'The Forest' (starring Natalie Dormer) Review (1 Viewer)

[Yavin]

Set in the real-life locale that is Japan's Aokigahara Forest (otherwise known as "The Suicide Forest"), The Forest is a film that has great potential. However, its execution will leave most horror fans wanting:

It's hard not to expect more from The Forest, as the filmmakers behind it are clearly following the same template set forth more than a decade ago by movies like The Ring and The Grudge. A story set in the real-life Aokigahara Forest, a place that has earned the nickname "The Suicide Forest," on account of the thousands of people who have taken their lives there, the film stars Game of Thrones' Natalie Dormer as an American who travels to Japan in search of her missing identical twin, and who ends up venturing deep into the heart of the Aokigahara in search of answers. Instead, all she finds are restless spirits and more questions. Directed by first-time feature director Jason Zada, The Forest is by no means a unique piece of filmmaking, taking your standard horror movie tropes and simply transposing them to a setting that's as outdoorsy as it is claustrophobic. That being said, the film isn't without its redeeming qualities. With plenty of atmospheric tension and an authentic look about it, The Forest is a mostly superficial experience that J-horror fans will appreciate the most. For everyone else, just know that if you're expecting to be scared out of your seat, you're barking up the wrong tree.

Click here to read my full review.


Film Rating: 2.5 out of 5

 

[Aaron Silverman]

I read a hilarious "review" of this movie by someone who hadn't seen it but was incredibly offended by the fact that this real site of tragedies was used as the basis for a horror movie instead of a serious exploration of mental illness among Asians (really).