Ghost Lab movie review 2021

MOVIE TITLE: GHOST LAB

Available only on Netflix on May 26, 2021

RATING: TV-MA

LENGTH: 1 hour 57 minutes

IN A NUTSHELL:

Do you believe in the afterlife? Do you believe in ghosts? Those questions are the first words you hear as soon as the movie opens. Would you like scientific evidence? That’s what this chilling thriller is about. Netflix describes the movie like this: After witnessing a haunting in their hospital, two young doctors become dangerously obsessed with obtaining scientific proof that ghosts exist. This is the first Thai movie produced in Dolby Vision. It’s directed by Paween Purijitpanya and stars Thanapob Leeratanakachorn and Paris Intarakomalyasut.

THINGS I LIKED:

I had never seen the young actors Thanapob Leeratanakjor and Paris Intarakomalyas before. There are definitely some overacting moments, but it was still nice to see a film come out of Thailand and be introduced to new actors.
I couldn’t find out if “The Experiment” magazine mentioned in the movie is real or not, but Paris Intarakomalyas’ character does talk about a bunch of real places in Asia that are super creepy and associated with ghost appearances.
I appreciated that not all of the ghosts were creepy and gross.
You’ll get goosebumps.
The movie takes a different turn than you expect when it starts out. I love twists and there are several.
I was glad that the film takes a look at the pain that people feel when their loved ones are left behind.
There are actually some good special effects.
It’s been on my Bucket List for years to see the Northern Lights. It was interesting to learn a different interpretation of what the Aurora Borealis means to some people.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

The voice acting was terrible.
A lot of the dialogue is super lame.
The movie is super melodramatic with some over-acting, cheesy moments.
The pacing and tone of the movie change dramatically from Act 1 to Act 2 and then Act 3. The move is kind of all over the place.
Toward the end of the movie, something happens in a morgue that absolutely doesn’t fit with the timeline.
Actor Thanapob Leeratanakajor sure knows how to cry elephant tears and does it often during the film.
If you catch the trailer on Netflix, don’t freak out if you hear Thai spoken. The movie is dubbed over in English.
There’s a super awkward kiss scene.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Scary, gory, creepy ghosts
Lots of profanity, including F-bombs
People die violent deaths.
A man does harm to himself.
Talk of gruesome deaths.

THEMES:

Life after death, reincarnation
Suicide
Murder
Friendship
Science
The search for truth
Mental health

FUNNY LINES:

None. This is a very dramatic, serious film.

INTERESTING LINES:

“I never said I’m not afraid of ghosts. I said I don’t believe in them.” – Wee (Thanapob Leeratanakajor)
“I thought you were a surgeon, not a shaman.” – Wee (Thanapob Leeratanakajor)
Wee wears a T-shirt that says, “Science never lies.” Do you agree with that statement? Type your comment below!
“Every day that we live is in itself a science experiment. We formulate a hypothesis, set our expectations, try to control all of the variables. Some can be controlled. Some can’t. Sometimes what’s been done is left in shambles. But whatever the result might be, we still learn something even when we think we didn’t.” – Wee (Thanapob Leeratanakajor)
“As we live our lives, we must continue to explore until our very last day.” – Wee (Thanapob Leeratanakajor)