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Shutter

Another reason not to get the “Supernatural Package” at the one-hour photo

By Matt Pais

Metromix
March 20, 2008

Critic's Rating:

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After shrugging off an apparent hit and run while on honeymoon in Japan, pro photographer Ben (Joshua Jackson) and his wife Jane (Rachael Taylor) start seeing the victim’s ghost in their pictures. This not only compromises Ben’s work but leads the couple to the concept of “spirit photos,” when dead people with strong “emotional energy” send messages through film.

Big question: Can “Shutter,” a remake of a 2004 Thai film, be any better than the remakes of Asian horror flicks like "The Eye" if Jackson was the biggest star available?

Skip it: The only message the ghost really sends is “Ha, I ruined your pictures,” which seems like a pretty passive-aggressive form of revenge for the undead. Not a moment of “Shutter” is scary, though a loud or eerie sound effect lets you know whenever you’re supposed to be afraid of something. Perhaps aspiring photographers will think twice about their career choice now that they know karma counts double for them.

Catch it: To see that if you let a ghost slip you the tongue, you’re bound to wind up with a mouthful of bugs.

Bottom line: Sort of like “The Ring” meets “Lost in Translation,” “Shutter” has a mystery that’s only slightly more intriguing than “One Missed Call,” which is probably just because Edward Burns isn’t around to generate unintentional laughs. Instead, that duty falls to super-convenient lines like when, after Jane hears about spirit photos, Ben’s assistant tells her, “My ex-boyfriend works at a spirit photography magazine!”

Bonus: Anyone nervous to experience foreign cultures will be reassured to see a Wolfgang Puck Express in the heart of Tokyo. You haven’t really had sushi until you’ve had it with mozzarella and marinara sauce.

What do you think of 'Shutter'? Email me: mpais@tribune.com