The Grudge 3 is the first in the series not to be helmed by original Japanese creator Takashi Shimizu. Shimizu has now taken a producer's role as up-and-comer Toby Wilkins takes over directing duties. Just last month, Wilkins' delightful 80's throwback horror film Splinter bowed on DVD, so naturally, I had moderate hopes for this film. While I can hardly say that Wilkins was ill-fitted for the task, a much easier statement can be made that this entry loses all of the distinctly Japanese flair that the previous two possessed.
Besides Shimizu's departure, a large part of this, I'm sure, is due to the story taking place almost completely in America, but gone is the moody atmosphere that made the first two unique, if not terrific films. Wilkins does an admirable job of attempting to recreate the same shooting style used in the previous two, but now that Kayako and Toshio are shown engaging in gory acts of violence on camera, much of the mystery is gone. As viewers, we were largely left to wonder what fate befell each of the spirits' victims, as they were oftentimes simply engulfed by the darkness, or at least killed off camera. Something about this made the entire concept so much scarier.
Like all horror franchises, The Grudge series clearly wants to get bigger and better with every entry, and as shown by the second chapter (and woefully expanded upon here), the series clearly won't stop until the veil is completely pulled back and nothing is left to imagination. The subtle shocks and simple terrors of the first movie have been replaced by long-winded, ridiculous explanations of soul possessions and the like, as well as the previously stated horror movie gore.
The narrative here isn't told out of order (likely because scriptwriter Stephen Susco, who wrote both The Grudge and its sequel, wasn't involved) and the entire film is painfully dumbed down. The sequel suffered from severe over-complication that damaged most viewers' enjoyment of the movie, but at least it all made sense in the end. Relatively speaking of course. Continuity is still strong with the first two movies, but at least to a degree, this entry could stand on its own without necessitating back-to-back viewings (ala The Grudge 2).
I know that I keep comparing this to the first two movies over and over, but given how strongly and directly this series attempts to tie itself together, it unfortunately couldn't be avoided. To be fair, this is still a right watchable horror flick, and does manage to deliver a startle here or there. The acting is standard direct-to-video fare, but very little of it comes across as truly bad.
Probably the biggest and baddest problem that the film faces is the final act. Without spoiling anything, the sequel door is virtually kicked open with a steel-toed work boot, and this is so forced and unpleasant, that I really don't care if there is one or not. The decisions made by the protagonists at the end of the movie more or less render the entire struggle completely meaningless and things apparently end up far worse because of it. What kind of ending is that? To make matters even worse, the ending is loose enough that it likely ruins any hope that fans can have for a tidy resolution to the saga one day. Good luck with that one, kids!
While not exactly having a hell of a lot to live up to, The Grudge 3 still could have been so much more. Fans of the series are encouraged to see it, as it is at least makes an effort to continue the tone of the first two and is still a legitimate and wholly canon continuation of the story. But it's probably best if this franchise were exorcised and laid to its final rest now.
Score: 5 out of 10
Video and Presentation
The Grudge 3 receives a 1.85:1 widescreen presentation that is very much up to the task. Crisp, clear colors and incredibly rich dark textures help strengthen the film's intended mood, and there is very little in the way of aliasing or distortion.
Score: 8 out of 10
Languages and Audio
Containing both and English and French 5.1 surround tracks, the sound on this DVD manages to stay above water, but I wouldn't say that it was surfing, technically. Weak center speaker output really mars the experience as this is a dialogue-heavy film. Luckily, this is gracefully offset by an incredible ambient and background noise, adding to the atmosphere that the movie posits itself to have.
Score: 7 out of 10
Packaging and Extras
They've really got to stop using images for the covers of this series that are all nearly identical. This isn't completely a bad thing, though, as you can easily identify what it is from a glance.
Extras are incredibly sparse, but this is standard for direct-to-DVD films. Three short deleted/extended scenes do nothing but pad the overall runtime of the disc, offering very little in the way of entertainment. "Tokyagoria" is a brief look at some of the production and set design of the film. This really just consists of the crew talking about re-using the sets from the previous movie. The final extra is "The Curse Continues," and is mainly the director talking about trying to recreate the same techniques and storytelling methods of the first two. These are weak extras by any definition and can be completely passed over.
Score: 2 out of 10
The Bottom Line
Not terrible but close to being "pretty bad," The Grudge 3 took a questionable series and made it worse. Very seldom can a singular plot twist in a film's final seconds eliminate almost total interest in any future sequels, but boy howdy does this one manage to pull it off.