Dorm (2006)
I had expected this to be really good…and that I would really really like it. Not sure where I really got this idea…One. it may have been because I think it has done quite well in the local box office…and two, which is the more possible reason…is the storyline. The basic storyline, which you can read for yourself here, is some what similar to the Devil’s Backbone, which I loved. Both have boys being sent to a school/home. Both boys have trouble fitting in their new environment initially. Both have an encounter with a ghost. And the ghost, both are spirits of a dead student.
Well I guess that is as far as the similarities went…because Dorm pales in comparison (at least that’s what I think) to the Devil’s Backbone. The Devil’s Backbone was a sad haunting tale about lost innocence and so on…and well…Dorm was not. Don’t get me wrong…Dorm did start quite well. And then you start noticing the main character’s hair contuinity problem…and you can’t stop thinking…are they really serious???!! This is sloppy work. Can’t they give the actor a wig or something, at least try to make it less obvious???? I mean I know…its the reshooting thing…but still thats not an excuse…lots of film does reshoots….
Second…there’s the how the ghost became a ghost thing…it is utterly ridiculous…it was an accident…so no one is at fault? Ok here’s the thing…since forever people have come to believe that its those who have horrible untimely end that become ghosts…this one does not really fit into the typical picture. I mean seriously…when I saw it…I thought that was how he died…Just a ridiculously stupid stupid prank to get more attention?
Third…It kinda all ends too nicely…the main character helps the ghost…made some friends…patch things up with his father…all nicely wrapped with a pretty bow on top…doesn’t really suit the genre right?There is though one scene that I really like… its the one during their movie night…its like the Bruce Willis character finally realising he is a ghost scene…It was good…with a right touch of comedy.
Ok…maybe I’m being unfair with all my comparisons…but I can’t help it. Overall…it is an ok film…I would give it 3/5…could have been better. And if you like the genre…I do think you should check this out. And hey…maybe like Shutter, you might even see an American remake of it soon.
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