Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

generouspalmstroke "Marebito" was a very spontaneous buy for me. I saw it in on the shelves of HMV. The back read promising. It was directed by Takashi Shimizu ("Ju-on: The Grudge"). That was enough.It starts slowly and builds. It's like a roller-coaster gradually climbing up the tracks. Clicking-and-clacking, and as it gets higher the hysteria heightens. By the time the roller-coaster is at its peak, the moment before it plunges down the drop that has your eyes reeling and your breath sucked away, you're scared but at the same time ecstatic.This movie is beautiful but not in the classical sense. In fact what's happening throughout is repulsive but I couldn't resist but to find it endearing. You care about the characters. You want Masuoka to find what he's after--but you want him to be happy, though that's not what he wants. You want to discover 'T', you want to care for her like Masuoka does and you want her to be healthy. A mainstream movie-goer or a fan of casual horror will not like this movie. In fact, they'll probably hate it. They'll call it boring and tedious and convoluted, but all of that is just superficial. You must commit yourself to "Marebito". You must let "Marebito" take your hand, let it captivate you; let it lead you into the world of the insane."Marebito"'s atmosphere is one of morbid, somber unpredictability. The first time I tried to watch it I simply couldn't because the darkness (both literal and figurative) was too off-putting for me. I found you had to be in a certain mindset in order for "Marebito" to really lull you. It's not a movie of light-heartedness or comfort--it's a Lovecraftian-inspired piece so anyone familiar with HP Lovecraft's writing should find all the weird and wonderful things in his stories prominent in this.I won't go any further because I believe "Marebito" is one of those movies that packs a bigger punch the less about it you know. This is definitely not a movie for everybody. Like I said above mainstream or casual horror fans beware. You're liable to detest this movie. People freshly introduced to Asian horror should start with something simpler--this isn't a movie to ease you into the genre."Marebito" is a rare, underrated gem and if you don't fall into any of the categories cited above than I recommend it. Otherwise, stay away.9/10

poe426 When reading H.P. Lovecraft's AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS, one is overwhelmed by a sense of one's insignificance in the Grand Scheme of Things- like Shinya Tsukamoto's character in MAREBITO. (The scene where he first sees the Underworld from above immediately brought to mind the aforementioned Lovecraft.) That this movie was shot in just eight days is nothing short of miraculous. I've shot shorts on video that were done in less than a day, but (needless to say) they were nowhere near as polished nor as professional as what Shimizu has wrought. Tsukamoto is always fun to watch, whether in his own films or someone else's. Two of the best fright filmeisters for the price of one- now that's hard to beat!

kakoilija OK at parts. but just too crappy at some other parts...i mean i know the camera he is using pretty well... and the whole picture has been propably shot with that... but why put some cheezy TV-effect or reshoot through a monitor... i looks disgusting? this is a dv-movie. it is OK at being such... so there the three points. other than that nothing really astonishing here.it really isn't great movie, but it's not a bad one. if you are starting to make movies then this is good to watch, what can be done with 30 000 Euros (40k $).those dvcams are just so light that getting good hand held picture doesn't really work... looks kinda crappy. i think that they should have gotten a some steadyshot get better picture.not that horrendous though... some interesting dialogue.you could rent this if interested in dv-work... other than that maybe pass.

gunstar_hero 'Marebito' is certainly better than your average US slasher flick, but don't expect much more than that.At the start, with the emphasis on voyeurism, recorded death and vicarious experience, it teeters on becoming something impressive and somehow relevant to the omniscience, nihilism and anonymity of the digital age.But the 'horror' aspects of this film completely ruin it. What begins so intriguingly becomes suddenly farcical, more akin to a sub-par episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Both the 'discovery' of a fantasy underworld, and then the clumsy Frankenstein narrative, are irredeemably hackneyed story lines that the director attempts to conceal behind portentous dialogue, edgy security-camera footage and a naked young woman.Like a lot of style-over-substance J-Horror films, the plot eventually comes to rely upon inexplicable twists and mysterious appearances that may excite some people's interest but in reality are the signs of bad writing and a half-baked story that can be modified with ease because nothing significant is taking place anyway.As for the 'hollow world' philosophy - it begs belief how pretentiously the film takes this, as if it has hit upon an entirely new idea. 'Underworlds', however, are a staple of horror movies; backing this one up with the obscure work of an early 20th century sci-fi writer doesn't make it any more exciting or screen-worthy.Overall 'Marebito' is disappointingly poor. Beautifully shot, atmospheric in places and all that, but artistically inert after the first twenty minutes and no more enjoyable than countless films that cover similar ground with much more panache and cinematic touch. It is the work of a complacent director and the product of a genre that all too easily loses itself in its own idiom.