... The Ring has evolved much like the tape in the film itself, except without killing people. It has gained recognition and notoriety among people and has slowly become a stand out film in the crowded horror genre. It seemed unlikely that the remake would better the original or indeed come ... Read review
The Ring is a cinematic thrill ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat from the ... more
stunning opening to the astonishing conclusion!It begins as just another urban legend - the whispered tale of a nightmarish videotape that causes anyone who watches it to die seven days later. But when four teenagers all meet with mysterious deaths exactly one week after watching just such a tape, investigative reporter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) tracks down the video... and watches it. Now, the legend is coming true, the clock is ticking and Rachel has just seven days to unravel the mystery of The Ring.
The Ring - Vienna's Casual Luxury Hotel is one of the city's chicest and most modern ... more
5-star design hotels, situated right in the centre on the famous Ring boulevard, 200 metres from the Opera.The hotel's 19th-century façade conceals a sensual interior. Historic details like the listed elevator are combined with a flair of contemporary design.The rooms are atmospheric spaces featuring an inspiring mix of contemporary and classic furniture complemented by an innovative light concept and luxurious bathrooms. Many guest rooms have a beautiful view of the historic Viennese Ringstraße.Wireless internet access is available throughout the entire hotel.Experience outstanding cuisine in the luxurious yet casual atmosphere of the restaurant. A special highlight is the wine cellar, where 770 bottles of the best international and Austrian wines and champagnes are stored.The inviting bar serves coffee, cakes and snacks, and specialises in Vodka drinks.The Ring Day Spa with its top-floor fitness and spa area boasts magnificent views over the rooftops of Vienna. The fitness area features state-of-the-art training equipment, with every machine being equipped with a television, video and headphones.The fitness area is open to all guests of The Ring free of charge, 24 hours a day.From the spa area you enjoy exquisite views of the beautiful Karlskriche. Guests can choose between various treatments for both body and face.
Postage & Packaging:refer to website Availability:Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
From Academy Award-winning director Richard Attenborough (Gandhi, Shadowlands) comes ... more
Closing the Ring, a deeply moving love story of an American woman who honours a wartime promise of love with a lifetime of heartache until the discovery of a gold ring reawakens her.
The stunning Ukrainian beauty Olga Kurylenko stars in this erotic tale of a young woman's ... more
increasingly fetishtic relationship with her new boss.Iris is 20 years old and looking for work. She comes across a strange laboratory where she is taken on as an assistant. Clients come in regularly, bringing with them all sorts of personal possessions which are processed and preserved forever. Things turn stranger when her employer requires her to wear red high heels and without fully grasping what is at play around her, Iris is drawn into a dark world of sexual obsession.
The terror continues as Naomi Watts reprises her role as investigative reporter Rachel ... more
Keller in The Ring Two, the heart-pounding suspense thriller that's even scarier and more intense than the first.To escape their haunting memories, Rachel and her son start a new life in a small Oregon town. But when evidence at a local crime scene reveals a mysterious unmarked videotape, Rachel realises that the vengeful Samara is back and more determined than ever to continue her relentless cycle of terror. In a desperate, life-or-death battle, Rachel must confront Samara once again to save herself and her son.
Advantages: Fairly well told | A good effort Disadvantages: Plot annoyances | Tries too hard | Just not as scary
...was a cocky one, with the big Hollywood Execs thinking that they could match the same level of fear that the original Ring gave us. The Ring has evolved much like the tape in the film itself, except without killing people. It has gained recognition and notoriety among people and has slowly become a stand out film in the crowded horror genre. It seemed unlikely that the remake would better the original or indeed come close, after all the Japanese ... ...big budget remake wouldn’t create the same atmosphere. Nevertheless viewing the remade version of the Ring should tried to be done with no preconceptions and judged to see whether it is good as a stand alone film and not just one that measures up to the Japanese original.
The story of the ring is a tale you would find easily on urban legend websites. A strange video is doing the rounds depicting all matter of strange images and scenes, ... more
An American remake of a cult, low budget Japanese horror? It was certainly a bold move or maybe it was a cocky one, with the big Hollywood Execs thinking that they could match the same level of fear that the original Ring gave us. The Ring has evolved much like the tape in the film itself, except without killing people. It has gained recognition and notoriety among people and has slowly become a stand out film in the crowded horror genre. It seemed unlikely that the remake would better the original or indeed come close, after all the Japanese film gained the scares from its low budget origins as well as subject matter, a big budget remake wouldn’t create the same atmosphere. Nevertheless viewing the remade version of the Ring should tried to be done with no preconceptions and judged to see whether it is good as a stand alone film and not just one that measures up to the Japanese original.
