Muoi The Curse Returns Review: The Vietnamese horror sequel to the 2007 film is also known was Ten: The Curse Returns or Muoi Loi Nguyen tro lai stars Chi Pu as Linh, Rima Thang Vy as Hang, Anh Thu as Muoi, Dinh Y Nhung as Dieu and others. It has a 95-minute running duration, was directed by Hang Trinh, and was made by Silver Moonlight Entertainment. The film premiered earlier for the local audience, but only now on April 30, 2023 has it been released on Netflix for the international viewers.
Muoi The Curse Returns Review Does Not Contain Any Spoilers
Muoi The Curse Returns is a Vietnamese horror sequel to the 2007 film, directed by Hang Trinh and produced by Silver Moonlight Entertainment.
Muoi The Curse Returns Review
they’re carrying traumas of their own while dealing with the cursed context of their location. And so the movie mostly tries to become about all the secrets and vengeful emotions people bury deep within that eventually shape into abstract horrors. But, in movies like this, they’re finally manifested in the shape of old curses which can only be lifted once the conflicts of the present are resolved.
While the intentions behind the theme seem genuine enough, the translation on to the screen distances itself from the same grounded approach. Acting comes off as exaggerated with sudden outbursts from the actors at some places. Parts of it made me cringe, even if they are intended to play with the idea that it is a horror film. At one point, the amalgamation of all these aspects made me feel as if the movie was going through its own streak of mood swings along the way.
With the curse having similar implications in the past, the new age story between the two friends becomes a replica of not only the past, but of also the perennial cliches that, in their story, transfer into a cliched approach and has nothing new to offer.
It is challenging to follow the storylines when multiple vehicles are travelling parallel to each other. And, it all becomes even harder to decipher as we move towards the ending. The film leaves you with a lot of unanswered questions before dumping all of the enormous backstories (of both the characters from the present and those from the past) at once in an effort to tie these themes together. The plots appear to be disconnected despite the links that have been made, giving the impression that I am watching multiple movies at once. This makes it all the more confusing when new information is revealed.
The plot includes several instances of adultery since Linh and Hang’s friendship is currently being tested as a result of their common past. However, neither the story, nor the acting makes you want to root for the two friends’ case because their relationship is never foregrounded with any sort of depth or feeling.
The costumes adorned by them push for an idea between the whole good vs evil discourse, and here the writing layers down its nuances by subverting it all in the end, which somewhat balances out the disappointment felt earlier, but not really due to the haphazard pacing. Initially jump-scares are incorporated in the film, but the second half got so messy that I lost sense of what was happening and even who all these characters are (except the two friends). It was so hard to keep up with all the truth bombs exploding simultaneously that seeing the multiple subplots flesh out a united front became impossible for me.
Muoi The Curse Returns: Final Thoughts
There are movies that leaves you disturbed because of how much they give you to ponder over, but this one left me empty-handed with only confusion as the omnipresent partner by my side. At least, the setting is convincing enough in terms of bringing an archetypal location to light as often seen in horror flicks – a deserted and isolated mansion in the middle of nowhere with cracks all over and whatnot. Even though I was eventually able to understand the various steps in the plot, several elements were still left out in the absence of more thorough justifications.
Nevertheless, the movie never gave me enough reasons or motivation to emotionally connect with its characters until the very end, so I hardly felt the urge to delve into them or watch it again to learn more about it all. The film’s worst flaw is that, despite the mounting bodies, I never felt sincerely sorry for anyone, despite the fact that the story plainly intended for me to do so.
Muoi: The Curse Returns is now streaming on Netflix.
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