A Trickster Review : The Ring

[The Trickster]

The Ring

For the uninitiated, The Ring is a remake of a Japanese film called Ringu. The original film was a major success in Japan, and also managed to cause a few waves elsewhere in the industry with it’s intelligent take on what was becoming a very stale and lifeless genre, the horror film. I had heard good things when I originally picked up Ringu from the video store one evening, but nothing prepared me for the tense atmosphere and downright creepiness of the Japanese version. It seemed ripe for a Hollywood remake, and here it is.
The Ring is directed by Gore Verbinski (The Mexican, Mouse Hunt). None of his previous films gave any indication that he was up to creating the atmosphere necessary for The Ring, so I was initially sceptical. It came as a pleasant surprise to see the beautiful Naomi Watts was onboard for the film. After being hypnotised by her performance in Mulholland Drive, I had been very interested to see what project she would undertake next. The only other actor that was recognisable to me before watching the film, was Brian Cox, who was the first actor to take on the role of Hannibal in Manhunter, which he did very successfully, if not as memorably as Anthony Hopkin’s portrayal.

Story
The Ring starts with a couple of teenage girls discussing the myth of a particular videotape. If someone watches the tape, they have only 7 more days to live. It quickly becomes apparent, that this not just a myth, when teenagers who have seen it start to die.
Rachel Keller (Watts) gets caught up in the happenings, after a relative dies unexplainably. She watches the tape, the phone rings, as she’s told she has only 7 days to live. The audience is then taken along for the ride of the next 7 days, while Rachel tries to avoid dying, by unravelling the history of the videotape, while trying to find an explanation for it all.

The Good
When one hears the basic story of The Ring, it is not unusual for them to think just how silly it sounds. If someone watches a strange video tape, then that person has seven days until they will die. I know the idea sounded ridiculous to me. But that’s the beauty of film! When it is done well, suspending belief for a couple of hours is not difficult. The Ring is done so convincingly, that what could have been another failed teenage slasher type film, becomes a chilling and tense experience, that sits very neatly alongside The Sixth Sense and The Others. Like the other two films, The Ring is held together by a very fine performance. On this occasion, it’s Naomi Watts, whose star continues to rise, with another standout project.
The visuals of the film are outstanding, and the sound is also top notch. This film does not rely on gore or sound related shocks to get the audience cringing, it relies purely on a creepiness that doesn’t let up for the entirety of the 2 hours running time.
I should also state that The Ring is not just a shot for shot remake of Ringu. Like Red Dragon, this version adds to the original, and in this case, makes adjustments to the story that make more sense and gives it a completeness that the original lacked.

The Bad
I really don’t have much to say here. I do wish that CGI had been avoided in a couple of scenes. The original film did not use much in the way of computer created special effects, which gave it a much more realistic expression. The CGI in this film is by no means over the top, and I can’t even say that it’s not exceptional, but I can still tell it’s being used. The day that I can’t tell whether computer effects are being used or not, I will be much more satisifed with their use.
I do also think that Rachel seemed to stumble in the right direction without clear evidence, so that the story could continue, but then I’m getting pretty picky.

Overall
Another extremely intelligent horror film that delivers on its promise and will certainly give you a few chair gripping moments. Go see it.

9 out of 10.

[the sauceman]

Thanks for the review Trick, I couldnt decide whether to see the movie or not because I have been getting mixed reactions from everyone else who has seen it.
Some people said it was one of the best horror movie they had seen in a long time, and others said it was one of the most stupid and unbelievable movies they had ever seen.
So I appreciate the little clear up...

Is it available on dvd?

[The Trickster]

Originally posted by Mono: Is it available on dvd?

Not yet. It is still showing at the cinemas, so it will be a few months before a DVD release. If you can't get to the cinemas, check out the Japanese version, Ringu.

[Sio]

<font color="Deepskyblue">Just got the original on DVD, havent watched it yet but im looking forward to it, even get to see the actual videotape in the extras of the DVD </font>

[Memnoch]

I've been wanting to see this movie for a while.

[Bahamut]

The Japanese version they say is creepier than the American one... on which I already agree...

The movie got me a new perspective on tvs... [img]smile.gif[/img]

[shadowhound]

An excellent movie, very creepy [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Bahamut]

I have watched the Hollywood Version.

Trickster, the mother supposedly has psychic powers also like in Ringgu, but then it wasn't emphasized here- only on her son.

I have to say the CGI was not so bad... especially on the ending... man the "jump" got me jumping.

I like the thing though on how they made the movie up-to-date and the story much more clearer than the Japanese (after all, the Japanese has two more Riggus). I wonder if they are up for the sequel... [img]smile.gif[/img]

My friend and i were wondering what would happen if you combined the Japanese and Hollywood version on their best traits... could we still survive? hehe