The Rope Curse 3 (2023) Movie Review

 

The Rope Curse 3 | 2023 | 1h 49m
Genre: Horror/Thriller | Country: Taiwan
Director: Shih-Han Liao | Writers: Keng-Ming Chang, Tzu-Ming Ma
Cast: Ting-hu Zhang, Hsing-Wen Li, Wu Yi-Jung
IMDB: 4.6
My Rating: 5/10

Kuan Yu, a parkour influencer who has a natural Taoist talent, ignores his gift as well as everything related to the mystical. This puts those around him in danger, including himself, after a Thai demon targets his life during the Ghost Month at a hotel.

Warning:

Suicide scenes, self-harm, foul language, and violence

 
Synopsis:

Jia Wei experiences terrifying terror that leads him to choose to end his life in a hotel. The hotel is managed by Wan Hua, a woman who has a son. However, Wan Hua is unlike most women; a strong aura of mystery emanates from her.

On the other hand, Kuan Yu, a man with a natural Taoist gift, does not believe in mystical things. After ruining a deity dance performance by doing parkour—which ended up causing one of his teammates to become possessed—he remains unaware of his mistake. Conflict arises between Kuan Yu and his father, who is a Taoist master.

Kuan Yu helps his friend, who works part-time at the hotel, to clean the room where Jia Wei committed suicide. This incident coincides with the Ghost Month, when the gate between the human world and the spirit world opens. During this month, the power of the spirits is particularly strong.

They begin to experience terror, but Kuan Yu still underestimates the strange occurrences he feels. Until his friend experiences a terrible event and is found hanging. Kuan Yu also ends up in danger, forcing his father to come help him. It turns out that Wan Hua's child is the Thai demon, using Wan Hua to fulfill its goal of killing the deity.

Will Kuan Yu survive the disturbance of the evil spirits?

 

Review:

The Rope Curse 3 is the third film in this series after The Rope Curse (2018) and The Rope Curse 2 (2020). This review may be a bit harsher compared to others that have been written. Not that this film is bad, but at this point, I somewhat agree with the rating given by IMDB. Among the three sequels, this might be the one with the most aspects that still need optimization.

Unlike the first film, which had a fairly clear story idea directly related to Taiwanese legend about the rope curse, in this third film, that topic seems to disappear and merely becomes decorative. In The Rope Curse 2, we could still see the ritual purification of the curse, which was essential and the main idea in the first film, even though there were additional elements like the appearance of the Thai demon and the Chair Maiden ghost.

However, in this third film, we won’t see any of that at all. The storyline focuses on the Thai demon reappearing and its obsession with killing the deity. Even more regrettable, the ending of the second film, which showed the demon possessing Shu Yi’s child (the main character from the first film), is not utilized optimally. That child is only used as an opener and a transition to a new location for the demon’s appearance with an entirely new story. There is no connection to the previous story. This makes the film lose its identity from the first film.

Let’s break it down through the 3-act structure. Setting aside the things mentioned above, the foundation of the story isn’t too bad. The audience is introduced to a new main character, supporting characters, and a reappearance of previous characters who also take part in the story. The film opens with mysterious scenes and horrific events indicating the demon’s emergence. It’s also supplemented with time context—taking place during Ghost Month—making spirits stronger.

The conflict is gradually shown through small, not-too-scary terrors. It then escalates after the arrogant Kuan Yu and his friend help clean the hotel room used for suicide. One terror after another starts appearing, creating a tense atmosphere. Many scenes display the power of the demon. Eventually, Kuan Yu’s father, the Tao master, has to step in.

The resolution is not too bad. We get to see a fairly interesting battle using engaging rituals, though it’s not very intense. However, we do get to see character development in Kuan Yu and his victory over the demon.

So, what still needs attention in this film? Unfortunately, the mistakes from the first and second films are repeated—namely, the ‘stupid’ main character. Kuan Yu’s arrogant character at the beginning might still make sense—he chooses not to believe in the mystical due to trauma over losing his sister (although the connection is unclear). However, he has witnessed firsthand the consequences of his indifference, which endangers his teammate.

Considering Kuan Yu felt guilty over his sister’s death, he should feel even more guilty for causing his teammate to become possessed. Unfortunately, Kuan Yu’s character doesn’t change, which feels illogical. He remains arrogant and disbelieving in mysticism—ignoring his father’s messages, disregarding his friend, and becoming a stubborn character in a negative way. Even by the end, his character development is too slow. This becomes somewhat irritating to watch.

There are many illogical scenes. For example, when his friend is found hanging, Kuan Yu still thinks of going to get a knife instead of acting quickly. Another strange thing is that the commotion in room 665 is completely unheard from anywhere else in the hotel. How did the hotel owner manage to carry those bodies?

For some reason, in both the second and third films, the main actors’ performances feel lacking. Instead, the supporting actors' acting—especially Wu Yi Jung as the hotel owner—is more impressive. Her expressions and actions are more captivating.

Meanwhile, the main actors have nothing special in their speech, behavior, or expressions. Even Chang Ting Hu’s acting doesn’t show much improvement compared to his performance in Secrets in the Hot Spring (2018). On the other hand, we can see an improvement in Wilson Hsu’s acting as Jia Min compared to his role in the second film.

From a cinematographic perspective, nothing stands out, especially since the story’s location seems to go in circles along with the repetitive events. Some jump scares are quite good. Certain effects are well-executed, such as the color differences distinguishing the real world and the spirit world, along with other used effects.

Overall, it’s a shame that this film loses the identity built in the first installment. For some reason, this film is planned to have a fourth installment. From the trailer and a brief scene at the end of the third film, the story seems to be veering off completely. It introduces a new figure—the Indonesian Kuntilanak ghost—whose appearance will likely differ from the common depiction in Indonesia. It’s also forcibly connected to ‘suicide’.

For those of you who are curious and want to watch it, the film is still watchable.

 

Memorable Scene:

Kuan Yu expresses his regret over his sister’s death during childhood. He asks his father to blame him for the negligence. However, his father refuses to blame Kuan Yu and instead blames himself for taking Kuan Yu and his sister along during a rope purification ritual, which prevented him from supervising them.

This scene shows how both of them feel guilty over what happened in the past, which cost the life of someone they loved. The distance created between them is finally erased after both express the feelings they had hidden. The solution to a strained relationship is actually openness and good communication.

 

Memorable Dialogue:

 “I also see life and death clearly and accepted my mandate.”

 

Ending:

Happy Ending

 

Recommendation:

Okay to watch

 

(Aluna)