The concept of Chatroom is a really good idea: five teenagers join an online chatroom and the film portrays their conversations as if they are happening in the real world, in a physical room. I can see, with quite a bit of rewriting, this working as a very engaging stage adaption. However, this film doesn't deliver on the goods. If I could make some decisions here I would have kept the entire film surrealistic, keeping every scene in the virtual world instead of flashing back and forth from the online fantasy into the real world where the kids are typing into their laptops or phones. That would have taken quite a bit of more talent to write, however, as we'd have to stay engaged with a conversation in a My Dinner With Andre sort of way. Also, two of the characters are extremely neglected and their subplots are never carried through to fruition. I also have a hard time believing, even in the virtual world of the internet, that the villain here could actually manipulate everyone so easily without anyone really objecting. It would have been in that objection, in the passion of that debate, that this movie could have found its true energy. But unfortunately it relies too heavily on every parent's paranoid nightmare of the internet leading to suicide or a sexual predator. There are some novel ideas here but unfortunately this film does not realize the potential of those ideas.
52 Reviews
Caught in the world wide web
jmbwithcats4 November 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Enter The World Wide Web. A world of possibility, fun, taboo, wonder, and William. A hacker and sociopath, William has a past with the internet, of being up to no good, and now he's up to his old tricks again.
You see William likes to take on little projects... and to insulate himself he befriends four impressionable kids, while he pursues a career of assisted-suicide on those around him.
When the four realize what is going on they must band together with another hacker to take William down once and for all, and save the lives of the innocent Jim he has his sights on this time.
Perhaps the movie is telling us simply to be aware, to be mindful of what strangers tell us or show us online, and not get sucked into online worlds, but it is saying far more than that. It shows us just how much we already are immersed in that world.
Even now as I type this review, I am mindful of the audience I write to, but I have never tried to be anything but myself online, I imagine to do otherwise would be too exhausting, but there are scary people out there, predators, hunting the minds of children, to use, to destroy, and discard them.
Let us not forget those impressionable, young, brave and lost souls that life has left behind, in prayer, amongst them Maria Herrera 12 years old, Phoebe Prince 15, Megan Meiers 13, Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover 11, who were victims to such heartless and thoughtless violence.
In the final analysis, I do think the movie had a lot to say, what created William. We can blame bullies, teachers, politicians, the fact we pay athletes millions, and teachers next to nothing, education is important, but in the end, it starts in the home. There will always be pitfalls, and technology will always be so far ahead of our hearts, the disconnect at home is pervasive, so cleave not to the bits and bytes and data that flow, but rather believe the beauty of the world, the richness of family, and your own voice is valid, creative, and capable. We are left with options. A choice each moment, to believe and realize with lies, or awaken to a worthy self, it's been with us all along.
A movie worth seeing, about a topic worth discussing, but sadly very little development on the character of William, and the story ultimately is a bit superficial. I love the idea, the cast was decent, and the directing also good, the color and tactile images were really cool, but it just was lacking a bit. The story could have been more developed perhaps, with some more intelligent dialog and writing.
You see William likes to take on little projects... and to insulate himself he befriends four impressionable kids, while he pursues a career of assisted-suicide on those around him.
When the four realize what is going on they must band together with another hacker to take William down once and for all, and save the lives of the innocent Jim he has his sights on this time.
Perhaps the movie is telling us simply to be aware, to be mindful of what strangers tell us or show us online, and not get sucked into online worlds, but it is saying far more than that. It shows us just how much we already are immersed in that world.
Even now as I type this review, I am mindful of the audience I write to, but I have never tried to be anything but myself online, I imagine to do otherwise would be too exhausting, but there are scary people out there, predators, hunting the minds of children, to use, to destroy, and discard them.
Let us not forget those impressionable, young, brave and lost souls that life has left behind, in prayer, amongst them Maria Herrera 12 years old, Phoebe Prince 15, Megan Meiers 13, Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover 11, who were victims to such heartless and thoughtless violence.
In the final analysis, I do think the movie had a lot to say, what created William. We can blame bullies, teachers, politicians, the fact we pay athletes millions, and teachers next to nothing, education is important, but in the end, it starts in the home. There will always be pitfalls, and technology will always be so far ahead of our hearts, the disconnect at home is pervasive, so cleave not to the bits and bytes and data that flow, but rather believe the beauty of the world, the richness of family, and your own voice is valid, creative, and capable. We are left with options. A choice each moment, to believe and realize with lies, or awaken to a worthy self, it's been with us all along.
A movie worth seeing, about a topic worth discussing, but sadly very little development on the character of William, and the story ultimately is a bit superficial. I love the idea, the cast was decent, and the directing also good, the color and tactile images were really cool, but it just was lacking a bit. The story could have been more developed perhaps, with some more intelligent dialog and writing.
Weird but in a good way
BooHoo79025 January 2011
I didn't really know what to expect with this film. There wasn't much media hype or anything of such so I thought I'd give it a go anyway.
I was a bit unsure of how the storyline was going to set out. The general pace of the film was quite set out as I didn't feel as if there were any parts that tend to have dragged on.
The character development was good, however, some characters such as Emily could have had a bit more involvement during.
Some of the acting was a bit tinny at times, especially at the start but it seemed to ease off as the story became more involved.
The ending was a slight shock and did in fact have me on the edge of my seat which I was incredibly surprised at!
The creepiness of Aaron Johnson's character William was what did it for me. I think he played it pretty well.
Overall, if you're looking for a film which incorporates some modern day technology and a bit of a nut job, this one is for you!
I was a bit unsure of how the storyline was going to set out. The general pace of the film was quite set out as I didn't feel as if there were any parts that tend to have dragged on.
The character development was good, however, some characters such as Emily could have had a bit more involvement during.
Some of the acting was a bit tinny at times, especially at the start but it seemed to ease off as the story became more involved.
The ending was a slight shock and did in fact have me on the edge of my seat which I was incredibly surprised at!
The creepiness of Aaron Johnson's character William was what did it for me. I think he played it pretty well.
Overall, if you're looking for a film which incorporates some modern day technology and a bit of a nut job, this one is for you!
