Film review: Gothika (15)

11:57am Thursday 1st April 2004

We are all faced with choices in life that define the person we are. Halle Berry's defining choice might just be what she decided to do after winning an historic Oscar for her performance in Monster's Ball. She chose to become a Bond girl.

Nothing wrong with that. She's breaking tradition and defying expectations. But in the light of Gothika, which has all the hallmarks of a Channel Five movie, it's a decision that now makes Berry look more of a blind pilot than a bold decision-maker.

She is, as ever, impressive, playing psychiatrist Miranda Graham, who finds herself locked in a mental institution after supposedly murdering her husband. But it's a shame the story is so ludicrous, derivative and unintentionally funny.

The basic plot is that Graham is being haunted by a ghost who has an important message for her but it can communicate only by frightening her frequently. Robert Downey Jnr plays a fellow shrink who wants to help, while Penelope Cruz pops up in a silly cameo as a patient.

Clearly all three stars have short attention spans, as they must have signed up before reading the final third of the script an absolute dog's dinner of a denouement. A weak twist, a silly showdown and an obvious outcome are bad enough, but the final shot of the film will leave you slapping your palm to forehead.

The only positive is that Gothika succeeds in making you jump with fear. But so would cymbals being clashed suddenly behind your head. Would you pay for that?

Popcorn rating: 1.5 out of 5