Steinesongo Too many fans seem to be blown away

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

MaximumMadness Ah, "Tomie." The original film, based on a popular ongoing manga, is a strange little side-note in the world of horror. A cult- film that fascinatingly attained something of a strong following, and lead to a slew of sequels over the past decade-and-a-half.I personally could never wrap my head around the apparent appeal of the original movie. It was a weird, contrived and often incompetent effort even for its bizarre content and presumably low-budget. Filled with nonsensical plot-points that I'd imagine only would make sense to hardcore fans of the source material, weird twists and turns you couldn't always follow and some generally lousy plotting. ...not to mention a few amusing "hiccups" in the production due to what I imagine were issues with the budget and time.That being said, I do view this first sequel as a certain and definite improvement. With a more focused script and a more confident sense of visual direction, I think "Tomie: Replay" is actually a decent- enough bit of fun... filled with just enough trippy visuals, cheesy scares and memorable moments to keep you watching, even if you occasionally roll your eyes are some of the sillier moments. It's a mediocre film. But a fun mediocre film.Yumi (Sayaka Yamaguchi) is searching for her father- the director of a hospital who mysteriously vanished after a shocking surgery where what appeared to be a woman's severed head was removed from the abdomen of a young girl. However, as her investigation into her father's vanishing continues, soon it becomes apparent that something is very wrong at the hospital... and it may have something to do with a mythical and monstrous entity known as "Tomie" (Mai Hōshō)- a demonic force who is able to regenerate bodily damage and drive men to insanity with their lust for her.The biggest benefits to this production that give it an edge are the focused and concise script by Satoru Tamaki and some genuinely strong visual direction courtesy Tomijiro Mitsuishi. Tamaki quickly establishes a good sense of mood, location and dynamic in his writing, and you very easily understand what's happening, no matter how crazy the proceedings may get. While it does often fall back on horror clichés and it does run off the rails here and there, at very least there's a coherent central narrative and focus, which I felt the first film lacked at times. Though I'd be lying if I didn't have some issues with a few key sequences. (I have never really been able to buy how quickly Tomie drives men mad, for instance. It's always a bit too abrupt in the films I've seen, though admittedly I have not seen all of the films.)Tomijiro Mitsuishi helms the film, and I actually really enjoyed his work here. He's got a very keen of composition and movement, and many of his shots slither along like dreadful serpents, building tension before the strike. I was particularly taken with how he portrays the hospital, and how foreboding and alienating he is able to make such a common building in the film. It's a true shame that this seems to be his only credited directorial effort, at least from what I can tell. He's got a talented eye, fondly reminding me of early Carpenter or Craven, and I'd like to see him do some more work.The performances are also quite strong, the cinematography is leaps and bounds beyond the original, and general production is very solid.That being said, I do have some big issues with the film, mainly in that it never quite is able to build a satisfying sense of terror or drama and because at times it does feel like it's holding back or even just unsure of what to do with some of the ideas that are raised. I don't want to spoil anything, but the film does promise some interesting ideas in it's later half, but it never quite gets built upon in a satisfactory manner. Combined with a general lack of fear (the film seems more content with being "weird" than "scary"), and I do have to dock some major points.Still, I can't help but really appreciate this film as a huge improvement over the original. It may not quite be a "good" film, but it's solid and enjoyable.I give it a slightly-above average 6 out of 10. It's a good time and you could do far worse. Just don't go in with high expectations.

Paul Magne Haakonsen Well, at least it was better than the original first "Tomie" movie, but not much. "Tomie: Replay", like the "Tomie" movie, was suffering from a very long and dragged out story that told very little, thus making it seem to drag on forever and ever. And also like "Tomie", there was absolutely no horror in this movie, either that or I have become too seasoned to Japanese horror movies.The story, however, is a tad more well-constructed than the one told in "Tomie". Although, again as with the first "Tomie" movie, then it was suffering from a lack of clear red line in the story; there was just too much side tracking and telling stuff that really didn't further the already slow-paced storyline. The story is about Tomie being reborn in a hospital, and those who participated in this event have either disappeared or stopped working. Finding her father's notes, a young student sets out to find out the reason behind these odd events, and she is helped by a young man who is out on a similar quest, to find out why his long-time friend suddenly started to behave weird.Unlike the first movie, then there is a much more clear and visible production value to this movie, which is a step upward on the enjoyment scale. And the someone, although not much, improved storyline was also a boost upward.But in overall, then "Tomie: Replay" is not all that much of an improvement, and if you have seen "Tomie", then you will be entertained by "Tomie: Replay". But personally, I am hoping that the other movies in the series will prove more scary and entertaining.For a Japanese horror movie, then "Tomie: Replay" was surprisingly devoid of scares, spooky stuff and horror.

Leofwine_draca TOMIE: REPLAY is the third instalment of this manga-based series about a girl who keeps coming back from the dead. The first film, TOMIE, was very much a unique, weird movie with an atmosphere all its own, while the lamentable shot-on-video sequel, TOMIE: ANOTHER FACE, isn't even worth mentioning. The good news is that TOMIE: REPLAY is on much stronger ground, similar in many aspects to the first film but with a more involved storyline.The horror in this film is far more visceral, with plenty of disturbing imagery. There are body parts galore, as well as scenes of violent murder and just plain weird stuff going on (the opening sequence, in which doctors performing a Caesarian discover a woman's head instead of a baby, is difficult to forget). There are more cast members here, from mad doctors to dedicated daughters and the usual rote of young menfolk who find themselves obsessed with the spectral Tomie.The pacing is slow and the tone subdued for the most part, and if you're looking for well-developed ghost sequences a la RING or THE GRUDGE, then you've come to the wrong place. If, however, you're in the mood for a one-of-a-kind cult oddity then the Tomie series might just be for you.

the_headless_cross IMO you can add this to the list which contains Terminator 2, Aliens, and Spiderman 2. What list is this? The list of sequels that kick ass! The first Tomie was pretty good and all, but it felt like something was missing. This sequel adds whatever was missing! First, it is fast paced (watched it for the umpteenth time last night and was surprised how fast it moved), second it actually follows a story from the manga. Also a few creepy moments in this one (all about that crawling on the ceiling, wow!), and IMO this one contains the hottest Tomie to appear in all of the movies. So if you want to watch all the Tomie movies I recommend starting with this one (none of the movies have any continuity so it never really matters what order you watch them in).