A well decorated, but hollow shell.
Greenzombidog2 May 2011
Horrible teens somehow get sucked in to doing horrible things by a floppy haired sulky cliché of the spoilt upper crust.
Past the original idea of portraying internet chat rooms as a physical space this movie has nothing new to offer. Every character is so one dimensional it's a joke. You have sulky emo kid angry at the world. The conservative political girl, the shy geek and the posh totty who hates being posh. This plays out more like a poorly written teen novel than a movie. I thought the manipulation of the other teens by the angry Emo was far too simple. Within one conversation he has the conservative character smearing feces all over her parents car.
I found it hard to relate to any of the characters because they had no depth. None of them felt real to me. I just hated them all. The only reason I kept watching was in the hope I'd see them all get their comeuppance.
The film is very nice to look at with some quite clever visual ideas for some of the chat rooms. Also the stop motion sections were quite a nice break from the whiny teens.
In the end all this movie really ended up being was a very heavy handed message of 'be careful who you talk to on the internet'. I just wanted to be entertained and not spoken to like a child.
Past the original idea of portraying internet chat rooms as a physical space this movie has nothing new to offer. Every character is so one dimensional it's a joke. You have sulky emo kid angry at the world. The conservative political girl, the shy geek and the posh totty who hates being posh. This plays out more like a poorly written teen novel than a movie. I thought the manipulation of the other teens by the angry Emo was far too simple. Within one conversation he has the conservative character smearing feces all over her parents car.
I found it hard to relate to any of the characters because they had no depth. None of them felt real to me. I just hated them all. The only reason I kept watching was in the hope I'd see them all get their comeuppance.
The film is very nice to look at with some quite clever visual ideas for some of the chat rooms. Also the stop motion sections were quite a nice break from the whiny teens.
In the end all this movie really ended up being was a very heavy handed message of 'be careful who you talk to on the internet'. I just wanted to be entertained and not spoken to like a child.
Interesting movie shows teen loneliness and the dangers of internet manipulation
BloedEnMelk5 February 2011
It's a rather odd movie, this Chatroom. Most of the story (not all) takes part in cyberspace, which is visualized in an interesting way. The chatroom is not shown through a computer screen with typed text, but as a real room where our characters meet. This gives this movie quite a strange feel, theatrical at points, but it is quite effective.
Will is the guy behind the chatroom. It all starts out fairly innocent but slowly we get drawn into his real intentions. The people who come in his chatroom all have their own issues. They are lonely in real life, traumatized or misunderstood, and in the chatroom they find people who they can tell their stories to. At first this seems to have a healing effect, but slowly we see that all is not what it seems to be.
What this movie shows, IMO, is the loneliness many people face, and also the dangers of using internet for our main communication. Like Will's mum tells him at one point; 'You can not help yourself if you are only talking to strangers. You need to communicate with us.' The plot is not too difficult to figure out and quite predictable, but it's worked out reasonably well and for me, the movie just got under my skin. There is no winner in this movie. I would not name this to be a thriller, but more a psychological drama. The feeling I am most left with is sadness.
Though this movie doesn't come close to the strength Hideo Nakata's 'Ringu' or 'Dark Water' have, and has a whole different feel to it, I do consider it worth watching.
Will is the guy behind the chatroom. It all starts out fairly innocent but slowly we get drawn into his real intentions. The people who come in his chatroom all have their own issues. They are lonely in real life, traumatized or misunderstood, and in the chatroom they find people who they can tell their stories to. At first this seems to have a healing effect, but slowly we see that all is not what it seems to be.
What this movie shows, IMO, is the loneliness many people face, and also the dangers of using internet for our main communication. Like Will's mum tells him at one point; 'You can not help yourself if you are only talking to strangers. You need to communicate with us.' The plot is not too difficult to figure out and quite predictable, but it's worked out reasonably well and for me, the movie just got under my skin. There is no winner in this movie. I would not name this to be a thriller, but more a psychological drama. The feeling I am most left with is sadness.
Though this movie doesn't come close to the strength Hideo Nakata's 'Ringu' or 'Dark Water' have, and has a whole different feel to it, I do consider it worth watching.
Just terrible.
furiens16 December 2010
I'm a bit suspicious of the number of decent reviews of this on here, glossing over the major shortcomings of this film.
Although the depiction of the chat-room as physical space is mildly clever (and it definitely feels as if the whole story was built to use this gimmick), the reactions of the characters to their space is completely unconvincing. The obvious lack of conviction and personality coming from any of the cast is almost forgivable given the atrocious script and pointless motivations.
One of Chatroom's strangest failures is that it doesn't seem able to integrate and weave together main-plots with sub-plots and character development, instead assigning blocks of time and space to deal with each separately. It makes unsatisfying story-telling; not all that much interaction takes place between the main characters, their lives mostly just play out independently, without much consequence except to show how inexplicably malicious the main character is. As sub-plots, we are treated to a cringeworthily over-acted memory of the main character's past, and at least two COMPLETELY unresolved sub-plots of other characters, one's disagreement with her parents, and another's obscure and pointless love for his friend's much younger sister. How can they open that can of worms and forget about it?! It's just bad story telling.
Also, maybe a minor point compared to the rest, but it's a bugbear of mine. The presentation of the chat-room and the use of the internet is unsophisticated in its depiction; both simplistic and unrealistic. If it was meant to be a close-to-the-bone comment of the dangers of the internet, why of all things use the outmoded chat-room? It doesn't work.
Although the depiction of the chat-room as physical space is mildly clever (and it definitely feels as if the whole story was built to use this gimmick), the reactions of the characters to their space is completely unconvincing. The obvious lack of conviction and personality coming from any of the cast is almost forgivable given the atrocious script and pointless motivations.
One of Chatroom's strangest failures is that it doesn't seem able to integrate and weave together main-plots with sub-plots and character development, instead assigning blocks of time and space to deal with each separately. It makes unsatisfying story-telling; not all that much interaction takes place between the main characters, their lives mostly just play out independently, without much consequence except to show how inexplicably malicious the main character is. As sub-plots, we are treated to a cringeworthily over-acted memory of the main character's past, and at least two COMPLETELY unresolved sub-plots of other characters, one's disagreement with her parents, and another's obscure and pointless love for his friend's much younger sister. How can they open that can of worms and forget about it?! It's just bad story telling.
