Friday, July 04, 2014

Juno Mak's Rigor Mortis is a Visual Marvel: A Movie Review

*full disclosure: a Blu-ray screener of this film was provided by Well Go USA.

Director: Juno Mak.

Producers: Takashi Shimizu and Juno Mak.

Cast: Chin Siu-ho, Nina Paw Hee-ching, Anthony Chan, Kara Wai, Richard Ng and Chung Fat.

Rigor Mortis is a Chinese film from Hong Kong. The film was developed by filmmaker Takashi Shimizu (The Grudge) and inexperienced director Juno Mak. A true visual marvel, Rigor Mortis offers lots of horror elements. Though, the film's story is fractured by a number of sideplots. Still, Rigor Mortis offers lots of action in its short runtime. This film viewer enjoyed the many practical effects and Mak's experimentation with the camera.

The story begins with a reluctant hero. Siu-ho (Siu-ho Chin) is a former actor and he has been kicked out of his home, by his wife. He chooses suicide as an escape from his pain, but a neighbour intervenes. Tung (Richard Ng) and Siu-ho form a friendship and this is a friendship of necessity. Ghosts, a vampire and other horror elements reside in Siu-ho's new rundown tenament. Now, Siu-ho must overcome his depression and find courage as he faces evil from all around.

Some viewers might be distracted by all of the sideplots, in Rigor Mortis. This watcher felt that all of the sideplots distracted from a potential central storyline. You can see some of the fracturing in the story by looking for the protagonist. It would seem that Siu-ho is the protagonist and hero. But then, the film stays with a character like Auntie Mui (Hee Ching Paw), the wife of a burgeoning vampire, for several scenes. It becomes difficult to figure out who the writers have chosen as the central character. As well, the sideplots are numerous and include: an overprotective mother of an albino child, the tragic deaths of two sisters, a sorcerer who dabbles in the evil and arcane and Tung's interest in evil artifacts. This is a sampling of the sideplots. The inclusion of so many story elements bogs down the forward progression of the main storyline and that main storyline is still up for debate. In the end, the story of Rigor Mortis is decentralized and sometimes hard to follow.

Rigor Mortis offers up lots of cinematic eye candy. Mak likes to utilize a diverse shooting style. For instance, this director will use a close-up of Siu'ho face as he deliberates suicide. Then, the camera is quickly drawn back to show the neighbour's rescue. All the while, smoke like CGI enhancements are added into a martial arts sequence, with the camera constantly moving between medium shots and close-ups. Mak definitely likes to play with the camera. The visual enhancements are most notable in the finale. Here, Siu-ho battles a vampire, which is possessed by another spirit. A long lasting fight scene involves: a concrete ground that changes into water and then clay, a vampire which leaves tendrils of dark smoke in its path, a scene of falling with slo-mo and many other colourful displays. Almost every scene in Act III includes some sort of added visual element. Sometimes, these additions can be distracting, but this film fan was wowed by all of the extra highlights.

In the end, Rigor Mortis brings several intriguing horror elements to the screen. Where the film's story falters, the visual enhancements pick up the slack. Action elements are consistent mostly in the end, but conflicts and characterizations balance out early scenes. The hero is a complex character, whose story is developed through flashbacks. Other characters are given equal time to develop. The final scene and scenes are mildly confusing and are not set up well. But, Rigor Mortis is an entertaining time spent with monsters which truly standout, thanks to the subtle use of computer-generated imagery and camera work.

Overall: 7.75 out of 10 (solid acting, a special lens is used to create austere greys onscreen, the writers could not choose a concrete ending and the film ends much like a dreamer waking from a slow burning nightmare).

You can take a look at some of the beautiful horror visuals here:

A Rigor Mortis Trailer on 28DLA


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