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Member since:08.03.2001
Reviews:254
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…Blatant false advertising! Let me get petty here for a moment. If I rent a film called “Zombie Death Slather” then I expect drooling, the undead and some killings. When I rent a movie called “Ring”, I either want to see some delightful jewellery or some exposed bottoms. What was I thinking?
Oh yeah, that’s right. I want to see another hyped-up horror flick.
Asian horror movies are VERY sh*t and miss. I remember seeing the supposedly petrifying “Devil 666 - Satan Returns” a while back and laughing out loud. There were some good, gritty fight scenes, but it was a cheap knock-off of “Se7en”, and ends with the ridiculous line “Oh – and I am the daughter of Satan”. Sorry if I ruined it for ya, but just watching it ruined ME, and made me want to place Atomic Fireball candies into my eyes and drink cayenne pepper hot sauce to try and sweat the bad experience from my mind. A few days in casualty later, I realised that watching a different movie may be a more sane thing to attempt…
Only now have I found a movie worthy of watching on Hallowe’en. This movie is Ring (Ringu in its original Japanese – sounds too much like Pingu to be scary…). I am bloody petrified just thinking about it. Let’s get plot-wise.
***THE PLOT*** Meet Asakawa. She’s a hot-shot reporter who has become embroiled in the story of a mysterious videotape. Seemingly an urban myth, this tape has been blamed for the deaths of many a teenager (including her niece, who died at EXACTLY the same time as 3 of her friends). According to the schoolgirls she interviews, anyone who watches the tape then receives a phone call. A voice says “you saw it” and seven days later, the viewer/s of the tape will die. Asakawa’s investigation takes her to a remote cabin, where she watches the tape (doh!) and soon receives the call. Initially unfazed, she ropes in her ex-husband to help solve the mystery of the disturbing images on the tape, and to save herself… * * * * *
It’s a pretty odd concept to swallow – and yet an intriguing one. Asian movies
do have more of a “just accept it” mentality. A giant lizard attacking Tokyo? Yeah, that’ll be your radiation run-off mate, left it on too long didn’t ya? Looks like this needs…ooh, I’d say at least one Mothra and possibly a Megalon. Can’t get them to ya until Friday though mate. Monsters is touchy, knoworramean? You may well not buy the explanation behind the tape’s lethal power when it does come around – but then, they didn’t REALLY go into space to film Star Wars y’know? Suspension of disbelief.
So, comparatively this is more of a Blair Witch than a Jeepers Creepers, though it does feature a satisfying payoff – which some folks thought was missing from ver Witch. It did a fine job of maintaining a sense of unease up me. The introductory sequence a la Scream (the whole movie is filled with Western film-making sensibilities) features two schoolgirls nattering about the legendary tape. There are lots of wrong-footings as the pair wind each other up with scare stories, and the phone rings as they talk… all building to sofa-clenching effect, and no over-the-top gore in sight. Superb. In fact, maybe Blair Witch is the wrong movie to have in mind. It’s more “Jacob’s Ladder” – inexplicable terror infecting the ordinary world. Just no Vietnam allegory. The characters here haven’t even done anything wrong – no “have sex/drugs/a game of spunky biscuit and you’re dead” crap here. They’re just fodder, because they’ve seen something other-worldly.
You could also compare this to Videodrome – the obvious message to be read into the main plot is that watching too much TV can sap your life away. This is way too simple on reflection – and a quick glance at the description of this movie may well “turn you off” - ha ha. Stick with this movie and be justly rewarded with a far more complex tale that you would expect. I for one sat down thinking “yawn. This’ll just be folks getting sucked into TVs (no, that was the x-rated Danny La Rue documentary) and getting moidered.” Wrong! In fact, there are NO on-screen deaths at all. It doesn’t need them.
