The powerful impact of the original Japanese movie feels a long time ago now, and this scare-free, tension-free American threequel exposes the real limitations of this one-trick franchise. With more imaginative writing and stronger performers, there may have been an altogether more engaging version of this particular take on the Samara story that gives an unconvincing expansion of the backstory and not only lacks narrative focus but also has little regard for its own logic and timeframe, becoming increasingly frustrating and puzzling as the movie progresses (the well-structured final trailer bears little relation to the meandering film itself). The source material inevitably gives rise to a couple of nicely surreal visuals, and the sickly grey/green mise-en-scene works, but spending the best part of two hours watching a bland prettyboy and his relentlessly dull girlfriend try to react to what should be a horrifying situation pays little dividend - only Johnny Galecki emerges relatively unscathed, giving a fairly good dramatic performance from thin material.
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