Also, maybe a minor point compared to the rest, but it's a bugbear of mine. The presentation of the chat-room and the use of the internet is unsophisticated in its depiction; both simplistic and unrealistic. If it was meant to be a close-to-the-bone comment of the dangers of the internet, why of all things use the outmoded chat-room? It doesn't work.
The dark side of life
murphyEIRE4 January 2011
Chatroom is a disturbing film about a young man named Will (Aaron Johnson from Kickass) who sets up a chat room called "Chelsea Teens!". Four other teenagers join this site and soon they begin exchanging information as though they where life long friends. The chat room is brilliantly shown in physical form and the "friends" effortlessly jump from real life to the chat room which is portrayed as a sleazy run down hotel where all chatrooms are represented by different rooms.
The film is stylishly shot and hats off to director Hideo Nakata for doing something bold and different. The film is most certainly not one to let the younger teens sneak into as they may be drawn by the young skilled cast; the film is a visceral work and will play with your mind. The main topic here is isolation, all these kids have problems and the forlorn Will manipulates them via the chat room. He gets into their heads and influences their lives with devastating effects.
All in all this is a good film, very well shot and well acted Imogen Poots who plays Eva in the film is simply divine and a name we will hear a lot more about.Go into this film knowing as little as possible about it and have an open mind it will pull at the strings in your head and it unearths a dark world that is out there.
The film is stylishly shot and hats off to director Hideo Nakata for doing something bold and different. The film is most certainly not one to let the younger teens sneak into as they may be drawn by the young skilled cast; the film is a visceral work and will play with your mind. The main topic here is isolation, all these kids have problems and the forlorn Will manipulates them via the chat room. He gets into their heads and influences their lives with devastating effects.
All in all this is a good film, very well shot and well acted Imogen Poots who plays Eva in the film is simply divine and a name we will hear a lot more about.Go into this film knowing as little as possible about it and have an open mind it will pull at the strings in your head and it unearths a dark world that is out there.
Terrible
waterman_harry26 April 2015
Chatroom's moderately interesting premise and style is disabled incoherently from the get-go by wet performances, a desperate attempt to appeal to angsty teenagers and a genuinely appalling approach to certain social issues. Chatroom tries its best to glamorise cyber-bullying and manipulation. Aaron Taylor-Johnson's sociopathic geek is an over-troped Hollywood act that has really run its course and Johnson brings little talent to the role. What's even more disappointing is that this is part of the filmography of Hideo Nakata, the obviously hit-and-miss Creator of decent horror films like 2002's Dark Water and 1998's Ring.
Stagey but clever, thought provoking cyberworld teenage drama thriller
theycallmemrglass2 December 2010
Saw this at a London hotel preview screening today.
Top marks for effort in trying to translate internet chat rooms onto the screen. It did take me quite a while to adjust to the visual interpretations of online cyberworld chatting but having said that, it was very cleverly done if a bit stagy. This is not a horror film. Despite the surrealistic online interpretation, this was first and foremost a dark teenage drama that quite effectively highlights the dangerous mental traps that socially withdrawn youngsters can face online in real life. Maybe parents of teenagers who spends all their time on the internet, may well find this to be a horror film and start taking away their kids computers, then push a football into their hands.
Of course this being cinema, liberties need to be taken with plausibility to turn this intriguing drama into a dark thriller. But it works. Its just that it took a heck of a long time to really get going with the main plot. The dialogue also felt very sluggish. The young actors however, were very good and did well to emote their feelings convincingly.
I was very bewildered at the inclusion of a couple of stop motion animated cartoons which I get the impression were supposed to be darkly funny but I did not find it in the least bit amusing. Maybe that was the idea but it served no purpose in the flow of the movie for me. Also, this being a British Film Four production, it feels so, and you wont find any money spent on special effects apart from a change of wallpaper in the chat rooms.
Overall though, this is a very good thought provoking film with decent performances from the young cast. It is an effective thriller but very sluggish until it really picks up momentum in the 3rd act.
Top marks for effort in trying to translate internet chat rooms onto the screen. It did take me quite a while to adjust to the visual interpretations of online cyberworld chatting but having said that, it was very cleverly done if a bit stagy. This is not a horror film. Despite the surrealistic online interpretation, this was first and foremost a dark teenage drama that quite effectively highlights the dangerous mental traps that socially withdrawn youngsters can face online in real life. Maybe parents of teenagers who spends all their time on the internet, may well find this to be a horror film and start taking away their kids computers, then push a football into their hands.
Of course this being cinema, liberties need to be taken with plausibility to turn this intriguing drama into a dark thriller. But it works. Its just that it took a heck of a long time to really get going with the main plot. The dialogue also felt very sluggish. The young actors however, were very good and did well to emote their feelings convincingly.
I was very bewildered at the inclusion of a couple of stop motion animated cartoons which I get the impression were supposed to be darkly funny but I did not find it in the least bit amusing. Maybe that was the idea but it served no purpose in the flow of the movie for me. Also, this being a British Film Four production, it feels so, and you wont find any money spent on special effects apart from a change of wallpaper in the chat rooms.
Overall though, this is a very good thought provoking film with decent performances from the young cast. It is an effective thriller but very sluggish until it really picks up momentum in the 3rd act.
Dull and unengaging
grantss13 September 2020
Had potential but quickly spirals into meaningless, random drivel. Tries to be intricately clever, Charlie Kaufman or Christopher Nolan-like, but falls very flat. Ultimately you don't care about any of the characters, the movie just drifts along, and is dull.
Avoid.
Avoid.
Incredible depiction of the internet
TheLurkingFox13 August 2010
One of the best aspects of this movie (which is NOT, as it has been marketed, a horror movie) is the depiction of the internet into a physical space. It is really, really well done, and anyone (even slightly) familiar with the world of chatrooms will be blown away by the realism.
