The Grudge 3 (2009)★★★☆☆

So I said yesterday that I didn’t really understand how the curse had moved…well, this whole movie is a whole bunch of WTF and confusion about the grudge.

(Probably a lot of spoilers) Okay, so, first of all, now the grudge has just moved to Chicago. Does that mean it’s no longer in Tokyo? Or because they’re ghosts, they can be in multiple places at once? Who knows. Naoko says it’s been “reborn” because of what happened with Jake’s dad and Trish, and like…sure, whatever. But then why is it still Kayako and Toshio?

And why has the curse suddenly become this all-consuming, all-powerful thing that now doesn’t require anyone to even be in the same apartment as what happened in the last movie?

Oh, and none of the characters were really likable in this. Maybe Rose. And I do like Marina Sirtis, but her character was barely a character. Same with Shawnee Smith. Just more deaths to show, I guess?

But the worst, the WORST, is when somehow Naoko comes back as a grudge of her own? I mean, yeah, it was a neat scene, but it made ZERO sense. ESPECIALLY given that it seemed to be Kayako again in the final scene?

Anyway, as a movie, this was fine. But as a continuation of the story, it was pretty weak. Honestly, I was kind of hoping for a happy ending, or at least an ending to the damn curse. I guess I should count myself lucky that there’s not really a The Grudge 4? I will be watching the 2019 remake/reboot/sequel/whatever on Friday, but at least that one sort of ties back in to the first American remake instead of continuing this story.