grantss Dr Miranda Grey (played by Halle Berry) is a highly respected psychologist and works the mental asylum section of a prison. One night she has an accident while driving. She awakes to find herself an inmate of her own ward, accused of a heinous crime, with no recollection of what happened and with no hope of escape.So-so supernatural-mystery-thriller. Too many unnecessary twists and blind alleys. The supernatural stuff was vastly overdone: if it had stuck to being a mystery-drama it would have been much more believable and interesting.Decent performances from Halle Berry and Robert Downey Jr. Penelope Cruz was wasted in such a minor role though.

Leofwine_draca The third horror outing from Dark Castle productions (following on from HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL and THIRTEEN GHOSTS) and the first NOT to be a remake, GOTHIKA is a surprisingly serious mental-institute thriller which eschews the rubbery gore and bloodshed of the previous two movies in favour of psychological shocks and a "I'm losing my mind!" scenario. Sadly, the film as a result is rather uneventful, with too much time spent on aimless wanderings through ill-lit corridors and too little plot to carry it through. The final half hour of the film has some neat twists and is pretty eventful, but viewers must endure an hour of tedium before the payoff.Oscar-winner Halle Berry reveals a poor choice in movies (something proved by her turn in the following year's CATWOMAN) and, whilst adequate in this turn, she's hardly outstanding. Penelope Cruz does ugly and is pretty poor, it has to be said. Hats off to Robert Downey Jr who is decent and likable as the chief doctor, whilst ALIEN 3's Charles S. Dutton is excellent in the minor role he inhabits. The only other actor of note is King Theoden, Bernard Hill, but he's wasted in what amounts to little more than a cameo.The most annoying thing about GOTHIKA is the lighting: every shot is dark, punctuated by the flash of broken fluorescent lighting, and the resultant gloom makes the viewing experience a bit of a chore. The horror-movie 'jump' sequences are rather predictable and the film as a whole has a feel of going nowhere. Too many scenes of Berry running through the mental institute seem to use similar, better moments from TERMINATOR 2 as their inspiration, and the mystery and ghostly goings on are kept too subtle, the mystery too inexplicable to care about. Sadly, these negative factors result in a less-than-impressive film; thankfully the guys at Dark Castle went back to the remakes with this year's HOUSE OF WAX.

ramsri007 Supernatural occurrences, a feeling of déjà vu, dreams, co- incidences, intuition, there are lot of things in the world that happen and there is no straight explanation for them. Gothika delves into this aspect in a way that keeps you intrigued. With a trail of troubled past it is miraculous that Downey landed in roles for Gothika & The Singing Detective as it was incredibly difficult to insure him on the set. Probably the fact that he art personified is something that has been his biggest asset. This movie belongs to Halle Berry but she gets ample support from Penelope Cruz & Downey Jr. Halle Berry plays Dr Miranda Grey a psychiatrist who works in a female asylum with her husband. She believes in a coherent expressions due to which she sometimes cannot connect with her patients. One night, while she drives back home during a heavy rain, she gets involved in an accident. This one incident turns her life upside down. The next thing she knows is that she wakes up in the same asylum that she works in, as a patient as the prime accused in the murder of her husband. The story is about how she works her way out of this mess with the help of a vision of a girl & her friend, Downey. This movie may not score a perfect 10 but it keeps you entertained never the less. Worth a watch.

OllieSuave-007 This is a fairly descent crime horror flick starring Halle berry as criminal psychologist Dr. Miranda Grey, who awakens to find herself a patient in the institution where she works. She has no memory of a murder she is accused of committing and finds herself being manipulated by a demon as she tries to regain her memory and her freedom.The acting is sub-par at best, with Berry pulling off some very campy moments and forced drama. But, what made up for the film is the fast-paced plot, surprising twists, unpredictable story and thrilling sequences. It was nice to see Penelope Cruz star in a horror movie and she gave a riveting performance. A descent horror movie, overall, and I wasn't bored by it.Grade B-