The movie goes back and forth between "real life" (the outside world) and internet life (the conversations and chats of the protagonists, here represented into a physical reality, so as not to spend an hour and 46 minutes filming youth typing on a keyboard).
It is not a horror movie, but rather a good psychological thriller, with the story of a disturbed teen who tries to alleviate his own misery by making others miserable. It is also a good look into the seedier, sleazier parts of the internet, where anything can happen, and where violence (although entirely psychological) can be very, very real.
The movie goes back and forth between "real life" (the outside world) and internet life (the conversations and chats of the protagonists, here represented into a physical reality, so as not to spend an hour and 46 minutes filming youth typing on a keyboard).
It is not a horror movie, but rather a good psychological thriller, with the story of a disturbed teen who tries to alleviate his own misery by making others miserable. It is also a good look into the seedier, sleazier parts of the internet, where anything can happen, and where violence (although entirely psychological) can be very, very real.
The Social Network...
tim-764-2918566 April 2012
Before I set to record this film, that was shown on Film 4 last night, I presumed it'd be a trite U.S. comedy/horror, full of gross-out and stoned slackers.
How pleasantly surprised I was to find it to be a deep, unpredictable British psychological thriller that's high on design and imagination. Yes, the actors look like they've escaped off sets of U.K teen dramas such as Skins, but they are playing characters that that market already caters for.
It's quite neat how the protagonist, Aaron Johnson, (Will) is accessing the chat-room in question via his PC or smartphone but is also then seen within it. As we soon get to know, Will's psychological make-up and difficulties are complex and largely unexplained. Is the chat-room itself purely in his mind and is the labyrinth of other rooms that we see at the start also only in his imagination? If so, that's quite a neat way of adding extra texture and substance that's already there.
The challenging soundscapes and things like the animations add extra meat to the body of expression that director Hideo Nakata uses - and I personally liked them and thought they added to the film. Some of the discussions on serious emotional conditions and suicide may help those who are exposed to those feelings and experiences, or they may not - depending on how mentally well one is. But at least it raises them, which is quite brave.
I don't necessarily think that the "hammy" acting that many have criticised is out of place here - touching and nuanced performances would be out of place in this aggressively symbolic and stylised movie. And, when one types on Facebook, with modern, abbreviated cyber-speak and even more so with Twitter, then dialogue is even more stilted, with even less room for delicate expression.
The other characters add to the mixture of messed-up heads and some social comment on what is acceptable and what isn't gets some interesting airing. I think many viewers who've come back from the pub and expected a simple cat and mouse cyber-bullying flick may have well been unprepared for how deep and complex this thriller is and been put off by that. It's a brave and imaginative film; flawed, yes. A nice bonus for those of us who've visited the locations such as Camden Lock and London Zoo are indeed, the familiar locations.
How pleasantly surprised I was to find it to be a deep, unpredictable British psychological thriller that's high on design and imagination. Yes, the actors look like they've escaped off sets of U.K teen dramas such as Skins, but they are playing characters that that market already caters for.
It's quite neat how the protagonist, Aaron Johnson, (Will) is accessing the chat-room in question via his PC or smartphone but is also then seen within it. As we soon get to know, Will's psychological make-up and difficulties are complex and largely unexplained. Is the chat-room itself purely in his mind and is the labyrinth of other rooms that we see at the start also only in his imagination? If so, that's quite a neat way of adding extra texture and substance that's already there.
The challenging soundscapes and things like the animations add extra meat to the body of expression that director Hideo Nakata uses - and I personally liked them and thought they added to the film. Some of the discussions on serious emotional conditions and suicide may help those who are exposed to those feelings and experiences, or they may not - depending on how mentally well one is. But at least it raises them, which is quite brave.
I don't necessarily think that the "hammy" acting that many have criticised is out of place here - touching and nuanced performances would be out of place in this aggressively symbolic and stylised movie. And, when one types on Facebook, with modern, abbreviated cyber-speak and even more so with Twitter, then dialogue is even more stilted, with even less room for delicate expression.
The other characters add to the mixture of messed-up heads and some social comment on what is acceptable and what isn't gets some interesting airing. I think many viewers who've come back from the pub and expected a simple cat and mouse cyber-bullying flick may have well been unprepared for how deep and complex this thriller is and been put off by that. It's a brave and imaginative film; flawed, yes. A nice bonus for those of us who've visited the locations such as Camden Lock and London Zoo are indeed, the familiar locations.
This should have been better
Will_Malone24 July 2012
A group of jaded teenagers meet online in an internet chatroom called Chelsea Teens! The group led by William a clever and manipulative adolescent, form a quick and tight bond via sharing their most intimate secrets with each other. However as they bond tighter together it is apparent some members of the chatroom have more sinister agendas.
Director Hideo Nakata is best well known for Ringu, a chilling tale of a mysterious video which kills anyone who watches it, was in many ways the catalyst for Hollywood remaking Japanese horror. Ringu was remade as The Ring, with Naomi Watts, quickly followed by Ju-on, remade as The Grudge starring Buffy. In both cases the Hollywood remake is not a patch on the original. And this is what Chatroom feels like, a cheap and rushed Hollywood remake. However this time there is no precursor.
Let's start with the good stuff though. At the heart of Chatroom there is an interesting and potentially compelling premise. The internet is the one place which offers true anonymity and Nakata portrays this via an innovative physical visualisation of the online world, focusing on the chatroom arena. You watch the characters make their way down long corridors filled with stereotypical internet users deep in conversation with each other. You see couples getting busy who clearly don't match the physical description they are giving each other, alongside the more sinister picture of grown adults talking with young children.
Along the corridors there are a number of different doors, each the gateway into a different chatroom. Once inside Nakata films the interactions as physical encounters, with each character sat on a chair facing the others, in something akin to a group counseling session. The occasional flashbacks to the users sat at their computers keeps us grounded in the real world and works well in demonstrating how some characters, but not all, portray themselves in a very different light online.
However this interesting premise is let down by a poorly constructed script and distinct lack of character development. The dialogue between the group at their first encounter feels incredibly forced and the ease with which William (Aaron Johnson - post Kick Ass) leads the group into sharing their most intimate secrets is far too rushed. The secrets which each member chooses to share are clichéd at best and ill thought through and borderline offensive at worst.
