Gothika | | Cast : | Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr., Penélope Cruz | | Director : | Thom Oliphant, Mathieu Kassovitz | | Studio : | Warner Home Video | | Format : | Color, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | November 21, 2003 | | DVD Released Date : | June 07, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 01, 2005 | | Summary | I love this movie in so many ways | Content
 | Gothika is not scary at all it's mostly base on events that pushes it self to the anwser. The movie is very dark and blue and takes place in a mental hospital ,Halle berry plays a doctor that helps mental patents like penelope cruz who does great in this movie by away.When Halle goes home she see's a girl on the road When she tries to help her she all of a sudden wakes up in the mental hospital as a patent the rest of the movie is really good and a big must see. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 30, 2005 | | Summary | Promises much, but .... | Content
| *** couple of mild spoilers ***
I genuinely enjoyed the first 20 minutes or so of Gothika. The theme of the psychiatrist's (competently if never entirely convincingly played by Halle Berry) world turning on its head in horrible fashion, was a compelling one and I was really looking forward to a taut psychological thriller. Instead, soon thereafter, the movie plummets disappointingly into formulaic and derivative grand guignol. I mean, how many times have us horror buffs seen the tired old it's behiiiiind you or the something-scary-in-the-swimming-pool routine? Irritatingly over-gratuitous use of strobe lighting also makes Gothika uncomfortable viewing for all the wrong reasons.
Hat-tips to (or rip-offs from, depending on how generous you feel) other movies are plentiful, and I was reminded of Suspiria, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Dead and Buried, 6th Sense, Stir of Echoes, and probably dozens more.
Most on-the-ball viewers will guess whodunit well before the predictable and anti-climactic ending.
Gothika is just saved from being a lone-star movie by the promising beginning, decent soundtrack and Penelope Cruz's excellent depiction of a profoundly troubled mind.
On the whole though, this is yet another disappointing offering from the Dark Castle label.
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| Rating | | | Date | July 14, 2005 | | Summary | What a plot twist | Content
| Halle Berry should have won and an academy award for this one. Her acting talents really show through in this film. Not only is she a very talented and smart actress in my book but also have you ever noticed no matter how messed up her hair is or how dirty she looks in any of her films she still has that natural beauty (even without makeup) that offsets all the dirt and other garbage that Hollywood tries to use. What a flawless face. Anyway , she portrays a psychiatrist/doctor in the film who treats a specific patient (Penelope Cruz)for mental disturbance who is possesssed by a ghost entitie which eventually she (Halle Berry) will encounter later in the movie. The twist/plot shift in this movie IS GREAT. I never would have guessed. She has a car accident and is accused of killing her husband. Thats all I am saying. I don't want to go into the specifics of this film because that would ruin it for someone who has never seen it. All I can say is that this is the type of movie that I could watch time and time again. I do not see how someone could rate this film a one or two star film. This DVD will have a place on my shelf after I go out and buy it. I LOVED THIS MOVIE. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 01, 2005 | | Summary | Also A Very Good Movie | Content
| Gothika is a roller coaster of thrills and chills it's also a very good Thriller and the ending is a total suprise. I highly recommend this one. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 24, 2005 | | Summary | Take it in the Asylum | Content
| A dreary and uninspired entry into the "Psychological Third Act Twist Thriller" genre, this one was only saved from distribution by Nu-Image or Troma by the presence of Halle Berry, who may have the worst taste in projects of any actress ever known. How she can go from getting an Oscar to becoming Catwoman is beyond me. In this movie, Halle clearly has her head in somebody's else's Asylum. Gothika is a colossal train wreck, a movie about a haunted asylum where absolutely nothing happens.
Joel Silver and his Dark Castle label may be the single worst thing to happen to horror movies in the history of cinema. Hard to believe that somehow they keep making these monstrosities. I won't even go into how bad Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions were. What happened to the Joel Silver who made Predator, and who is this charlatan who took his place? Now he gives us House of Wax starring Paris Hilton. Oh joy.
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