Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Suicides, graphic violence in creepy supernatural horror.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Guardian
What's the Story?
In THE GUARDIAN, Lam Phuong (Salim) is a young pop star found dead in her bathtub of an apparent suicide. The reason she took her own life was because she was drugged by three men in a nightclub, who then took advantage of her and made a sex video that was starting to go viral. She's also discovered to be with a Kumanthong doll, leading some to speculate that the doll and the black magic surrounding it had something to do with her death. In the aftermath of Lam's suicide, Ly (Truc Anh), one of Lam's backup singers, finds herself possibly on the verge of the fame and success that had been out of reach. Ly finds herself in possession of a Kumanthong doll, and begins making wishes to it -- everything from desires for pop stardom to a romance with manager and Lam's ex-lover Khanh. But fame and success aren't all that they're cracked up to be, and Ly's requests of the Kumanthong doll go in an increasingly vengeful and violent direction. Ly must find out what's really happening with this doll that's increasingly taking control of her life, and must choose what's really important in life.
Is It Any Good?
This is an overlong, melodramatic supernatural Vietnamese horror movie on the perils of fame and fortune. The Guardian centers on creepy dolls and the aspiring pop stars who make wishes and present sacrifices to them, and at over two hours long, still manages to squeeze in scenes of pop music performances with dance sequences, a love affair, and some other side stories that would've been better off on the cutting room floor. There's a high quality to the direction, cinematography, acting, and overall style, but none of this can compensate for a padded story, and a shopworn "creepy doll horror movie" story at that. The plot twist/big reveal isn't bad, but it comes across as forced as the movie's overall messages about success in the music industry being not all it's cracked up to be.
Indeed, the movie's comments on said fame and fortune grow increasingly tiresome. 1980s afterschool specials about Satanism and/or underage beer drinking are less heavy-handed than this, and, to their credit, '80s afterschool specials didn't resort to creepy dolls and ugly sacrifices of baby birds to make their points. There's a feeling throughout The Guardian that it should be better than it is. With a bit more editing, it might have been a decent supernatural horror story rather than a weird melodrama with creepy images and suicides. That said, if the movie's purpose is to make those younger viewers who are considering a career in pop stardom to maybe find another line of work on LinkedIn, it's successful enough in that regard, but as an attempt at a supernatural horror story, it falls short.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about supernatural horror movies like The Guardian. How does the movie use supernatural forces to try to create scares?
How does the movie address issues like suicide and victims of cyberbullying and exploitation?
What messages do you think the movie was trying to communicate about the perils of fame and fortune, and society's obsession with these?
Movie Details
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