In a film with effectively only 5 characters there should be enough scope within the script to bring each character to a satisfying conclusion. Unfortunately this is not the case here, with the film quickly focusing on the relationship between William and Jim (Matthew Beard) so leaving the other three characters floating in the wind. There is simply no effort made to resolve their sub plots and all three feel significantly short changed.
I was left sorely disappointed by Chatroom. Through its clichéd characters and lack plot development you are left with what feels like a hollow shell of a film. You have to give it credit for attempting to deal with the dangers associated with the internet such as sexual predators and teen suicide, but it does so in such a clumsy and misjudged manner that whatever message it is trying to portray is simply lost.
With a director with the pedigree of Nakata and a premise of real potential this should have been better. In fact it needs remake.
Director Hideo Nakata is best well known for Ringu, a chilling tale of a mysterious video which kills anyone who watches it, was in many ways the catalyst for Hollywood remaking Japanese horror. Ringu was remade as The Ring, with Naomi Watts, quickly followed by Ju-on, remade as The Grudge starring Buffy. In both cases the Hollywood remake is not a patch on the original. And this is what Chatroom feels like, a cheap and rushed Hollywood remake. However this time there is no precursor.
Let's start with the good stuff though. At the heart of Chatroom there is an interesting and potentially compelling premise. The internet is the one place which offers true anonymity and Nakata portrays this via an innovative physical visualisation of the online world, focusing on the chatroom arena. You watch the characters make their way down long corridors filled with stereotypical internet users deep in conversation with each other. You see couples getting busy who clearly don't match the physical description they are giving each other, alongside the more sinister picture of grown adults talking with young children.
Along the corridors there are a number of different doors, each the gateway into a different chatroom. Once inside Nakata films the interactions as physical encounters, with each character sat on a chair facing the others, in something akin to a group counseling session. The occasional flashbacks to the users sat at their computers keeps us grounded in the real world and works well in demonstrating how some characters, but not all, portray themselves in a very different light online.
However this interesting premise is let down by a poorly constructed script and distinct lack of character development. The dialogue between the group at their first encounter feels incredibly forced and the ease with which William (Aaron Johnson - post Kick Ass) leads the group into sharing their most intimate secrets is far too rushed. The secrets which each member chooses to share are clichéd at best and ill thought through and borderline offensive at worst.
In a film with effectively only 5 characters there should be enough scope within the script to bring each character to a satisfying conclusion. Unfortunately this is not the case here, with the film quickly focusing on the relationship between William and Jim (Matthew Beard) so leaving the other three characters floating in the wind. There is simply no effort made to resolve their sub plots and all three feel significantly short changed.
I was left sorely disappointed by Chatroom. Through its clichéd characters and lack plot development you are left with what feels like a hollow shell of a film. You have to give it credit for attempting to deal with the dangers associated with the internet such as sexual predators and teen suicide, but it does so in such a clumsy and misjudged manner that whatever message it is trying to portray is simply lost.
With a director with the pedigree of Nakata and a premise of real potential this should have been better. In fact it needs remake.
The Social Inception
bartireid30 December 2010
In a year that served us with the Social Network and Inception we have a piece in the way of Chatroom (2010) that as strange as it may seem manages to drop between the weightier concepts of its two more esteemed colleagues. Nolan's world is the looser comparison but whereas dream and dream space are used as an extension of the psyche, Director Hideo Nakata attempts a physical representation of the Internet chat room, caught somewhere between abstract fantasy and an extension of ones persona in a domain that allows endless creative freedom for it.
Whilst you will not find any reference to Facebook directly, there is clear comparison to the Social Networks look into the effect of the internet on younger generations and their communicative dependence on it. The insight however comes from a different angle as we see consequence- Ostracism, broken parental relationships and obsession. Thematically we are in a darker world of Paedophilia, Suicide, Self harm and so on, our Subjects are teen caricatures Aaron Johnson (Kick Ass) plays the lead as William a seemingly causeless rebel and leader of the group which includes posh girl Eva (Imogen Poots), loner Jim (Matthew Beard), geek Emily (Hannah Murray) and self doubting Mo (Daniel Kaluuya).
When it comes to the execution Chatroom suffers from an overdose of its own ideas, all of which never materialise into anything remotely as interesting as the abundant pretences. For example there are two occasions where the film breaks out stop motion animation sequences in a naive attempt to deliver some parts of the narrative. Naïve is also an apt way to describe the cast whose performance is little more than comprehensive school drama club standard, coupled with a script which paints it's characters as vaguely existential. Nakata must take some of the blame also, the film is horrifically paced and even the 90 minute run time feels like a slog, lack of discipline is his ultimate flaw here multiple ideas without substance are no match for substantial development of a single idea.
Whilst you will not find any reference to Facebook directly, there is clear comparison to the Social Networks look into the effect of the internet on younger generations and their communicative dependence on it. The insight however comes from a different angle as we see consequence- Ostracism, broken parental relationships and obsession. Thematically we are in a darker world of Paedophilia, Suicide, Self harm and so on, our Subjects are teen caricatures Aaron Johnson (Kick Ass) plays the lead as William a seemingly causeless rebel and leader of the group which includes posh girl Eva (Imogen Poots), loner Jim (Matthew Beard), geek Emily (Hannah Murray) and self doubting Mo (Daniel Kaluuya).
When it comes to the execution Chatroom suffers from an overdose of its own ideas, all of which never materialise into anything remotely as interesting as the abundant pretences. For example there are two occasions where the film breaks out stop motion animation sequences in a naive attempt to deliver some parts of the narrative. Naïve is also an apt way to describe the cast whose performance is little more than comprehensive school drama club standard, coupled with a script which paints it's characters as vaguely existential. Nakata must take some of the blame also, the film is horrifically paced and even the 90 minute run time feels like a slog, lack of discipline is his ultimate flaw here multiple ideas without substance are no match for substantial development of a single idea.
