An Average Movie-Goer’s Review
No spoilers! If you would like spoilers – check out the Spoiler post
I love horror movies and if I’m going to watch them anyway, why not write an entertaining/funny review from the POV of an average movie-goer and not a professional critic.
Today we’re looking at 2016’s The Forest
When her twin sister goes missing in the infamous Aokigahara Forest in Japan, a woman (Natalie Dormer) travels to the ghost-riddled forest to find her and prove she’s still alive.
Is it Scary?
There are a few jump scares in the first half but they’re extremely cheap, as in they serve no purpose to the story and you might be more annoyed they’re even there. The second half doesn’t do a good job of building up tension or creating a horror-like atmosphere. In the end you won’t be scared of The Forest unless you’re YouTube and you just heard Logan Paul is taking another trip to Japan.
Review:
The Forest is not good all the way through, which is a shame because it has an interesting premise.
First, some quick positives: the acting, most character motivations, and dialogue were all pretty good. The plot, despite being pretty simple, did a good job at making you question whether the supernatural was even real. Unfortunately the interest and questions these plot points create don’t last too long.
One of the main problems the movie has is pacing, the first 45 minutes of the movie could easily have been condensed into about 15 minutes. One of the saving graces of the movie are the character relationships and trying to figure out what is happening in the forest. For a good portion of the movie you’re sucked in… and then the ball gets dropped.
Despite being the best parts, it’s also its worst parts. It’s ends up being pretty poor writing and, in this case, it was very apparent.
My final small gripe with the movie is the lack of character development for one of the important characters. There was one flashback where we learn a bit about them and then nothing else.
Fortunately, at its root, the movie has a simple story: someone looking for their lost relative. It’s something almost anyone can empathize with so the lack of character development isn’t a big deal.
Overall The Forest is okay, it’s firmly at the top of the “would recommend if you have absolutely nothing else to watch” list.
Cast IMDB