GOTHIKA

Gothika Movie Review

Psychiatrist Miranda Grey (Halle Berry) is involved in a car accident on her way home from work. When she awakens from the incident, she finds herself a patient in the same mental institution she works in, having been accused of killing her husband, Douglas (Charles S. Dutton of Roc...yes, I used to watch that show). Miranda's problems don't end there, as she finds herself being haunted by a spirit as well. I recall seeing this one in the theater in 2003 and loving it. I watched it a few times over the years, but prior to watching it earlier today, I had not seen the movie in maybe ten years or so. Would I still love it as much as I did back then? 

She can't wait to find out

I will start with what I completely forgot about--well, one of the things I completely forgot about anyway, and it happens to be the worst thing about this movie--the CGI. Some of the visuals in this movie are so bad you will wonder how the film ever saw a big screen. That said, I really have no other major complaint about this film. The story is an interesting one, and will absolutely keep you engaged, especially near the end, when the twists and turns come at a breakneck speed. I love the acting in this, and the movie has a whole slew of performers I enjoy watching. Aside from Berry and Dutton (both of whom I like), we also have personal favorites Penelope Cruz (Vanilla Sky), the grossly underrated John Carroll Lynch (Zodiac), and, of course, my favorite actor in the history of acting (and the reason I paid to see this in the theater to begin with), Robert Downey Jr. (Tuff Turf). 

"Tuff Turf? Really?"

There's not a ton of gore in the movie, but there is certainly more than enough suspense to make up for it. Adding to the enjoyment of the movie is a very satisfying ending (the very final shot with the bus and the kid notwithstanding ). A lot of people like to bash this movie--the critics hated it, and while not a box office bomb, it wasn't exactly setting the world on fire in 2003 either. I, on the other hand, was pleasantly surprised to find that after so many years of not watching it, I still very much liked Gothika, and certainly won't wait another ten years to watch it again. 

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 8

Gothika Movie Trailer