The horror film "The Ghost Lamp" unexpectedly topped the box office after the Lunar New Year despite not being heavily promoted. However, the film also became the focus of intense debate regarding its content and acting quality.
Ghost Lamp was a big surprise at the box office earlier this year. Despite not being heavily promoted, the film quickly surpassed its competitors to top the box office charts. Box Office Vietnam (Independent box office observer unit).
However, the film also sparked intense controversy regarding its content and quality. Many criticized the project, with both the script and acting receiving negative reviews.
It became a subject of controversy.
Ghost Lamp It attracted attention because its script was inspired by a classic work of literature. The story of the girl from Nam Xương, The story is set in a northern village during the feudal era. However, the plot has been significantly altered to offer a fresh perspective.
Like the original story, the film tells the story of Thuong (SiNy Trang), a woman whose husband is in the army and who has to raise her child alone in her hometown.
The son, Thuong (An Binh), accidentally picks up a strange lamp and mistakes the shadow on the wall for his father returning from the battlefield.
According to the village shaman, it is a spirit lamp capable of connecting the two worlds of the living and the dead. Since its appearance, a series of strange phenomena have occurred among the villagers, suggesting that the lamp may have summoned an evil spirit to return for revenge.
Later, the film explores various spiritual elements such as sleep paralysis, exorcism, and spirit possession to drive the story.
On social media, many viewers expressed disappointment with the film. They felt the film's quality was poor, calling it "terrible" and "boring," lacking persuasiveness in both content and acting. In particular, the performance of the male lead, Phu Thinh, was frustrating and left many dissatisfied.
The spiritual elements in the film were also criticized as being "half-hearted." Some scenes were even compared to... horror movie Grave-digging and vengeful spirits The Korean version once caused a sensation, giving the impression of being copied.
Some viewers even demanded refunds for their tickets because they were so upset after watching the film.
Does the film deserve criticism?
Ghost Lamp This is the debut feature film of director Hoang Nam – famous as a YouTuber with over 4.5 million subscribers. Therefore, the work is not without flaws and limitations.
However, Hoang Nam showed serious investment in his brainchild, meticulously preparing from the scriptwriting stage to setting up the scene and selecting actors…
The production team invested heavily in the visuals. The majestic scenery of Cao Bang was well-utilized, creating a space that was both poetic and mysterious, contributing to the film's appeal. The costumes were also meticulously crafted, adding to the film's authenticity.
Unlike many Vietnamese horror films, Ghost Lamp The project avoids overusing jump scares to frighten the audience. Instead, it takes a spiritual approach, so it may not be overly gruesome or terrifying.
This particular element has somewhat disappointed many viewers. After all, they go to the cinema to watch horror films because they want to experience fear, suspense, and tension with unexpected twists.
Instead, Ghost Lamp The script is disjointed and somewhat rambling, with many unnecessary lines of dialogue. The second half also fails to maintain the same level of appeal as the first due to a limited script, drawn-out plot points, and a lack of coherence.
Apart from Meritorious Artist Chieu Xuan and Meritorious Artist Quang Teo, the cast consists entirely of young faces who lack star power or acting experience.
This partly explains why the film failed to meet the expectations of a segment of the audience, especially those who frequently watch horror films and have high demands for dramatic tension and creative storytelling.
Vietnamese films constantly making noise
The appearance of Ghost Lamp This has caused the Vietnamese Lunar New Year film season to continue to be mired in controversy and debate. Most recently, The Four Revengeful Spirits belong to Tran Thanh It also became a subject of intense praise and criticism on social media, with completely opposing viewpoints.
Some people find the film highly entertaining and suitable for the Tet holiday atmosphere. Conversely, others criticize the plot for being simplistic and unoriginal, the script for lacking depth, and numerous shortcomings...
The remaining two Vietnamese films are Billion-dollar kiss and Falling in love with the wrong best friend. It also received many different opinions, both positive and negative.
Considering the overall standard of Vietnamese films, Ghost Lamp It's not so bad as to be a "disaster." The film still has a clear idea and message. Therefore, the fact that it's been criticized so harshly is truly regrettable.
Despite being controversial, Ghost Lamp It continues to attract significant attention at the box office. The film quickly topped the charts. Box Office Vietnam (Independent observer unit) with overwhelming ticket sales despite fewer screenings. The Four Newspapers mixed A kiss worth billions .
To date, the film has grossed over 25 billion VND after more than a day of release. This is a pretty good achievement for a Vietnamese film.
From a positive perspective, the mixed reviews surrounding the film show that audiences continue to support domestic cinema, leading them to increasingly demand higher content and quality from local projects.
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