Promising and Interesting Concept Lost in a Boring and Shallow Film
claudio_carvalho4 November 2011
Five troubled teenagers connect to the chatrooom "Chelsea Teens!" in Internet to meet each other and talk in a self-help group. When the depressive Jim decides to commit suicide, the destructive sociopath William lures and pushes him to the edge to force him to kill himself.
The storyline of "Chatroom" is intriguing since the author uses a physical room to depict the conversations of the teens as if they were happening in the real world.
Unfortunately this promising and interesting concept is the only good thing in this boring and shallow film. The execution with several subplots keeps going back and forth from Internet to the real world but they are unattractive and maybe indicated for teens. In the end, I was no longer paying attention to this annoying flick. My vote is three.
Title (Brazil): "Chat - A Sala Negra" ("Chat - The Black Room")
Note: On 04 July 2023, I saw this film again, aware of the plot and of the dangers of social media (I do not have any social media, only a blog). This time, I found "Chatroom" better and better. My conclusion is that this film deserves to be seen at least twice. My vote is seven.
The storyline of "Chatroom" is intriguing since the author uses a physical room to depict the conversations of the teens as if they were happening in the real world.
Unfortunately this promising and interesting concept is the only good thing in this boring and shallow film. The execution with several subplots keeps going back and forth from Internet to the real world but they are unattractive and maybe indicated for teens. In the end, I was no longer paying attention to this annoying flick. My vote is three.
Title (Brazil): "Chat - A Sala Negra" ("Chat - The Black Room")
Note: On 04 July 2023, I saw this film again, aware of the plot and of the dangers of social media (I do not have any social media, only a blog). This time, I found "Chatroom" better and better. My conclusion is that this film deserves to be seen at least twice. My vote is seven.
You Want to Like It
eternally_feral19 March 2022
The plot is interesting - different personalities meshing together in a chat room to fall under the spell of someone charming and manipulative.
It's not an original basic plot line, but one what can be worked with. Unfortunately, it falls flat with no character development, shallow dialogue, and the multiple story lines are abandoned after barely being explored.
I'm glad I watched it free on Vudu instead of buying/renting it on one of these various streaming platforms. The 9% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes is way too high if you ask me.
It's not an original basic plot line, but one what can be worked with. Unfortunately, it falls flat with no character development, shallow dialogue, and the multiple story lines are abandoned after barely being explored.
I'm glad I watched it free on Vudu instead of buying/renting it on one of these various streaming platforms. The 9% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes is way too high if you ask me.
Movie Adaptation Of Serious Social Issue
Foutainoflife30 July 2018
This was a neat way of looking at this subject matter. It was a psychological thriller so don't go into it thinking it is a horror film. It was well put together. The actors were decent and the story was solid. Maybe this should be used as a tool for teens. Good watch.
Chatroom
jboothmillard9 April 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I knew this film was meant to something scary, the title made it obvious would the story would involve, but I had low expectations, because it was rated low by critics, but I was going to give it a chance, directed by Hideo Nakata (Ring, Dark Water). Basically bored teenagers Jim (Matthew Beard), Eva (Imogen Poots), Emily (Game of Thrones' Hannah Murray) and Mo (Get Out's Daniel Kaluuya) meet William (Kick-Ass's Aaron Taylor-Johnson) online. William's charisma seduces them, but he is not what he seems, he is calculating, manipulative and does not have time for people in the real world. Jim is vulnerable and has no idea how dangerous his new friend William really is, Jim confesses he is on anti-depressants, William now knows he has found a victim, he vows to help Jim come of his drugs, and the rest of the group fall in line in their meetings and in the chatroom William creates online. Eva and Mo realise that William is not offering friendly advice, he is playing a deadly game, but it has already begun, and Jim is set on the path of self- destruction and going to do the unthinkable. Eva, Emily and Mo do their best to save Jim, but William chases them across the internet in a game of cat and mouse, shutting down their systems and cutting them off from his victim. William and Jim come face to face in blur between fantasy and reality on the underground, without online security everything has become real, it is a race against time for Jim to be saved, and to stop William, someone will meet their fate. Also starring Megan Dodds as Grace, Game of Thrones' Michelle Fairley as Rosie, The Mimic's Jacob Anderson as Si, Ophelia Lovibond as Charlotte and Richard Madden as Ripley. Taylor-Johnson is alright as the sulky teenage rebel who hates his parents and everyone, the supporting cast of up-and-coming mostly unknowns do okay but overact often, the plot could have been clever, an intimate chatroom created to lure in the most vulnerable people to punish or kill them, but it is done in a predictably dull way, it only has small moments of really dramatic stuff, a disappointing British thriller. Adequate!
Very original and artistic concept, almost genius! Everything but the concept is average at best.
nitzanhavoc6 May 2013
I've heard of Chatroom through one of the many Horror lists I've checked here, and while it doesn't fit that genre description (not even tagged as such), it is a pretty disturbing film, and very well made. As a Horror freak, I watch many many films, most of them Horror, and Chatroom has one of the most original and artistic concepts I've ever seen! It shows a very nice interpretation of what people "look" like when they chat online.
The screenplay, script, story and build-up are pretty nice and fit the overall concept. There aren't any real twists, but the plot does thicken at some point in a rather surprising way. The acting is also pretty nice, no more no less. Each of the characters is portrayed pretty much the way it should. I did feel that Aaron Taylor-Johnson slightly lacked the charisma and "charm" to play the role of devious insidious William, and yet he managed to pull it off. Nothing much can be said about the cinematography, as it's only there for the locations and the decoration/set. Soundtrack is also nice...
So with everything being mediocre at best, why would I rate Chartroom so relatively high? Again, on account of the original and almost genius concept. It's been a while since I've seen such original and artistic work, and I'd highly recommend giving this film a chance, if only for that.
The screenplay, script, story and build-up are pretty nice and fit the overall concept. There aren't any real twists, but the plot does thicken at some point in a rather surprising way. The acting is also pretty nice, no more no less. Each of the characters is portrayed pretty much the way it should. I did feel that Aaron Taylor-Johnson slightly lacked the charisma and "charm" to play the role of devious insidious William, and yet he managed to pull it off. Nothing much can be said about the cinematography, as it's only there for the locations and the decoration/set. Soundtrack is also nice...
