Tomie: Replay

Tomie: Replay is the best entry in the franchise up to this point. It doesn't have the weird atmosphere and mysterious soundtrack of the first film but a much better story and quicker pace. It doesn't have the second film's concise diversity but offers more profound characters and events.

The movie revolves around a hospital where Tomie is born from the womb of a child due to a kidney transplant from another Tomie when the child was born. Since her birth, numerous nurses have quit their job, doctors have gone insane and the director has mysteriously disappeared. The film follows the director's daughter who wants to find out what happened to him as well as a young man who has noticed a change in his friend's behaviour since he started dating a former patient of the hospital. Their paths cross on several occasions and they decide to collaborate to uncover the hospital's bleak mysteries.

If compared to the first two films that were entirely atmospheric, Tomie: Replay actually has a few truly scary moments. The franchise's weird atmosphere is still present thanks to great light and sound effects. The characters have more depth and development than usual. The strongest point of the movie is the story that shifts and turns here and there but is overall logically structured and easy to follow with solid pace and without any unnecessary lengths.

The only thing I'm missing here is the gloomy soundtrack from the first film that gave it such a unique atmosphere. If the soundtrack were more efficient, Tomie: Replay would not only be a very good horror movie but an excellent one.

The franchise certainly redeemed itself after the rather forgettable Tomie: Another Face with this strongest entry in the franchise so far. Since all movies tell independent stories, you might as well start discovering the franchise with this highlight. If you like mysterious horror movies that focus on atmosphere rather than gore, you will certainly appreciate this film that is best enjoyed on a cold and dark winter night.

Ah, "Tomie." The original film, based on a popular ongoing manga, is a strange little side-note in the world of horror. A cult- film that fascinatingly attained something of a strong following, and lead to a slew of sequels over the past decade-and-a-half.

I personally could never wrap my head around the apparent appeal of the original movie. It was a weird, contrived and often incompetent effort even for its bizarre content and presumably low-budget. Filled with nonsensical plot-points that I'd imagine only would make sense to hardcore fans of the source material, weird twists and turns you couldn't always follow and some generally lousy plotting. ...not to mention a few amusing "hiccups" in the production due to what I imagine were issues with the budget and time.

That being said, I do view this first sequel as a certain and definite improvement. With a more focused script and a more confident sense of visual direction, I think "Tomie: Replay" is actually a decent- enough bit of fun... filled with just enough trippy visuals, cheesy scares and memorable moments to keep you watching, even if you occasionally roll your eyes are some of the sillier moments.

It's a mediocre film. But a fun mediocre film.

Yumi (Sayaka Yamaguchi) is searching for her father- the director of a hospital who mysteriously vanished after a shocking surgery where what appeared to be a woman's severed head was removed from the abdomen of a young girl. However, as her investigation into her father's vanishing continues, soon it becomes apparent that something is very wrong at the hospital... and it may have something to do with a mythical and monstrous entity known as "Tomie" (Mai Hōshō)- a demonic force who is able to regenerate bodily damage and drive men to insanity with their lust for her.

The biggest benefits to this production that give it an edge are the focused and concise script by Satoru Tamaki and some genuinely strong visual direction courtesy Tomijiro Mitsuishi. Tamaki quickly establishes a good sense of mood, location and dynamic in his writing, and you very easily understand what's happening, no matter how crazy the proceedings may get. While it does often fall back on horror clichés and it does run off the rails here and there, at very least there's a coherent central narrative and focus, which I felt the first film lacked at times. Though I'd be lying if I didn't have some issues with a few key sequences. (I have never really been able to buy how quickly Tomie drives men mad, for instance. It's always a bit too abrupt in the films I've seen, though admittedly I have not seen all of the films.)

Tomijiro Mitsuishi helms the film, and I actually really enjoyed his work here. He's got a very keen of composition and movement, and many of his shots slither along like dreadful serpents, building tension before the strike. I was particularly taken with how he portrays the hospital, and how foreboding and alienating he is able to make such a common building in the film. It's a true shame that this seems to be his only credited directorial effort, at least from what I can tell. He's got a talented eye, fondly reminding me of early Carpenter or Craven, and I'd like to see him do some more work.

The performances are also quite strong, the cinematography is leaps and bounds beyond the original, and general production is very solid.

That being said, I do have some big issues with the film, mainly in that it never quite is able to build a satisfying sense of terror or drama and because at times it does feel like it's holding back or even just unsure of what to do with some of the ideas that are raised. I don't want to spoil anything, but the film does promise some interesting ideas in it's later half, but it never quite gets built upon in a satisfactory manner. Combined with a general lack of fear (the film seems more content with being "weird" than "scary"), and I do have to dock some major points.

Still, I can't help but really appreciate this film as a huge improvement over the original. It may not quite be a "good" film, but it's solid and enjoyable.

I give it a slightly-above average 6 out of 10. It's a good time and you could do far worse. Just don't go in with high expectations.

This film is more like a horror film than the first two, which seem to more psychological dramas. Yumi (Sayaka Yamaguchi) is trying to find out what happened to her father, a doctor at a local hospital. Tomie comes back to life when she bursts out of a little girl's stomach. She causes Yumi's father to bleed. Everyone involved with this procedure either dies or goes mad. One, Takeski, takes Tomie to his home. He eventually kills and dismembers her, but if you've watched these films, you know she's coming back. Yumi keeps trying to find her father and enlists the help of resident Fumiko (Yosuke Kubozuka). Tomie is almost a bit player through a good part of this film. Although slow moving, it keeps your interest and the story and direction, as well as the acting, is all good. You have to watch at least the first Tomie movie to understand the character fully, but I think this film is a worthier addition to this series than "Another Face". Recommended.

I must say, I've seen almost all of the Tomie films and I like this one better. Once i see Re-birth that's them all. it's more accurate to the manga and Tomie is very true to the comic, and for a change she is more beautiful than the heroine (which is the whole point of the manga).

She works her magic with the male character's identically with the manga, and they even include her getting cut up. The scene at the beging was lifted straight from the manga, making it in my opinion a better film. Although i do recommend knowing Junji Ito's art before watching the films.

TOMIE: REPLAY is the third instalment of this manga-based series about a girl who keeps coming back from the dead. The first film, TOMIE, was very much a unique, weird movie with an atmosphere all its own, while the lamentable shot-on-video sequel, TOMIE: ANOTHER FACE, isn't even worth mentioning. The good news is that TOMIE: REPLAY is on much stronger ground, similar in many aspects to the first film but with a more involved storyline.

The horror in this film is far more visceral, with plenty of disturbing imagery. There are body parts galore, as well as scenes of violent murder and just plain weird stuff going on (the opening sequence, in which doctors performing a Caesarian discover a woman's head instead of a baby, is difficult to forget). There are more cast members here, from mad doctors to dedicated daughters and the usual rote of young menfolk who find themselves obsessed with the spectral Tomie.

The pacing is slow and the tone subdued for the most part, and if you're looking for well-developed ghost sequences a la RING or THE GRUDGE, then you've come to the wrong place. If, however, you're in the mood for a one-of-a-kind cult oddity then the Tomie series might just be for you.