Sairen (2006) Reviews

• Worth watching for its atmosphere and excellent ending

  UberNoodle2007-03-26

  I finally got to see this film after buying it in Singapore. I had heard very little about it from horror fans, so I put the disc in last night and was prepared to be underwhelmed. But from the opening scrawl I was hooked by the atmosphere. The film was really enjoyable to watch, and while I had some worries at first about its short run-time (about 87 minutes), by the climax, I had none. As other reviewers out there have said, despite its lack of length, the film has the feeling of a 2 hour film. This is probably due to its slow burn, something that I adore a lot of Asian horror for. The film builds up a strong foreboding atmosphere, before descending into one of the more memorable climaxes I have witnessed in the genre. It seems that the film has copped a lot of flak from fans and critics, and it is perhaps due to the idea that video game films can't possibly be good. I have never played the games, instead just drooling over the cases in shops and admiring the artwork. From what I can gather, the film follows the second game in the series, and does so pretty closely, with of course some inevitable changes that restraints require. Unlike many films adapted from games, Siren actually contains some clever plotting and dense atmosphere. Here, characters are typically over the top and quirky. In some ways the film reminded me (a little) of Uzumaki in its off-kilter approach, though Uzumaki went to an extreme in that. Some may say that one major detail is telegraphed a mile away, but unlike another film with a similar idea, I don't think that Siren is trying to keep it such a big secret. The fact that knew that something wasn't right from the get go really added to the suspense. Get the R3, the subs are great, and the picture quality is quite good, and it is anamorphic. The only let down is perhaps going to be inherent in all versions, and is that the DVD only has a Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track. I haven't been able to check if the Japanese DVD has DD 5.1 or DTS. However, despite the stereo audio, I could here some great separation through my speakers, and as a Prologic II track, it didn't sound so much like one. Other than that, there are almost no extras of note, in fact there are only 3 versions of the movie trailer, and what does one need them for when they have the film? I have never understood the inclusion of trailers as "extras" for that reason. I would liked to see some SFX reels, or even bloopers, but perhaps in a film such as this one, the budget didn't allow much room for trial and error. In all the film was easy to watch and not too challenging, yet still carrying with it an aura of freshness. There are no dark haired ghosts (though if it did, how could one complain about it when the majority of people living in Japan have such hair), and the budget of the film keeps the production honest and small. The film has a slow build up that may dismay viewers of short attention spans, or a lust for blood, but the climax is quite gripping, and helps elevate the film beyond where it may have settled without it.

• "When you hear the siren,don't go out."

  HumanoidOfFlesh2007-05-05

  In 1976 the inhabitants of an isolated island of Yamajima were massacred.Thirty years later,Yuki Amamoto goes to the island with her father and her little brother who suffers from neurological disorders.The islanders are not very friendly towards them.When the siren begins to roar,the severed bits of mystery begin to assemble together to reveal the truth of the 1976 massacre and finally unravel the creepy secret of the siren...This adaptation of popular PS2 game is pretty decent.The pace is slow and there are several quietly menacing moments.The film lacks gore and draws certain parallels with "Silent Hill" film adaptation.The mystery aspect works quite well and the acting is fine.Give this one a look.7 out of 10.

• A Nutshell Review: Forbidden Siren

  DICK STEEL2006-09-09

  Forbidden Siren is based upon the Siren 2 Playstation 2 (so many 2s) game. Like most video game turned movies, I would say the majority don't translate into a different medium really well. And that goes for this one too, painfully. There's a pretty long prologue which explains and sets the premise for the story, and the mysterious island on which a writer (Leo Morimoto) and his children, daughter Yuki (Yui Ichikawa) and son Hideo (Jun Nishiyama) come to move into. The villagers don't look all too friendly, and soon enough, sound advice is given about the siren on the island, to stay indoors once the siren starts wailing. Naturally and slowly, things start to go bump, and our siblings go on a mission beating around the bush to discover exactly what is happening on this unfriendly island with its strange inhabitants. But in truth, you will not bother with what's going on, as folklore and fairy tales get thrown in to convolute the plot even more. What was really pushing it into the realm of bad comedy are its unwittingly ill-placed-out-of-the-norm moments which just drew pitiful giggles at its sheer stupidity, until it's explained much later. It's one thing trying to come up and present something smart, but another thing doing it convincingly and with loopholes covered. Despite it clocking in under 90 minutes - I think it's a horror movie phenomenon to have that as a runtime benchmark - it gives that almost two hour feel with its slow buildup to tell what it wants to. Things begin to pick up toward the last 20 minutes, but it's a classic case of too little too late. What saves the movie is how it changes tack and its revelation at the end. Again this is a common device used to try and elevate a seemingly simple horror movie into something a little bit extra in the hope of wowing an audience. It turned out rather satisfactorily, but leaves a bad aftertaste as you'll feel cheated somewhat. There are two ways a twist will make you feel - it either elevates the movie to a memorable level, or provides you with that hokey feeling. Unfortunately Forbidden Siren belonged more to the latter. The saving grace will be its cinematography with its use of light, shadows and mirrors, but I will be that explicit - it's still not worth the time, so better to avoid this.

• Entertaining & Well Made

  baz-ish2006-10-03

  This is an entertaining movie which achieves its objectives within its genre. Without offering an amateur critique and regardless of its basis on a video game, it is well enough scripted, acted & filmed to provide 90mins of distraction. Whilst not offering the seasoned viewer of Japanese horror/thrillers a great deal to enthuse about, this movie is clearly effective in bringing the genre to a wider audience, without a reliance on the inane Hollywood style special effects we have come to expect. Simple and pleasing, the story is developed, extended, twisted and concluded with reasonable suspense and intrigue. Visually and audibly intense at all the appropriate moments - whats not to like. If you are viewing with AC3 or DTS sound - crank it up good and loud.

• Entertaining and sufficiently frightening, except for the Ending.

  proteusphi2007-06-21

  Forbidden Siren is a mixed bag of a movie. Yes, it's another video game movie. But unlike House of the Dead, this one is capable of holding your attention and is sufficiently frightening. The story follows a young woman, named Yuki, who has moved to the island of Yame with her father and little brother. From the get-go, things on the island don't seem right. The villagers are strange and unfriendly. Throughout the movie, Yuki seems to have a hard time keeping up with her wandering little brother Hideo, and has strange encounters with a woman in red. And then she is given an ominous warning: never go outside when the siren wails. It's a good premise for a horror/thriller movie. And I must admit that conceptually this film is strong; a feature which complements the awesome directing. That's why it's a shame that Forbidden Siren's ending is so poor. This movie excels in almost every area and would have been a great Asian horror if not for the ending. I won't spoil anything, but suffice to say that if someone tried to submit a story with a trick ending, like we see in Forbidden Siren, to any major magazine, they would not be published. The ending of any story is crucial and they teach you not to write trick endings because they are deceptive and ultimately let your audience down. Which is what we observe happening in Forbidden Siren. We are built up from the very beginning to believe that something memorable and shocking is coming at the end, then it's just a big let down. I was tempted to give this movie a 5 instead of a 6; however I was impressed by the good scares and the originality of the plot (even if they could have gone in SO many interesting directions with it.) These days it isn't often that you find a good Asian horror film that doesn't center around a "vengeful ghost" picking off a small group of young adults. So Forbidden Siren gets a 6 out of 10. Watch it and enjoy the creative scares and smart direction, then when you get to the climax turn it off and make up your own ending. Trust me, you can't do any worse than they did.