Synopsis:
An iconic trilogy of J-horror films comes to Blu-ray for the first time! Tapping into the same brand of terror as the Ring and Grudge movies, visionary director Takashi Miike (Audition, Blade of the Immortal) presents a modern, high-tech twist on that mainstay of Japanese folklore, the yurei or vengeful spirit, in the form of its own iconic antihero – the terrifying Mimiko. In the first installment in the trilogy, 2003’s One Missed Call, student Yoko (Anna Nagata, Battle Royale) receives a phone message from her future self, ending with her own death scream. Two days later, she dies in a horrific rail collision. As the mysterious phone curse spreads, claiming more young lives, Yoko’s friend Yumi (Ko Shibasaki, Battle Royale, 47 Ronin) joins forces with detective Hiroshi (Shinichi Tsutsumi, Space Battleship Yamato), whose sister met the same gruesome fate. But can they unravel the mystery before the clock runs out on the next victim – Yumi herself? Mimiko’s curse continues to wreak bloody havoc in two sequels – 2005’s One Missed Call 2 and 2006’s One Missed Call: Final, in addition to spawning a TV series and an American remake. This lavish collection from Arrow Video gathers together the original trilogy and a swathe of in-depth bonus features for the ultimate spine-tingling experience.
What We Thought:
I had always thought I had seen the original Japanese One Missed Call. I know I’ve seen the American remake starring Ed Burns, but after watching this set, turns out I hadn’t. I also never realized Takashi Miike directed the first film.
Like the recent release of The Ring franchise on Blu-ray, the One Missed Call Trilogy is similar in that I like it, but don’t really understand it. I’m not big into ghosts/paranormal stuff, I prefer my horror with slashers, but I do appreciate quality horror filmmaking. And with someone like Miike you get that immediately here. The follow up films aren’t as good, but name me a trilogy that isn’t that way. From a filmmaking point of view, these are pretty top-notch films. Unfortunately for me, I don’t really understand the story/folklore that dominates the plot.
The overall story I get, you get a missed call on your phone, a voicemail from yourself in the future pretty much predicts your death. All three films use that theme. But over the course of all three films, unless I missed something in translation, how it all happens or why isn’t really explained. Like in The Ring franchise, how the videotape getting made is never explained, some aspects just aren’t explained enough to me. I get there was a dead girl and she had a phone, but either I missed more of the reasoning or there isn’t one.
The second film uses the same storyline, but jumps location into Taiwan. The third film has a Korean location angle to it. There are some characters that cross over because of the investigation and death of loved ones so it does try to tie in all 3 movies.
One Missed Call Trilogy is a great collection for fans. If you like J-horror and haven’t seen all three films, now’s your chance. It’s also packed with bonus features including lots from Miike himself. I don’t love ghosts stories, but I like watching these original films that inspired many American remakes.
RECOMMENDED!
Bonus Materials
- High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentations
- Lossless Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and PCM 2.0 soundtracks
- Optional English subtitles
- New audio commentary on One Missed Call by Miike biographer Tom Mes
- The Making of One Missed Call, an hour-long archival documentary on the film’s production
- Archival interviews on One Missed Call with actors Ko Shibasaki, Shinichi Tsutsumi and Kazue Fukiishi, and director Takashi Miike
- Archival interview on One Missed Call with director Takashi Miike
- Archival footage from the One Missed Call premiere
- Live or Die TV special
- A Day with the Mizunuma Family
- One Missed Call alternate ending
- The Making of One Missed Call 2, a half-hour archival documentary on the film’s production
- Gomu, a short film by One Missed Call 2 director Renpei Tsukamoto
- One Missed Call 2 deleted scenes
- One Missed Call 2 music video
- The Making of One Missed Call: Final, an hour-long archival documentary on the film’s production
- Maki and Meisa, an archival behind-the-scenes featurette on One Missed Call: Final with actresses Maki Horikita and Meisa Kuroki
- Behind the Scenes with Keun-Suk Jang, an archival featurette with One Missed Call: Final’s South Korean star
- The Love Story, a short film tie-in for One Missed Call: Final
- Candid Mimiko, an archival location tour with the series’ iconic villain
- Theatrical trailers and TV spots
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matt Griffin
The Nerds Templar 