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Hollywood has had a lengthy love affair with Japanese cinema. Sometimes drastically altering the storylines, sometimes merely translating the dialogue to English, Hollywood’s remakes never seem to endeavor to spoil the original but to pay tribute. And American audiences eat the movies up.
Whether it is the remake of the classic J-horror Kairo to the American movie Pulse or the remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon to The Outrage, a great movie is a great movie in any language.
1 ‘Pulse’ (2006)
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Original: ‘Kairo‘ (2001)
Based on the Japanese techno-horror filmKairo, Pulse, written by Wes Craven, tells the story of a psychology student Mattie Webber (Kristen Bell), who starts receiving alarming emails and messages. She teams up with Dexter, a computer hacker (IanSomerhalder), to try to stop whatever is forcing computers to crash and destroy the world.
Pulse progresses at a much different speed than Kairo does. Pulse permits the action to develop gradually and produces fantastic anticipation. The plot remains moderately comparable to the same concept of the original, but many of the scenes are considerably more haunting.
3 ‘Dark Water’ (2005)
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Original: ‘Dark Water’ (2002)
The American horror film Dark Water is a remake of the Japanese film of the same name. It follows Dahlia (Jennifer Connelly) and her daughter, Ceci (Ariel Gade) when they move into an apartment. The apartment has a strange dark water leak in the ceiling. They request the building’s landlord (John C. Reilly) to repair the leak, but the situation only deteriorates.
Dark Water is a horror movie shot with unbelievably stunning cinematography. Not only that, the characters can develop thoroughly throughout the film, which does not happen in many horror flicks. It underscores to the audience the theme that, many times, the terrifying ghosts are the ones that are inside of them.
5 ‘Shall We Dance?’ (2004)
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Original: ‘Shall We Dance?‘ (1996)
The 1996 Japanese film inspired the remake Shall We Dance? starring Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez. John Clark (Gere) has a distinguished career and a wonderful family. Still, he feels like he is missing something until he meets Paulina (Lopez), a ballroom dance instructor, and begins taking dance lessons.
The American version of the movie sticks closely to its Japanese counterpart. The movie is extraordinarily easygoing, lighthearted, and entertaining. Like the Japanese version, the main character embraces dance as a way to be changed. He uses dance to make him feel complete.
7 ‘The Outrage’ (1964)
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Original: ‘Rashomon’ (1950)
The Outrage, based on celebrated Japanese filmmaker Kurosawa’s Rashomon, centers on the concept of the Rashomon Effect. The Rashomon effect happens when people interpret the same event differently. Just Like Kurosawa’s film in The Outrage, four people give contradictory interpretations of a rape and murder in the Southwest United States in the 1870s.
Part of the tremendous attraction of The Outrage is the cast. Featuring the Mexican bandit Juan Carrasco played by PaulNewman, and William Shatner, portraying a preacher floundering with his religion, the characters are engrossing and engaging to watch as each recount their version of the events.
9 ‘The Yellow Handkerchief’ (2008)
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Original: ‘The Yellow Handkerchief‘ (1977)
The American film The Yellow Handkerchief is a remake of a Japanese film of the same name. It describes the story of Brett Hanson (William Hurt), recently freed on parole and making his way back to Louisiana, and to his ex-wife (Maria Bello).
The Japanese version was inspired by the song “Tie A Yellow Ribbon The Ole Oak Tree.” Both versions feature a road trip that pushes the main character to learn about forgiveness and belonging. The most significant part of the American interpretation is the emotional connections between Hanson and the two teens, Martine (Kristen Stewart) and Gordy (Eddie Redmayne) he takes the trip with. It is wonderfully paradoxical, with an extremely quiet feeling throughout the movie.
11 ‘Blind Fury’ (1989)
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Original: ‘Zatoichi Challenged‘ (1967)
Zatoichi Challenged is the seventeenth episode in the film series dedicated to the character of Zatoichi, which Blind Fury is remade from. Blind Fury is the story of Nick Parker (Rutger Hauer), a blind, sword-wielding Vietnam War veteran who visits his friend Frank Deveraux (Terrance O’Quinn) only to discover that Deveraux is being held hostage by gangsters. Parker decides to help Frank’s son Billy Deveraux (Brandon Call), locate his dad.
Blind Fury is a definitive dramedy, and Hauer nails that balance. It has a bit of a Daredevil feel. There is also a levity to the story that does not come at the expense of blindness of Parker. The audience never judges Parker for having a disability but instead holds him in the highest regard for having extraordinary capabilities.
13 ‘Midnight Sun’ (2018)
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Original: ‘A Song to the Sun’ (2006)
The American teen romance film ‘Midnight Sun‘ is based on the Japanese film A Song to the Sun. Midnight Sun conveys the story of 17-year-old Katie Price (Bella Thorne) and her life-threatening sensitivity to sunlight. When she meets Charlie (PatrickSchwarzenegger) during her venture out to play her guitar in the twilight, she attempts to conceal her disorder from him.
Midnight Sun abides pretty close to A Song to the Sun’s plot; except for the setting and the names, the narrative is basically the same. The movie is fabulously painful. The characters are lovable and heartbreaking, and the movie features a beautiful original soundtrack.
15 ‘The Grudge’ (2004)
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Original: ‘Ju-on: The Grudge‘ (2002)
The Grudge follows Matthew Williams (William Mapother) and his family as they move and make a new life in Tokyo. After settling into their new house, they discover it is the location of a curse. The Grudge is based on Ju-On: The Grudge, a Japanese horror film written and directed by Takashi Shimizu.
Mostly, these movies are the same, just delivered in different languages. However, The Grudge progresses more steadily and balances the horror and drama a little more conservatively. However, it is an unbelievably unnerving movie. It is scary. The Grudge builds tension from the beginning and only lets off pressure once the end credits roll.
17 ‘One Missed Call’ (2008)
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Original: ‘One Missed Call‘ (2003)
A remake of the 2003 Japanese film of the same name, One Missed Call is a paranormal horror film about Beth Raymond (Shannyn Sossamon) and detective Jack Andrews (Ed Burns). When Raymond’s two friends hear their horrifying last moments on cell phones only days before they die, Andrews helps her unravel the mystery behind the horrifying messages.
One Missed Call has a PG-13 rating, so it is tamer than its original Japanese horror flick, but there are some disturbing scenes. There is also a relatability to the movie that the Japanese counterpart does not have, which adds to the disquieting feeling. The characters are interesting and compelling and offer more depth than most horror film characters.
19 ‘Apartment 1303 3D’ (2012)
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Original: ‘Apartment 1303‘ (2007)
Apartment 1303 3D is a supernatural horror film remake of the 2007 Japanese film Apartment 1303. It recounts the tale of Lara Slate (Mischa Barton), who investigates the suicide of her sister (Juliane Michelle). She moves into the apartment where her sister died to solve the mystery.
Apartment 1303 3D is a contemporary ghost saga dressed in a wildly twisted mother-daughter relationship. While a bit disappointing as a genuine horror film, there is much to be said about the intricacy of the relationships developed between the characters.
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