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12 Rounds Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
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$9.99 Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
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Pulse
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MPAA RATING: Not Rated
Starring Haruhiko Katô, Kumiko Aso, Koyuki, Kurume Arisaka, Masatoshi Matsuo, Shinji Takeda, Jun Fubuki, and Shun Sugata
A psychological thriller set in Tokyo.
| GENRE(S): | Foreign | Horror |
| WRITTEN BY: | Kiyoshi Kurosawa |
| DIRECTED BY: | Kiyoshi Kurosawa |
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: February 21, 2006 Theatrical: August 12, 2005 |
| RUNNING TIME: | 119 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: | Japan |
| LANGUAGE(S): | Japanese (with English subtitles) |
Original title "Kairo"; Also known as "The Circuit"
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The average user rating for this movie is 5.9 (out of 10) based on 21 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Bob N gave it a9:
Kiyoshi Kurosawa's films appeal to me. I am a thinker (I am not saying I am smarter than everyone.) I have thought a lot about the dangerous era we have entered in the past 20 years or so with technology. As Postman and McLuhan pointed out, the recent generations of folks born in advanced countries are the first in history to suffer from information glut. We are boldly going...finish the sentence. There has to be a cost to this technology. This film plays on that realistic fear, the fear of the unkown, the fear of alienation, the fear of technology. This is not a 2001 the computers will kill you fear, this is a deep-seated psychological/spiritual dillema. The film does drag at times, and the characters act annoyingly odd at times as well. The ever present atmoshpere, the ever present ideas, create one of the creepiest and best "horror" films I have seen. Note: I usually hate horror films. They tend to be "shock" films with no dread or horror. Pulse (the Japanese version, not the horrid American version) is a true horror film. There is no comparison with the original and the remake. The remake is horrible and empty of the spirit of the original. Great stuff.
Arsal gave it a9:
Kairo is an utter masterpiece. Nothing less, nothing more. It's not so much as the usual 'jump-because-we-said-so' horror movies being churned out as of late. It's atmospheric, dark, surreal, almost dream-like in some scenes. Recommended to everyone who's sick of blood and guts being spurted at the screen for no reason, and to fans of art-house cinema.
Chad S. gave it a6:
[***SPOILERS***] "Kairo" isn't entirely successful but it's still vastly superior to the remake I saw yesterday. Thankfully, there's nothing pale and naked coming out of a coin-operated laundry machine. In "Pulse", you see the influence of the "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", but in the Japanese original, the source of inspiration is more explicit. It's the 1978 version with Donald Sutherland. What's also interesting is how the ghosts are presented. They're reminiscent of the monoliths from "2001: A Space Odyessy". What ultimately prevents "Kairo", however, from joining the ranks of first-rate J-horror flicks, is a short supply of interesting characters saying interesting things. The two girls who traveled across the Pacific and morphed into Kristin Bell and Kristina Milian are equally wretched, but at least with two storylines, they're not constantly on screen.
Kurt C. gave it a7:
It wasn't so much scary as it was chilling. It brings a fresh viewpoint to the thriller genre that certainly makes you rethink just how dependent we are getting on instant communication. The cinematography is more mood-setting than eerie. Kristin Bell did an excellent job in her first movie roll. I'm looking for to more from her.
Pete H. gave it a1:
Look this film was not made in 2005--it was made in 2001. Because of the errors in this listing, I went to see the horrible american/romanian remake.
Kel R. gave it a9:
This movie seemed like it was made in the 80's or something because of poor clarity. Besides that, and the fact you have to read subtitles, it's astoundingly great. The story of this movie is top notch, and ths special effects will blow you away. Simply put if you LOVE asian horror than you MUST see this movie!
Jonny V. gave it a2:
giving it a 2 is a very generous rating, as it make no sence, and lacked being even remotely scary, a waste of my precious, precious time.
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