Review: Infection

A visually appealing Japanese horror movie that struggles in the plot department.

Infection is latest Japanese horror film to hit Australian shores, and centres around hospital staff who attempt to cover up the death of a patient due to staff negligence.

The staff then have to deal with a new patient displaying mysterious and nasty symptoms. The patient dies in a gruesome yet comical way involving his internals melting away into green goo. The hospital staff caught up in the ongoing conspiracy begin acting weird and exhibit the same symptoms shown by the man.

This is about as linear as the storyline gets as instead of heading towards a resolution of some kind, it descends into a mess of flashbacks, hallucinations and ghostly encounters.

Never managing to grasp a consistent angle or storyline, the narrative hops around like the writer had too many ideas and couldn’t decide on one central theme or plot. However themes around decisions and how they affect us alongside haunting guilt is prominent.

In typical Japanese horror style the conclusion attempts to tie-up the loose ends by revealing the mysteries of the story, but the flimsy revelations are weak attempt at making reviving a confusing story.

Throughout there is the impression, that this film is heavily influenced by its J horror predecessors such as Ringu, Ju-on and particularly the wonderful The Eye, however never living up to its older rivals.

The characters don’t leave much to be desired either, stereotypical and over emotional at times, they grow increasingly exasperating. In turn we soon lose our sense of compassion for them. The actors do their best with colourless characters, with Michiko Hada as Dr. Nakazono standing out.

Awash with a green hue, the film looks impressive. The choice of camera angles gives the feeling of unease and claustrophobia, while some scenes are grim, including one passage involving a nurse and a barrel of hypodermic needles.

Overall visually entertaining, however the story drags on and the lack of linear direction gives a feeling of confusion that becomes frustrating. However for J horror enthusiasts and horror fans alike, it’s worth a peek.