[This review is spoiler-free]In my book, Thai horror films somehow exceed expectations time and time again. They have a way about them that just makes the films that more realistic yet frightening. Maybe its how the Thais perceive what a spirit/ghost/supernatural being should look or, maybe its just that I like Thai horror films. Coming Soon, just like Shutter and Alone has a pretty an out-of-the-ordinary premise that hooks the audience right in from the word GO! But thats just the plot.
Coming Soon revolves around a cineplex somewhere in Thailand, where Shane (the Thais say it as "Chain"), Yod and Som are employees. Yod proposes to Chain that they pirate a horror film that is due for release the next week. So Chain joins in Yod's little scheme and they sneak into the cineplex after hours to record the movie. Chain falls asleep and wakes up the morning after to find Yod gone and the camera on the floor in between seats in the cinema hall. What Chain sees in the camera freaks him out but its only the beginning of his worries. From then on, he is haunted by the ghost from the horror movie they were attempting to pirate.
Going into the movie, I had high hopes of this being as good and if not, better than Shutter. My hopes were completely dashed within the opening sequence of the movie. Although right off the bat, there was great suspense, it quickly became predictable. All within 5 minutes of the start of the movie. Also, the way it was shot was like the cameraman was on a roller-coaster. We all get the shaky cam method is really great for action scenes or chase scenes and stuff like that but in this film, it was clear that it was over done.
Apart from the cinematography, the acting was at times, quite atrocious. The leads had little to no emotion in their performance and it resulted in very awkward conversations between the characters. Another thing I should mention is how annoying Som (which is a girl's name in Thailand) got when she kept shouting "CHAIN", "CHAIN", "CHAIN" over and over again. Talking a little bit on the ghost/spirit in the movie, the make-up/effects kinda sucked. It looked too much like some lady wearing a mask she bought from a shop selling Halloween costumes.
Not sure whether this is good or bad, but I found myself and the rest of the theater laughing a number of times during the movie. Either the dialogue was just so horrendous, it turned out to be funny or the humor was intended. Regardless of why it was funny, the movie definitely had moments where I thought I was seeing a comedy. As the film progressed, the horror methods were so textbook- with all the scary music and the girl looking over her shoulder to find something behind her. All these techniques, we've seen before and unfortunately, the film doesn't really veer away from that. Towards the end of the movie, the parts which were meant to fill me up with suspense and scare me, became so predictable. But I have to give props to the storyline. It really was interesting and be warned people, there is a twist. A pretty good one at that. For me, the twist, the plot and the unorthodox humor were the only positive points I could take out of this movie.
So, if my memory serves me right, Shutter was a better film than Coming Soon. The start of the film reminded me of Cloverfield- "Caution: Film may induce nausea". It was predictable. Acting and make-up weren't that good. But it was funny, the premise was enthralling and there was a twist. So if you want a cheap thrill, or to get a girl you like to want you to hold her, see this film. For me, it was disappointing to say the least.
Popcorn-meter: 4.5/10 Popcorns
The movie premiere was courtesy of Cinema Online. Thanks!
