The Park
Year of release: 2003
Genre: ghost/suspense
Director: Andrew Lau
Stars: Bobo Chan, Tiffany Lee, Kara Hui, Derek Tsang, Cheung Wing Hong, Cherman Boonyasak, Matthew Paul Dean, Pubate Maganit, Chalerm Taweebot, Edwin Siu
Rated IIB for disturbing imagery
Version reviewed: Universe DVD
I think that Hong Kong studios must have some sort of quota for ghost movies, because it seems like a new one comes out every week or two. The Park is yet another in the long line of this type of film. The twist here is that it's the first Hong Kong movie in 3-D. Well, it's not all in 3-D. There are only a handful of scenes that actually use the effect, and that is ultimately The Park's main downfall.
In the film, Bobo Chan plays a girl named Yen who is investigating the disappearance of her brother (Edwin Siu). The last place he was seen at was in an abandoned amusement park that is said to be haunted. Despite the objections of her Taoist ghost-busting mother (Kara Hui, who is probably the only cast member in the film above the age of 25), Yen and her friends head to the park, and indeed, it is haunted, and the spirits begin to take their vengeance out on the meddling kids.
The Park is an average HK ghost movie all the way. There are a few little scares here and there, but since these films are targeted towards the teeny-bopper crowd, most viewers will likely find more horror in old episodes of The X-Files or a screening of Gigli. As with Andrew Lau's other movies, The Park has a nice look to it, but any sense of spookiness or suspense is ruined by the amateurish acting presented here. The film was made in Thailand and uses a lot of local actors. Even though they were all dubbed over and play stock roles (the bad boy, the ice queen, the nice girl, etc.), it's still no excuse for the lousy attempts at thespianism dumped on the viewer.
The 3-D effects (which uses the old-style red-and-blue glasses) actually work, though, and helps save The Park from the depths of mediocrity. Yes, it's a gimmick, but at the rate these movies come out, sometimes you need something different to help set a film apart from the pack. However, like I said before, the majority of the movie is not in 3-D, and when The Park isn't using those effects, the viewer is left to concentrate on its' shortcomings (not the least of which is a terribly over-long ending). This isn't a bad film, but after recent efforts like The Eye, Hong Kong movie-makers are going to have to come up with something more than a neat gimmick to hold the audience's attention.
RATING: 5