Re-cycle (Gwai wik) (2008)

50% of critics liked it
(6 reviews)
58% of users liked it
(2,898 ratings)

The film is based around the concept of the "recycle" bin in a computer, a writer enters an in-between world of spirits.

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 48 min.
Directed By: Oxide Pang, Danny Pang
Genres: Horror, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Aug 15, 2008 Wide
On DVD: Sep 23, 2008
Studio: Walking Shadows

Critic Reviews

Derek Elley, Variety
Re-cycle is a feast for CGI geeks but famine for auds requiring narrative and character development.
Andy Klein, Los Angeles CityBeat
The plot is intriguing -- it took me some time to really figure out what the ending meant -- but the execution is too much like Silent Hill, i.e., like a video game.
Andrew L. Urban, Urban Cinefile
The first thing that strikes you is the beauty and clarity of the images (fabulous transfer to DVD, almost like HD), the brilliantly effective use of music and the artful use of the camera
Steve Biodrowski, ESplatter
Re-cycle...seeks to discover previously unexplored pathways sheltering unfamiliar frights. If, in the end, the trip rambles aimlessly through some dull patches, you have to admire the Pang's effort to boldly go somewhere new.
Sam Sweet, L.A. Weekly
The film's final minutes erupt in a display of politicized melodrama so hysterical that it could almost be taken for camp if it wasn't so noxious.
Luke Y. Thompson, LYTRules.com
The imagination in some of these sequences is reminiscent of the likes of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Terry Gilliam, which is why it's a shame the story isn't on the same level.

Read all 6 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Greg S

Courting the supernatural for ideas for her next novel, a romance writer finds herself trapped in a surreal land of abandoned ideas (and people). The incredible visuals make it worth seeing (particularly the horrific trip inside a cave-like womb festooned with fetuses), but it drags… More
Courting the supernatural for ideas for her next novel, a romance writer finds herself trapped in a surreal land of abandoned ideas (and people). The incredible visuals make it worth seeing (particularly the horrific trip inside a cave-like womb festooned with fetuses), but it drags dramatically. The anti-abortion sentiment makes it a novelty, a not-so-subtle message Hollywood would never greenlight.
A.D. V

Bizarre and nightmarish fantasy from the Pang Bros. with a none too subtle stance on abortion. Expertly handled and executed with some wild FX work.
Robert C

What starts out as an interesting concept about a surreal alternate universe (think Alice In Wonderland meets Silent Hill) haunted by the discarded thoughts and ideas of a struggling writer, oddly enough ends up feeling like a (not so subtle) "pro-life" propoganda film.… More
What starts out as an interesting concept about a surreal alternate universe (think Alice In Wonderland meets Silent Hill) haunted by the discarded thoughts and ideas of a struggling writer, oddly enough ends up feeling like a (not so subtle) "pro-life" propoganda film. Strange...right? Sure the story in general was a little convoluted, but some of the imagery was really creepy and the music hauntingly beautiful. Had they stuck to the core concept or at least not ended the film on such a stereotypically saccharine note...this film wouldn't have been half bad.
Arash X

Exciting visuals & entertaining moments & that's it
El Hombre I

Despite the fact that the Pangs are pioneers in the resurgence of Asian horror, some of the scare tactics used and visual plot devices are dated compared to contemporaries. Re-cycle walks a fine line between style and substance, and it essentially functions as a ghost train ride.… More
Despite the fact that the Pangs are pioneers in the resurgence of Asian horror, some of the scare tactics used and visual plot devices are dated compared to contemporaries. Re-cycle walks a fine line between style and substance, and it essentially functions as a ghost train ride. The main character, Ting-yin, is thinly drawn and although she is the viewer's eyes and ears in the strange fantasy world, she is never fleshed out beyond a few basic attempts at generating sympathy in the film's early stages. This film is not your typical horror film or even your typical Asian horror film. I would say that this film is more fantasy-flavored than horror. However, if you're looking for something new and you're tired of the same old Hollywood trash, check out Re-Cycle. It's a breath of fresh air in the genre and may be one of the best-looking films I've seen in quite a while. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view¤t=Re-cycle.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/Re-cycle.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Dean M

Average and strange Hong Kong's dark supernatural about a novelist realises while she started work on a book with supernatural theme that the events depicted in her fictional work are unfolding in the real world. The special effects and visual effects are excellent so are the… More
Average and strange Hong Kong's dark supernatural about a novelist realises while she started work on a book with supernatural theme that the events depicted in her fictional work are unfolding in the real world. The special effects and visual effects are excellent so are the production designs.
Tsubaki S

Some nice visuals, but ends up being just a very ellaborated anti-abortion ad.
Nick G

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Christopher B

Good, but unfortunately not great Pang brother film. There are some great moments, but it's very much a "journey" film, which I've never been that fond of. However, the ghost story in this is excellent. SPOILER ALERT: I gotta say, there is a part in this film… More
Good, but unfortunately not great Pang brother film. There are some great moments, but it's very much a "journey" film, which I've never been that fond of. However, the ghost story in this is excellent. SPOILER ALERT: I gotta say, there is a part in this film that is anti-abortion, pretty blatantly and it was fascinating to see the reactions of the people in the theater I saw it in. People who were previously enjoying the film turned on it like it was snuff. It's odd, the more "liberal" a lot of people are, the more vicious they are when other express their views. So what if the Pangs are anti-abortion? They come from a completely different culture than ours which does view abortion as a sin. Get over it. Not everyone lives in a world where controversial subjects like abortion are discussed over Big Macs and on daytime TV shows. The reason I watch films from other countries is to see things outside my culture (I especially find foreign exploitation cinema fascinating in this respect) not to have my own beliefs justified and played out before me. It's funny how people who insist they're open minded can be the most closed minded when confronted with other viewpoints. But, in their defense, the ending was played highly melodramatic, which can be viewed as hilarious, but I certainly heard some very "holier than thou" laughter mixed in. Rant over.
Anthony V

The kind of imaginative movie Hollywood wishes it could make.