Rather that viscera all over the place, this relies on genuine surprises (flash cuts to past events go BANG onto the screen, rather than the most hated of all false scares – the jumping cat) and creeping dread to incredible effect. Long shots from the ends of hallways make you think something is watching. The most effective of all these creep-outs comes near the end, when a painfully long sequence at the home of someone involved in the videotape turns out to have NO frights in it. Instead, the entire sequence is a set-up for a simple effect (no CGI or anything here, all effects were prop based – excellent!) that had been hyped up by anyone who I spoke to about it (moreso by Mark Kermode when this was shown on Channel 4 recently). Rightly so…this stuck in my craw all night when I first saw it and it’s still there now. You thought the TV was trouble in Poltergeist? Balls. You’ll unplug yours every night after this. No, not your balls – do grow up. >;)
Acting wise, you’d think such a tale wouldn’t require the greatest thespians in the world, but the standard is great from all concerned. Obviously it’s not THAT easy to tell how good the vocal acting is – being in Japanese with subtitles. It doesn’t appear over the top, and the child actor isn’t a whinging brat. What more d’you want? Blood? You don’t get it, I told you already! This is PSYCHOLOGICAL! Well, the odd corpse does litter the screen – all of them have a contorted scream of fear on their fizzogs, like The Joker’s victims in the Batman movie only scary.
The Hollywood remake (coming late 2002!) will be an interesting experience, if they can capture the mood of the piece. Especially tricky could be the imagery on the videotape (Ringu purists are frothing at the face at the mere mention of tampering with the scenes) – which is very particular FOR A GOOD REASON – it does become (sort of) clear as the movie goes on. Tattooed eyeballs, men pointing into the distance with bags on their head, and some kind of screeching noise in the background do make for a rather eerie – if confusing – experience. I was frantic that the script would end on an annoying cliffhanger and not explain what it all meant – fortunately it’s all wrapped up nicely in the end, but leaving a nice clear path for as more sequels than a George Lucas production.
In fact – there are a few other Ring movies – Ringu 2 (apparently crap), Ringu 0 – a prequel (again – not so good, they say), Rasen – a sub-sequel that was made at the same time as Ringu – and scoffed on by Ringu purists. Finally there’s Ring Virus – a virtual remake from Korea. Phew! Most hardcore Ringu fans dislike this version, though it does include more elements from the novel (part one of a trilogy itself) than Ringu does. I’m pining after an English translation of the Ring trilogy, but there still isn;t one. This may be the USA remake’s only saving grace - if it stinks, at least the novels may well fare better!
If you’re after a surreal thriller, this is probably going to be right up your alley. The fine little touches of scaryness build to a crawl-into-the-corner-and-hide climax, the imagery is rich (important in a subtitled movie!) and the score minimal and non-intrusive. If you hold no truck with “oh yeah, by the way” plot turns and inexplicable events (there are a few David Lynch style crossing-over of dreams and visions into reality mainly) then steer clear – it’s not going to be something for everyone, hence my 4-star rating. For those with open minds and strong bowels, rent this, or buy this and love it.
ASAKAWA REIKO: Matsushima Nanako TAKAYAMA RYUJI: Hiroyuki Sanada TAKANO MAI - Nakatani Miki
Directed by Nakata Hideo, screenplay by Takahashi Hiroshi from the original novel by Suzuki Koji.
Rated 18 for strong psychological horror and occasional corpses.
Running time – Just over 1 and a half hours by my reckoning!
Currently on sale in Virgin & HMV for around £17 in the World Cinema section. Probably cheaper elsewhere – but then, I’m an idiotic impulse buyer.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ For all your Ring related needs – great help for me with the cast names – the check this site out:
http://www.somrux.com/ringworld/index.htm
It’s got all the good stuff on the movies, the books, and a very handy FAQ section which sheds light (and speculation) on the meanings of things. You can also see video clips of the most outstanding sequences of Ring – I recommend not watching them until you’ve seen the movie – unless you like spoilers that is!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Things I learned from watching this movie:
If someone DIES from doing something, DON’T DO IT YOURSELF! Corpses have lovely hair. Never mock a psychic. Messing with the paranormal can cock up your photo collection.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 1998 - Horror - Director: Stephen Norrington - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristofferson, N'Bushe Wright, Donal Logue, Udo Keir, Traci Lords, Udo Kier
Production Year: 2000 - Horror - Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Carmen Electra, Anna Faris, Kurt Fuller, James Van Der Beek, Keenen Ivory Wayans
Scariest I've ever seen... just for that background music. Makes me shiver just thinking about it. Nice op, JB
Dr.Annabel_Lecter 29.05.2002 00:00
Hmm, a Hollywood remake. They'd better not spoil it. VGd op, Zoey*
faithbuck 20.05.2002 15:30
A good appraisal. I found this film a bit slow-moving and essentially meaningless but definitely classy. I was a little bit let-down after the first 10 minutes which were far more suspenseful then the subsequent scenes. I thought. Fx
May 9th, 2002
(May 10th, 2002)
very helpful by (100%):
