Definitely has some creepy moments. No gore. And a "diabolus ex machina" ending.
 

It is episodic, with a whiny, unsympathetic hero and poor special effects. But hey--OILY MANIAC!! Am I right?
 

I really liked this film. It is packed with action. The best thing for me was that the medieval Japanese aren't portrayed as idiots, which is so common among such time travel dramas. In fact they react very sensibly and intelligently when confronted by modern weapons. In several scenes you're almost rooting for the medieval villains as they confront heroic odds in overcoming the good guys' technological edge.
 

The special effects are kind of quaint. There is no real plot--just the ghost-killing bad guys 'till it uses them up.

So why did I rate it four stars? Because it was gory, goofy, and moralistic. Pretty much everything I love in a Hong Kong horror flick!
 

Why Garuda Ruled:

1. It had an unusual and spectacular monster.
2. The setting grew on me after a while.

1. we didn't see enough of the monster. I guess they couldn't afford too much CGI.
2. the action stars were unconvincing.

Sadly, I adore lame monster movies. If you do, too, this might be for you as it was for me.
 

Also the number of twists that started popping up as the film went on got pretty funny after a time. But maybe it was supposed to be. It's hard to tell.

In the end I was entertained by the film and was glad I'd bought it. It is NOT a feel-good "bring your girlfriend" type of movie, however.
 

Everyone I know who's seen "Wild Zero" raves about it. How can you go wrong with aliens, rock-and-roll, zombies, and large caliber handguns. This movie aims to please, and unlike some other attempts to do so, it holds up to a second or third viewing. Every time I see it I like the nightclub owner even more. He is so perfectly annoying.
 

It's still a good action movie with plenty of fun kung fu, but I'm no wiser about the Water Margin than before. Alas.
 

It bears some over-obvious similarities to "Terminator" but there is actually more going on here than in Schwarzenegger's film. I wish it had had a high enough budget to show more of the absolutely cool aliens, but I guess it is what it is. If you like science fiction action this is a first-rate example of it. If only Hollywood had half the brains of the guys who did this.
 

Then, if you want to see more of this kind of thing (I did), go buy "Ju-On 2", or the Japanese film version.

Only then, if you are STILL addicted to the story concept (like I was), then go ahead and get this American version of "The Grudge". But please consider starting with the source first.