So with everything being mediocre at best, why would I rate Chartroom so relatively high? Again, on account of the original and almost genius concept. It's been a while since I've seen such original and artistic work, and I'd highly recommend giving this film a chance, if only for that.
Long And Drawn Out
waysouthern8 August 2011
I can't believe all of the high reviews that people has given this movie. The acting was really good, But the movie was so very drawn out to where it was almost boring.
I wanted to turn off the movie several times, But I kept watching it in hopes that it would pick up. But it really never did.
I think it would have made a better short film. But that is just my opinion.
This movie is NOT a Horror film. So if you are looking for someone to jump out of the closet to scare you, You might want to look else-where.
Thats about it with-out going into more details about the movie.
I wanted to turn off the movie several times, But I kept watching it in hopes that it would pick up. But it really never did.
I think it would have made a better short film. But that is just my opinion.
This movie is NOT a Horror film. So if you are looking for someone to jump out of the closet to scare you, You might want to look else-where.
Thats about it with-out going into more details about the movie.
An interesting portrayal of the net; the mask it provides and what it trawls
willsgb5 April 2012
Warning: Spoilers
The main thing this film does to play with the the role of a chatroom is of course to play out the online conversation in a kind of etch a sketch hotel that the users decorate at will to reflect their personalities and so forth; this is done well, I thought. it filled in the removal of personal contact and body language, for the viewer's sake, and also provided an insight into the tone of each user's thoughts as they got to know each other and then William's plot unfolded. I thought the content and delivery of the dialogue of the online conversations as acted out in the hotel were actually quite reminiscent of the kind of language used in chatrooms, at least from my own experience;
The film struck a chord with me because i spent a few years on chatrooms myself as a teenager; I was lucky, in that I avoided any real contact with weird people, or indeed malevolent entities such as William, and eventually met quite a few of the people i got to know well in real life, and struck up some great friendships, many of which continue to this day. however, i only met and talked to people in chatrooms because i had low self-esteem and was depressed and unsure of myself, the anonymity and control provided by a chatroom appealing to me more then less removed and more traditional forms of socialising; i'm sure a lot of people who use chatrooms have such issues and plenty more besides, which were represented by the film's characters;
William and Jim were extreme examples, and the fraught, hysterical plot of William's to drive Jim to suicide culminating in that chase through Camden market seemed a little over the top to me. i did appreciate the way that each character's own personal plot and life was almost entirely mutually exclusive to the central plot of their friendship and interaction in the Chelsea teens room, Eva's room etc. a person's online persona, particularly in a chatroom, is a contrived and carefully constructed thing, and it's a very distanced, protective form of interaction, however personal you may get, as the characters did in the film, to devastating effect. I thought the film's disjointed pace and seemingly inconsequential progression, in the first half at least, was a good portrayal of that compartmentalisation of online chat and personal life.
in addition to the bedrock of the main plot that emerges, the tragic lonely depressive characters who self-harm and/or seek solace online, meeting with people who display a variety of different responses from supportive to manipulative and cruel, we're also presented with a cross-section of sexual deviance, from the tolerable and acceptable - a hallway Eva walks through to meet William which is filled with people indulging in fetish, and mo talking to that older lady while other people talk dirty in neighbouring rooms - to the disgusting and unacceptable - mo's paedophilic interest in his mate's 11 year old sister, and the pervert whose entry to Chelsea teens prompts William to set up a password.
along with the girl who Jim meets early on and from whom he runs away, using the above, the film seeks to establish the consensus that the world of chatrooms is a forum for the disaffected, deviant and personality-disordered to convene, and of course provides a warning about the dangers of such conference by presenting a group of characters so misguided and/or malevolent that their initially beneficial, well-intended, supportive online friendship leads to a life-or-death situation, which yields one casualty, fortunately not the painfully depressive Jim.
all in all, i was impressed by this film, which i consider a worthy, well-made, convincingly acted portrait of the world of chatrooms, the freedoms, connections, pitfalls and traps that can result from such interactions and friendships, and ultimately, the value of real social structure, especially for those who aren't entirely comfortable with it and are driven to seek less direct ways of establishing it. i give the film 8/10
The film struck a chord with me because i spent a few years on chatrooms myself as a teenager; I was lucky, in that I avoided any real contact with weird people, or indeed malevolent entities such as William, and eventually met quite a few of the people i got to know well in real life, and struck up some great friendships, many of which continue to this day. however, i only met and talked to people in chatrooms because i had low self-esteem and was depressed and unsure of myself, the anonymity and control provided by a chatroom appealing to me more then less removed and more traditional forms of socialising; i'm sure a lot of people who use chatrooms have such issues and plenty more besides, which were represented by the film's characters;
William and Jim were extreme examples, and the fraught, hysterical plot of William's to drive Jim to suicide culminating in that chase through Camden market seemed a little over the top to me. i did appreciate the way that each character's own personal plot and life was almost entirely mutually exclusive to the central plot of their friendship and interaction in the Chelsea teens room, Eva's room etc. a person's online persona, particularly in a chatroom, is a contrived and carefully constructed thing, and it's a very distanced, protective form of interaction, however personal you may get, as the characters did in the film, to devastating effect. I thought the film's disjointed pace and seemingly inconsequential progression, in the first half at least, was a good portrayal of that compartmentalisation of online chat and personal life.
in addition to the bedrock of the main plot that emerges, the tragic lonely depressive characters who self-harm and/or seek solace online, meeting with people who display a variety of different responses from supportive to manipulative and cruel, we're also presented with a cross-section of sexual deviance, from the tolerable and acceptable - a hallway Eva walks through to meet William which is filled with people indulging in fetish, and mo talking to that older lady while other people talk dirty in neighbouring rooms - to the disgusting and unacceptable - mo's paedophilic interest in his mate's 11 year old sister, and the pervert whose entry to Chelsea teens prompts William to set up a password.
along with the girl who Jim meets early on and from whom he runs away, using the above, the film seeks to establish the consensus that the world of chatrooms is a forum for the disaffected, deviant and personality-disordered to convene, and of course provides a warning about the dangers of such conference by presenting a group of characters so misguided and/or malevolent that their initially beneficial, well-intended, supportive online friendship leads to a life-or-death situation, which yields one casualty, fortunately not the painfully depressive Jim.
