Much
in the tradition of modern cinema, January is considered one of the dumping
ground months for bad movies looking to make a quick buck. However, this year
actually turned out some pretty decent surprises, which might have been because
“The Force Awakens” scared the studios into moving these films back a
month to at least make their money back somehow. “Kung Fu Panda 3,” “Dirty
Grandpa,” and even Michael Bay’s “13 Hours” were all pretty enjoyable. The same
can be said for the horror film that kicked off 2016, “The Forest.”
For
those who don’t know, the film centers around the Aokigahara forest, better
known as the Suicide Forest, located at the northwest base of Mt. Fuji. We
follow Natalie Dormer, who plays a pair of twins that have a psychic connection
with one another. When one of them goes into the Aokigahara forest, the other
travels from the U.S. to Japan to find her, but soon finds the forest getting
to her as much as people feared.
Making
a film revolving about such an area as this is an interesting idea. A forest
infamous for people going in and never come out does make for some creative
possible outcomes, and it does make for some good material. The Aokigahara has
been represented before in a lot of anime, novels, and a few films, but this is
what we’re going to be focusing on today.
The
film centers on a pair of twins, who after some traumatic events, develop a
psychic connection with one another. When one of them senses the other in
danger, she travels to the Aokigahara Forest to look for her, but things start
to go downhill for her.
The
atmosphere in this film is really damn good, letting the creepy vibe and
uncomfortable feeling be the part that scares you, as opposed to constant jump
scares thrown at you like a Platinum Dunes movie would. With all the aura and
mystery that the forest is known for, the film manages to keep you on your toes
on what could possibly happen next, and leaves you guessing on what’s real and
what’s something caused by the forest.
In
terms of the cast, we’re mostly focusing on one of the twins, desperate to find
her family before the inevitable or if the same thing happens to her. Natalie
Dormer really does a good job with this performance, as you’re really sucked
into her dilemma that she goes through, all for the sake of her sister. The
film does let you sympathize with her as our central character, and make us
hope that she turns out okay in the end.
Now
is there anything that I didn’t like about the film? Well, the side characters
are really bland and forgettable. They don’t really do much to stand out, other
than being that hot guy, that tour guide, that creepy psychopath, or that one
weird hotel manager. Not only does the script barely do anything with them, but
the cast doesn’t do anything with the material they got. They just run with it,
as basic as anyone else would have. That, and the third act really underwhelming.
It turned out the way I was expecting it to be, with the sister escaping while
the main girl succumbs to the forest, and then jumpscare. It’s as predictable
as you can get, and really takes away from the atmosphere that the rest of the
film had.
Overall,
despite the lackluster third act, I still think “The Forest” is a film worth seeing.
It’s got some really good atmosphere, the premise is very interesting, and
Natalie Dormer does a great job in this leading role. And considering the other
horror films that have started out the last few years, this one feels like a
breath of fresh air.
Rating: 7/10
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