We recently splashed out on six or so DVDs to kickstart our J-Horror collection and although we hadn't really heard of any of them before, we'd all vouched on Acacia being the best by a long shot. Just look at the cover, for Pete's sake. So instead of taking a risk with watching something else, we decided to stick Acacia on, despite plans to save it for a rainy day. Much to our disappointment it turned out to be not so much as a horror, but a somewhat predictable thriller.

Predictable that is, except the characters motivation. Though tremendously well-acted, the cast often behave irrationally without rational motivation, with no real progression or reason for the change, almost comparable with the flicking of a switch.

But perhaps worst of all is the brutal revealing of the plot. It seems all the storyline as held back until the last 15 minutes, and then rains down on top of you in a relentless monsoon of flashbacks. Imagine a cement-truck unloading its entire load on your person, and then reversing over you.

It wasn't very scary, either.

The Bad:
- Mediocre plot
- Predictable
- Iffy in general

The Good:
- Stylishly framed scenes
- Strong visual style
- Top-notch performances

Labels: DVD