I wish Hollywood would stop trying to turn the legend of the Aokigahara Forest in to a horror movie. While the story of the forest itself is sad, and often times very creepy, it just doesn’t translate in to a good horror movie. Not in the slightest. One of the worst examples yet is Jason Zada’s “The Forest,” an absolutely lack luster and painfully dull mystery starring Natalie Dormer. Dormer, who is typically a great performer with a strong on-screen presence isn’t given much to do but run around and react to scary sights in the forest. And she plays twins!
Dormer slums it this time out playing a pair of twins, Sara and Jess. After a traumatic childhood involving the deaths of their parents under mysterious circumstances, Jess decides to move to Japan. Their bond is so strong, that they can sense when the other is in trouble. When Sara receives a call from Japanese officials that Jess has died in the mythical Aokigahara Forest, an ancient forest known for its long legacy of suicides and wandering travelers, Sara travels to Japan to find her sister. Despite everyone telling Sara that her sister is dead, Sara insists she can feel her twin is alive, and goes in to the woods, despite warnings not to, and goes searching for her.
While there, she enters in to a veritably maddening journey in to her past and the darkness of her soul, which prompts a race against time. Sara also begins to suspect her guide Aiden may have had something to do with the disappearance of her sister, especially when spirits in the forest begin encouraging her not to trust him. “The Forest” is the definition of a horror movie that goes absolutely nowhere. Red herrings are set up, tense chase scenes unfold, and it all amounts to nothing but a yawn.
“The Forest” takes forever to get its narrative in motion, and when Sara finally enters in to the forest, much of what transpires is anti-climactic. The writers often hint that we’re headed toward a huge plot twist, but when the film draws to a close, absolutely nothing has been earned. “The Forest” has some instances where it can transform in to a sharp and tragic horror mystery, but the plot holes, and plodding pacing completely destroys any momentum that director Zada attempts to build. Dormer is absolutely wasted in what is one of the most empty genre entries of the year.
The Blu-Ray for “The Forest” features a digital copy voucher along with the disc. Within the special features, there’s “Exploring the Forest,” an eight minute interview with director Jason Zada, who discusses his appeal to the film, the location of the film, his journey in to the forest; there’s also a look at Natalie Dormer’s performance, practical and make up effects and explorations of story themes. There’s a collection of five galleries, all of which are set to music, and play automatically with the option to skip. There are behind the scenes photos, set illustrations, visual effects, and much more for fans of the film to sift through. Finally, there’s the audio commentary with director Jason Zada, who does a bang up job with a thoughtful and informative accompaniment to his film. If you’re a fan, you’ll appreciate the approach Zada takes to this commentary on his own film.