Description
They are used to tell the past, but for a few unlucky individuals, they foretell the future. When Hideki picks up a newspaper he knows what he will see...death. Foretelling ill-omened fate of everything from slayings to train crashes, there is nothing Hideki can do to stop the event... or is there? When the paper predicts the demise of his daughter in a car crash, Hideki seeks out other like himself, searching for a way to change the future.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 30 reviews)

Sometimes it's better to do nothing

Does a horror film have to be scary to be good? Can it simply be unnerving, taking you out of the normal order of things and into a stranger world, and still be called a horror film? Because that is exactly what Premonition does. There is nothing really scary here, and aside from a few brief scenes no jumps or creeps, nothing to upset your sleep. But it is undeniably a horror film and a very good one at that.

The second release in the "J-Horror Theater" series, following Infection and followed by Reincarnation, Premonition ("Yogen") is an atmospheric and suspenseful film with a supernatural flair typical of the anthology horror series. Adapted from a manga called "Kyofu Shimbun" ("Terror Newspaper"), it tells the story of a family haunted by a foretelling-newspaper, one which only shows a future of death. A couple witnesses the death of their young daughter in an automobile accident, one which was foretold only moments before by a strange newspaper. Devastated by the event, the father becomes a shell of a man, giving up on his profession and life in general and just going through the motions. The mother, more driven, experiments with psychics in order to try and uncover the truth behind the mystery. Slowly, the father begins to predict future deaths every time he writes something down, and encounters others who have had their future shown to them by the cursed newspaper.

Director Tsuruta Norio is one of the Japanese "Masters of Horror", directing Ring 0 and several episodes of the Scary True Stories series. Much of the style he brings to Premonition is typical of Japanese horror, including the atmospheric, family-centered stories such as seen in Dark Water and the original Ring. Keeping the story tight, focusing on the estranged couple and how they deal with the death of their child, gives the film an emotional depth that wouldn't be found if he went for the screams. Actor Mikami Hiroshi (who I last saw in Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence) does a great job as the shattered father, and Sakai Noriko (Ju-On 2) is perfect as the beautiful wife and mother who pushes the story forward. Special notice also goes to Inoue Hana, whose brief screen time as the couples doomed daughter Nana really digs into the heart.

I cannot say that there is anything overwhelming original here, nothing that makes the film stand out, but it is just genre down exceedingly well. This is not a yurei flick, so don't expect to see the famous white-faced girl making an appearance, but the Japanese horror genre is not so one-note as people sometimes think. Premonition uses everything that is good about the style, without cliches or unnecessary pandering, and delivers an honest and compelling story.

On an additional note: The Sandra Bullock film Premonition is not a re-make of this movie, although they have identical titles.
October 15, 2008

The TERROR of Knowing the INEVITABLE and the Price you have to Pay

There have been many entries of J-horror ever since the success of "Ringu" in the U.S., not to mention an overabundance of Asian horror remakes. Before this film does officially get massacred by Hollywood, (it has been marked for remake hell) I thought it may be the best time to review this piece of Japanese horror. J-Horror theater 2: PREMONITION (aka. YOGEN, 2004) is based on the manga by Jiro Tsunoda called "Kyofu Shimbun" (Newspaper of Terror). Directed by Norio Tsurata, the film does have a somewhat nostalgic feel to it, similar to the 60's TV show "Twilight Zone"; which wouldn't be surprising since the Japanese comic became popular in the 1970's.

Newspapers are used to tell the past, but for a few unlucky individuals, they foretell the future. When Hideki (Hiroshi Mikami) picked up a piece of a newspaper that foretells his daughter`s death, he is so puzzled as to what this piece of paper meant and before he realizes what is happening, he is too late to save her.
After the accident, Hideki and his wife Ayaka (beauteous Noriko Sakai, Ju-On 2), divorced and they go their separate ways. Three years have passed, Ayaka had been researching this strange phenomena with the aid of a medium, Prof. Mikoshiba (Kazuko Yoshiyuki) while Hideki fears that if he picks up a newspaper, he will see death. Nonetheless, Hideki begins foretelling ill-omened fate of murder to train crashes, there is nothing Hideki can do to stop the events...or is there? Now, Hideki and Ayaka must find others who have experienced this mysterious phenomenon, in hope of finding an answer. Little do they know that they will be changing their lives forever....

The film does have a good plot and even references the famous psychic Chizuko Mifune, the medium who was discovered by a spiritualistic professor and who later committed suicide. The direction by Norio Tsurata is quite competent but somehow I think his style does push the film a bit to human drama than towards chilling horror. Tsurata does steer the film towards a melodramatic approach and while I appreciate that he took the time to flesh out his characters, some viewers may take it as a way to divert the film from its horrific premise. Still, the film does have a number of intense scenes that are both chilling and unnerving. The film does take its time, which helps its script as it builds credibility through its screenplay.

The film's cinematography is polished and stylized. Although some of the CGI effects does look a little cheesy at times. Despite its faults, the ominous music and the nicely paced sequences do assist the film in entertaining me. I am a bit put off by Hiroshi Mikami's performance, he was trying a bit too hard to act terrified. Fortunately, Noriko Sakai is around to bail him out. Sakai is a great actress and quite a treat to look at.

Now about the plot. The film focuses more on the phenomena's investigation rather than scenes after scenes of deaths and accidents. Most of the violence happen off camera, Hideki and Ayaka does take center stage. While the couple obsesses in finding the secret of the "Fear Newspaper", they slowly find themselves becoming attached to each other again. The secret of Rei Kigat and the 13-year old boy who aged into an old man within 6 months are the film's major selling points. These scenes are very unnerving as they become revealed as I got closer to the film's climax.

The good thing about "Yogen" is that the film does have a solid plot and the rules of the film does have a lot of credibility and answers its own questions. True, the film's script does contain some of the usual histrionics, but I do think "Premonition" is a very good film. The film is nicely paced and pleasingly well-rounded. It contained quite a few surprises and avoids cheap scares. No, there is no long-haired ghost in pale make-up on this one. The film focuses on its characters, its mystery and it's logic does make a whole lot of sense when you put it all together. Rei Kigat and Hideki's fates are quite credible, but it also opens some questions.

This is the type of film that the less you know about it, the better the experience will be. Tsurata is to be commended that he managed to generate a feeling of intrigue and genuine creepiness in the film. The film's internal logic and unusual surprises managed to keep me interested for its entirety, despite Mikami's overdone performance. Noriko Sakai is real nice to look at.

Whenever you touch a newspaper, do you notice the ink getting on your fingers? You won't look at it the same way again.
Highly Recommended! [4- Stars]

October 04, 2008

great movie

One of my favorite movies. A must see. Don't judge the original on the horrible Sandra Bullock remake.
September 05, 2008

This is a good movie

What would you do if you knew someone was going to die? Would you save them, even if it meant your own slow and painful death?

Despite the not so great acting, Premonition is very involving. The story kept my attention until the end, and I wanted to watch it again and again! As is true to a lot Asian horror movies, the cheezy effects are laughable. Especially the newspaper that chases them at the end!!!

Still, this is a good movie if you want to see something new.
February 20, 2008

A must have for your collection!

This movie was amazing. Upon renting this movie twice, I knew that it had to become a new addition to my horror movie family. The story is great. The acting was great. There's a few scares in here that will freak you out, but the story alone is so beautiful. You have to have to watch this movie. And I can bet you that after you watch it, you won't feel that you've wasted anything. You'll probably end up having this movie in your collection also. I love this movie so much. It's in my top 5 list of horror movies.
November 14, 2007

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