the turn of the screw

Rating: Null/10 (16 September 2001)

SPOILER ALERT I've seen this movie in Venice during the Film Festival. Lots of people surrounding me were disturbed because of the similarities with "the sixth sense". Ok, i'll serve you some examples... Is the Fantastic Four a ripoff of Superman just because the Human Torch flies? Is The Night of the Living Dead a ripoff of Dracula just because the dead walks? There's some topics that have seen birth the same day humanity was born. The dead without knowledge... Let me think... As long as this movie is a ripoff of Shimalayan's great movie i bet Shimalayan himself had some big influences.... Did it ever happen to you, to watch a movie called "The Innocents", which was adapted from the Henry James novel "The turn of the screw"? I can even try to imagine Shimalayan watching another english movie called "Voices". The accusation of ripoff is pointless. Case closed.
Next. The movie itself.
This is a darn good movie. Nicole Kidman is a portrait of a woman, even more than with Jane Campion. She acts like a real diva and she is pregnant with the seed of GOOD acting. She is the attraction of this movie, she captures attention and gives her feelings to the audience, literally. She is a goddess and rides the camera and the viewers in a state of constant paranoia. The kids are acting well too, and the story works good 'til the big final explosion. Hey, detractors, didn't you jump and "ooooh"ed at the first appeareance of the medium? I felt my heart running straight to my throat. Amenabar writes, directs, and also writes the music for an underrated picture that suffers this "ripoff" sensation, while it deserves big respect as long as is a picture from a young talented crazy spanish guy that is gonna kick some asses in the mainstream, and i really hope this. This movie can scare you and stress you 'til the light comes. Is sad that this ripoff bullsh*t had the only effect of telling viewers the end before they saw it. The ripoff is people spoilering around. This movie is a good eight out of ten! And.. don't miss Open Your Eyes, another coooool Amenabar effort.