I disagree with this review. More supernatural scenes? Preventing people's deaths? As in, he should have seen more ghost's and became some life-saving fortune-teller? All that stuff sounds terrible to me. We have enough cheap thrillers that do this kind of thing. This movie was original. And the infrequency of the ghost scenes is what made them so terrifying for me. I watch a ton of horror movies and read a lot of scary novels (I'm a horror fanatic) and most fall flat and disappoint. This movie, however, scared the bejesus out of me. I also found it very moving.
To address some of the things you said: if he really was seeing a ghost, it was his father-in-law's because he was the only person his father-in-law had left. Another thing: he handled the situation exactly as anyone else in real life would. What was he supposed to do? He didn't know any more than you or I did. So he just continued to go on with his life. Which is normal and what most people would do in reality if they actually were being haunted. Think about it: in just about every ghost movie, when a person realizes their house is being haunted, their entire life becomes about that ghost. It's ridiculous. And that's not what happens in this film. It's not as if there's nothing else going on in this man's life. Michael's still coping with the loss of his wife, his failures as a writer, raising two children by himself, and his relationship (or lack-thereof) with his ailing father-in-law -- all of which is basically resolved at the end of the film. He has a therapeutic encounter with his wife, a new promise at love, and the possibility of a book deal.
As for back-story, enough is given away throughout the film for the audience to follow. You just have to pay attention. It's all very subtle, as the writer of the script didn't do what most writer's call "lining pipe." This means that they add a bunch of dialogue that a person in real life would never say so they can set up the plot for the audience (i.e. "Hey, an attitude like that is why you got fired from your job and have to live with me now, little bro"). I hate it when movies have "pipelines" because it's unrealistic and it assumes everyone watching the film is an idiot. Good writing can allow you to enter someone's life at anytime and assumes you're smart enough to figure out for yourself who everyone is and what's happening.
I don't think there was any giving up. It was a really well-told story and I absolutely loved it.
"The guy we're meeting with can't even grow his own hair?!? COME ON!!!" -Gob
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