You won't be disappointed!

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

An effective combination of 'change the future'-style sci-fi thriller and traditional Japanese horror. PREMONITION tells the story of an ordinary man caught up in some extraordinary events…and the dark avenues to which he is eventually led as a result of this.Things kick off with a shocking set-piece in which a young girl is killed in one of those accidents that are filmed so well in Asian cinema. Years later and the father blames himself for not saving her, as he was warned by a newspaper article in the moments before her death. Soon he becomes convinced that he can go back in time to save her, and becomes involved with various psychics who claim to be able to see the future.What follows is both familiar and unpredictable at the same time. Director Norio Tsuruta, hot off making RING 0, shoots this as a horror rather than science fiction film, so incorporates various scare sequences that end up being very effective. There's little to no gore here, just a creeping psychological approach that pays dividends as the story progresses. I defy anyone not to jump in their seat at the 'faceless ghost' scene.The pacing is rather slow – when isn't it in a J-horror? – but it gradually picks up as the film builds momentum, culminating in a blistering climax involving our protagonist hopping through realities at a dizzying pace. It reminded me of the hilarious extended fight climax of Wes Craven's SHOCKER, although of course it's treated seriously here. Hiroshi Mikami is excellent as the haunted protagonist – think of the calibre of Hiroyuki Sanada in Ring and you'll be close – and the film as a whole never pulls its punches.

Let me start by saying that it is not in the same league as Grudge or Ring. However, don't let that deter you from enjoying this refreshing supernatural thriller. The concept is a welcome change from the moved-into-a-new-home-and-kids-see-ghosts-adults-don't-see American horror movies. It is also not one of those teen-slasher-horrors where the teens get their heads cut off while having sex with silicon-implanted beauties. Actually it is not about any ghost at all. It is about an idea... An idea that information is strewn across time and some gifted individuals may gain access to the information that lies ahead in time. I won't spoil the fun by going any more in the story. You won't regret watching this movie as long as you have an open mind and reasonable expectations.

In Norio Tsuruta's Premonition, a malevolent supernatural newspaper selects victims at random and reveals to them disastrous headlines from the near-future. When family man Hideki Satomi finds himself haunted by the evil rag, he enters a nightmare world from which the only escape appears to be death.Like Final Destination, the US horror hit that also dealt with foresight and cheating fate, Premonition is a supernatural chiller that opens with a bang: protagonist Hideki witnesses the death of his young daughter in an auto accident immediately after learning of her impending fate via a mysterious paper. It's an excellent beginning to the film: suspenseful, exciting and very harrowing.Unfortunately, after this promising start, the plot slowly begins to lose momentum and despite great performances from its cast and one or two outstanding scares, the whole film looks set to be a huge disappointment. To his credit though, director Tsuruta picks up the pace again in the film's dying moments for a crazy finalé which sees Hideki leaping through time and space in a desperate bid to change history.All in all, I found this inventive slice of J-Horror to be a reasonably fun ride, despite leaving me with a ton of unanswered questions (Why does the paper like to torment people? Why does it choose Hideki? Who prints the bloody thing? If it turns up on a Sunday, do you get supplements?) and fans of the Asian horror scene should still give it a go if they get the chance.6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

Much criticism is being pointed at the new(ish) crop of Asian horror, due in part to a lack of originality. Yogen, aka Premonition, can at least be spared this criticism - not one grumpy long haired female spectre in sight! The story itself is also fairly original, with our protagonist stuck in an eternal hell as the curse of the 'Paper Of Death' weaves its evil spell over him and his family. Unfortunately, the director never quite delivers on the scares the premise promises, and too many missed opportunities to strike genuine fear into the audience leave us with yet another Asian Ghost flick that, whilst it has its moments, overall will disappoint those looking for genuine creeps.Having watched the film several times, along with its J-Horror Theatre predecessor 'Kansen' (amongst others), one criticism I do have of the 21st Century glut of Asian horror is that most simply aren't that frightening, and Yogen is no exception.The reason I began collecting Asain horror DVDs was that they brought a genuine breath of fresh air to a genre long since left stale by a seemingly endless run of American slasher flicks, with their annoying, half naked teen protagonists, cartoony killers and cheap 'scares'. The Japanese showed us that horror lurks, not in 250 litres of fake blood, but in the darker corners of the imagination. Using intelligent, often sensitive stories, minimal special effects and striking imagery, fans of the genre were buoyed by the knowledge that the Horror film was not, after all, dead. I quickly began to buy the films that I had read about; Audition, Ju-On, Dark Water etc etc and eagerly looked forward to new releases, only to realise quickly that I already had the creme de la creme of Asian Horror. It is with each new release, and subsequent purchase that I again look forward to, if not stunningly original, then at least frightening films, and can honestly say that that hasn't happened in a while.Yogen appears (for the moment at least) to be the last of the J-Horror Theatre releases, the promised remaining 4 proving elusive. It also continues the trend of heavy atmospherics, interesting visuals and mainly scare free script. Not that Yogen doesn't have its moments, but the majority of the film follows the usual 'investigation' plot, where our heroes must find out 'why' the events are occurring. Surely much of the fear factor is 'not' knowing? Anyway, suffice to say that Yogen still entertains on a level, it's just that that level is more psychological than genuine horror, and with a (literally) big bang start and intriguing conclusion, the mid section drifts through a desert of scare free exposition and ubiquitous, sometimes dull plot development that sadly, I have come to expect from more recent releases. I'm just hoping that the next in the series, the writers and director remember that they are producing a 'horror' film.