GHOST (2010)

With a lack of originality in film today, why a re-do of the 1990 mega-hit?  Because 2010's Ghost, a Japanese film in which a distraught, grieving man works to solve the murder of his wife using a spiritual medium to communicate with her ghost, has more than just a gender switch to make it worthwhile.  While viewers will recognize elements such as the pottery wheel scene, the "dark" ghosts who escort you below, and the lilting refrains of "Unchained Melody" (even "ditto"), much of the comedy from this Ghost has been left out in favor of the more dramatic - and romantic - storyline.  Here, we see how Nanami and Juno met, fell in love, and married; the romance, and just how much they loved each other before Nanami was struck down, is better developed.  While the ending slips a bit into melodrama, once the 'real villain' is revealed, this is a worthy retelling that may not replace the Swayze & Moore "recognizable star quality" of the original ... but is still quite the enduring love story. (not rated)  ****

GHOST trailer (Japanese)