all in all, i was impressed by this film, which i consider a worthy, well-made, convincingly acted portrait of the world of chatrooms, the freedoms, connections, pitfalls and traps that can result from such interactions and friendships, and ultimately, the value of real social structure, especially for those who aren't entirely comfortable with it and are driven to seek less direct ways of establishing it. i give the film 8/10
the dangers of chatrooms
LetsReviewThat2613 February 2022
This film does well in portraying the real life dangers of chatrooms and what they might hide and the certain kinds of people in them. I liked how they interpreted them talking to each other by actually having these rooms made real so they weren't just chatting on line the entire time. Williams decline into certain madness was intriguing and it made me feel for the other characters with what he was trying to do. Good cast aswell. Imogen poots is always a joy to see in movies so plus another star for her. Altogether not a bad movie.
I didn't feel a good story to it
Irishchatter11 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Yeah of course its underrated but to be completely honest with you, i thought there wasn't a story to make the film more interesting or entertaining in a way. It was suppose to be scary but to me, it seemed like a poor budget film "trying" to be frightening and it tried too hard to have a major poor result.
I know its suppose to be about a group of teens who meet up for real and talk to one another online in order to seek revenge to their selfish families. Yeah, it sounds like it was used a lot before in movies and yet, this movie just wants to copy everything and just forget about the rest. This does not make a successful British movie, a good movie should consist of a better story line, better actors and better settings. This is one of the movies that I wouldn't have time for because it looks unfinished and poorly made! Don't watch this is all i can say........
I know its suppose to be about a group of teens who meet up for real and talk to one another online in order to seek revenge to their selfish families. Yeah, it sounds like it was used a lot before in movies and yet, this movie just wants to copy everything and just forget about the rest. This does not make a successful British movie, a good movie should consist of a better story line, better actors and better settings. This is one of the movies that I wouldn't have time for because it looks unfinished and poorly made! Don't watch this is all i can say........
Misguided attempt to explore cyber bullying
Leofwine_draca10 March 2012
While I admire the rationale behind CHATROOM, a would-be thriller that looks at the dark side of Internet-age communication, I have to say that it just doesn't work as an emotionally satisfying film. The film grabs the topic of Internet chat – and all the bullying, perversion and peer group pressure that goes with it – and explores it in an unusual way. The participants are shown meeting up in physical rooms and speaking face to face. The idea behind this, I guess, is that showing them sitting quietly and endlessly typing back and forth would have been boring, but that method was used in at least a couple of successful documentaries I've seen (TALLHOTBLOND and CATFISH) so I don't necessarily buy it.
In any case, what follows is a psychological exploration of both the positive and negative sides of the experience. At first, speaking to fellow teens allows the participants freedom of expression and friendship, but that soon degenerates into violence. Sadly, there just isn't enough plot to sustain the hour and a half run time, so before long the pacing slows right down and we're left endlessly waiting for something to happen.
The script, which is based on a stage play, feels staged and slightly pretentious; I can see how it would have worked better given the physical constraints of the theatre, but that format feels artificial here. There's a whole self-conscious feel to the proceedings. It's a shame, because the bright young cast certainly give it their all: Aaron Johnson is absolutely fiendish in the central role, Imogen Poots is lovely, and both Hannah Murray and Daniel Kaluuya give oddly touching turns.
The real star, of course, is Hideo Nakata, weirdly imported in to direct a movie which he can't make any mark on whatsoever. A single, chilling scene of an Asian girl committing suicide on webcam is the only reminder that Nakata's a king in the J-horror genre.
In any case, what follows is a psychological exploration of both the positive and negative sides of the experience. At first, speaking to fellow teens allows the participants freedom of expression and friendship, but that soon degenerates into violence. Sadly, there just isn't enough plot to sustain the hour and a half run time, so before long the pacing slows right down and we're left endlessly waiting for something to happen.
The script, which is based on a stage play, feels staged and slightly pretentious; I can see how it would have worked better given the physical constraints of the theatre, but that format feels artificial here. There's a whole self-conscious feel to the proceedings. It's a shame, because the bright young cast certainly give it their all: Aaron Johnson is absolutely fiendish in the central role, Imogen Poots is lovely, and both Hannah Murray and Daniel Kaluuya give oddly touching turns.
The real star, of course, is Hideo Nakata, weirdly imported in to direct a movie which he can't make any mark on whatsoever. A single, chilling scene of an Asian girl committing suicide on webcam is the only reminder that Nakata's a king in the J-horror genre.
A very slick, well grounded, ultra-light thriller
thekarmicnomad9 March 2013
I caught this on TV and had a worrying feeling it was going to be dripping with teen angst or rave on about the evils of the internet. It didn't. In affect this is a simple character study wrapped in an extremely well shot premise.
The young people (not really kids) meet one day in a chat room, become friends and you can see trouble is not far away.
The difference between their real and on-line persona's are dealt with very professionally and subtly. The colour in the online world is slightly warmer and the characters more openly expressive. It must have been very tempting to use avatars or shoot the physical world in black and white, or something equally as trashy.
This vein of restraint runs through the whole film, nobody goes all 'Hostel' or hacks into the Pentagon. The plot is solid and fairly believable. A lot of weight is put on the acting, and the cast deliver without a fault.
Well shot, well scripted, well acted, well lit. No preaching, no moaning, no action. I enjoyed it.
The young people (not really kids) meet one day in a chat room, become friends and you can see trouble is not far away.
The difference between their real and on-line persona's are dealt with very professionally and subtly. The colour in the online world is slightly warmer and the characters more openly expressive. It must have been very tempting to use avatars or shoot the physical world in black and white, or something equally as trashy.
This vein of restraint runs through the whole film, nobody goes all 'Hostel' or hacks into the Pentagon. The plot is solid and fairly believable. A lot of weight is put on the acting, and the cast deliver without a fault.
Well shot, well scripted, well acted, well lit. No preaching, no moaning, no action. I enjoyed it.
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