X
- 2005
- R
- Magnolia Pictures
- 1 h 59 m
- 2005
- R
- Magnolia Pictures
- 1 h 59 m
Summary Two groups of people discover evidence that suggests spirits may be trying to invade the human world through the Internet.
Directed By: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Written By: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
- 2005
- R
- Magnolia Pictures
- 1 h 59 m
- 2005
- R
- Magnolia Pictures
- 1 h 59 m
Pulse
68
7.4
Where to Watch
Summary Two groups of people discover evidence that suggests spirits may be trying to invade the human world through the Internet.
Directed By: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Written By: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 21 Critic Reviews
68
62% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
33% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
5% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 21 Critic Reviews
68
62% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
33% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
5% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Kurosawa leaves much of the explanation enigmatic but he fills the film with an eerie emptiness, where suicides erupt out of nowhere and mankind dissolves in an oily smudge of hopelessness, adrift between life and death.
It's a horror movie for aficionados. But it's also for people who don't usually like horror movies at all, who regard them as cheap, crude and over-obvious.There's nothing cheap or crude in Pulse," a fine, shivery movie about the terror of solitude and emptiness.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 46 User Ratings
7.4
63% Positive
29 Ratings
29 Ratings
33% Mixed
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
4% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 46 User Ratings
7.4
63% Positive
29 Ratings
29 Ratings
33% Mixed
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
4% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
More than just a simple horror movie, Pulse uses its concept of ghosts invading the world through the internet as a metaphor for the sense of loneliness and isolation that can come from social networking. Originally intended as a means of letting us all establish a greater connection to one another, our always online society has instead revealed how distant we actually are from those around us, and not from a simply physical standpoint either. As we grow older and life gets more demanding it's become only natural to turn to the web to form and maintain bonds with other people. These links prove artificial however as they lack an emotional depth that's already difficult to establish with another person, while also proving no substitute for real, in the flesh interaction. Facing this revelation can be quite depressing and could ultimately leave you feeling more alone than ever. This is something the film portrays incredibly well. Even after all these years the people behind Pulse's creation were so ahead of the curve in terms of recognizing where our now largely digital lives were going to take us that this is still a relevant viewing experience despite the evolution of the technology it's centered around.
Of course, it is also very creepy. I wouldn't call it outright scary, but I did certainly get the heebie-jeebies from things like the way the ghosts move or the ominous webcam feeds that pop-up on the characters' computers without their consent. All the spooky bits are brought to life by unique visual effects that often make creative use of shadows and lighting to give the specters a distinctively otherworldly quality. All of which pairs nicely with the soundtrack to create a wonderfully tense atmosphere anytime things take a turn for the supernatural.
The feature's length is the sole thing I take any sort of fault with as it comes in at just under a meaty two hours. Even then though there's not a single scene or moment that feels unnecessary, and I was never legitimately bored at any point. So it's really more of a personal quibble than a legitimate issue. Yet, at the same time I did stop a few times while watching this to check and see how much was left only to end up saying to myself, "Wow, I still have THAT much left to get through?"
Cleverly using encounters with the spirits of the long-deceased as a means of symbolizing each character's realization of their lack meaningful relationships with the living, Pulse is concerned with a bit more than just freaking you out. This is horror with a message that is as poignant and melancholy as it is frightening due to how true to life its thematic content is. In hindsight, watching this after recently rejoining Facebook probably wasn't the smartest choice on my part.
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Esta película es un poco difícil de apreciar por lo bizarra y ambigua que puede resultar ser la trama, la cual a simple vista es muy simple, pero el desarrollo tiende a ser un poco errático y complejo de entender, aún así es toda una joya del cine asiático y se las ingenia para ser espeluznante y lúgubre.
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Where the average Japanese horror flick is petulant and nasty, Pulse is dolorous, shivery, and surreal.
Neither linear nor overly explained, Pulse completely dispenses with smash cuts, cymbal crashes and other editing tricks of the horror trade.
While not exactly reaching Ring-levels of terror, it's certainly one for connoisseurs of the weird.
It's an apocalyptic ghost story with some eerie images and a surprising turn toward the end, but it bogs down considerably between the good scenes.
But the big scare scenes seem particularly isolated here, supported by neither the flat characters nor the vague plot.
The atmosphere achieved is quintessential of the horror genre in Japan during those years and that's a huge plus, but it has some brutal pace drops that make it tedious in several passages.
That's something I found both surprising and disappointing from a director like Kiyoshi Kurosawa.
It's meant to be a critique of isolation, but it falls short in its exploration of that concept.
It's not what I would consider actually disposable, but there's very little to salvage overall from this horror film.
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Unnerving, but slightly irksome and glacially-paced Japanese horror film that didn't quite deliver on its promise. It's a precursor to the glut of similar films that followed it, and might be appreciated more if you have never seen Dark Water, The Grudge, or the Ring, shallow though that sounds; although you can appreciate the artistry you're left bemused.
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Awards
Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Japanese Professional Movie Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Fangoria Chainsaw Awards
• 1 Nomination
