread as the lead character proceeds to do everything they shouldn’t, which begs for trouble to come, and that we now aren’t surprised by anymore. Dormer is decent as both Sara and Jess, but honestly doesn’t bring much to the role that truly engages the viewer, again, beyond what we expect. “Chicago Fire” ace Taylor Kinney appears as Aiden, the “hero” role (see how that works out!), also delivers what is needed, but really not much more either. A slight “twist” for the film’s finale was ok, but not great, and overall, “The Forest” is just one more genre effort that could have been more perhaps, but like some trees, falls flat.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