The story of the ring is a tale you would find easily on urban legend websites. A strange video is doing the rounds depicting all matter of strange images and scenes, nothing too weird in that. However after watching the video the phone will ring telling you that you have seven days to live. Someone who has had the misfortune of watching the tape is Rachel’s (Naomi Watts) niece. After hearing about the tape at the funeral the journalist inside Rachel decides to investigate and, as you do, she watches the tape and soon receives the phone call. She now has a week to solve the mystery of the tape and save herself as well as her son Aiden (David Dorfmann) and her ex partner Noah (Martin Henderson) who have also come in contact with the tape.
Though the film is quite a slow burner the pacing seems relatively quick. When the investigating is taking place we are never subjected to a piece of it for too long. While some links may seem obvious they never cut in to the film too much to make you just wanting them to get on with it. There does seem a sizeable chunk of the film devoted to Rachel and Noah’s relationship. While it doesn’t eat into the film too much it doesn’t really add much to it only for them to form a bond that could set up to be broken and thus have a bigger impact. This does seem unnecessary though and while time is spent on it not enough time is spent on Noah enough to gage where he thinks their relationship should be going as the film progresses. The second half of the film also seems a bit too fumbled and rushed and the attempt to explain the inexplicable makes it soon become a detective-story by numbers even with the weird subject matter it soon begins to feel tired.
The film doesn’t rely on gore to give you scares. There is very little graphic display of blood and guts in the film and only a few quick shots can be seen as ‘disturbing’. What the film does do well is the way it is shot. Never has America looked so dark and gloomy, with constant rain and a colour palette seemingly only consisting of grey, the film certainly looks the part. Director Gore Verbinski really does love to play with the camera though and we are treated to far more imaginative, stylish shots during the film. The video itself is suitably creepy enough and that even without the phone call at the end it’s a type of video that will stick in your mind after watching. Shots outside of the video are just as well made, the sun turning the tree leaves red, the lightning throughout the film and, of course, the hugely frantic ending give this film a very nice touch. There are, of course, some typical horror movie moments. Light switches seem to be ignored in favour of pitch-blackness when exploring creepy old places also to build up tension the obligatory endless slow walk to the place they are supposed to be getting to arises.
Luckily the cast do a reasonable job in the film. Naomi Watts is actually likeable which is odd considering she’s a reporter and blonde and busty. While not the first choice for the role (Paltrow and Beckinsale were also considered for the parts) she perform the role well. We are luckily not given too much of the clichéd ‘mum reporter so cant see her kid a lot’ (though that does crop up a little) routine and she seems just as committed to her relationship with her son as well as her job. Speaking of the son, I’ve never been fond of little kids in films, let alone little American kids with substantial roles in films. Dorfmann does a commendable piece but I didn’t warm to him. He seems to have been lumped in to being too serious in the film, he even calls his mum ‘Rachel’, and so he comes across as cold and stuck up. However he does the typically scary, wide-eyed, all knowing child role well and it could have been a lot worse. Martin Henderson’s role is, as said earlier, not as big as it should have been but he grows on you during the film from being a cocky, carefree guy to someone intent on saving his family. A mention has to go to the girl playing Samara. She doesn’t really come close to matching the chilling performance given in the original. A young girls American voice just isn’t that scary but she looks the part and is unsettling enough to make it just about work.
Obviously, then, the film doesn’t come near matching the original. Changes such as the horse rampage and the coughing fit certainly stand out but don’t do much to add to the story. It seems, also, that the film is trying to hard to be moody and outlandish. The gloomy setting nearly slips into cliché territory and even with his great directional shots it doesn’t really hide the fact that The Ring is a copy of an original, far darker piece of film that seemed effortless in providing scares. That said if you haven’t seen the original then this is going to seem a whole lot fresher but for those who have this seems a meaningless exercise albeit a relatively entertaining one.
This really is a commendable effort and it could have been a whole lot worse but The Ring does just about manage to stand its own ground. The acting is solid, the plot fairly well told and enough to keep you interested all the way through. It is all too easy to slam the film for not measuring up to the original just as it is unavoidable but go into it with a fresh mind and you may just enjoy it. If this was released without the original it would have been a great film but now it just has to settle for being pretty good.
THE RING IS
Interestingly shot A pretty decent remake Just about identical to the original
THE RING IS NOT
Without its charm As bad as it could have been As unsettling the second time round
Advantages: Genuinely haunting, chilling and disturbing Disadvantages: A couple of minor problems with the plot
...Watts) vows to get to the bottom of the death. Rachel discovers that three of Katie’s friends are also dead; chillingly, all four teenagers died at 10 p.m. on the same night. Rachel’s search for the truth leads her to Shelter Mountain Inn, a secluded holiday retreat, visited by all four teenagers, just a week before their death. There she discovers a horrifying video tape which contains a series of haunting and terrifying images. Her ... ...days.” With the help of her friend, photographic expert Noah (Martin Henderson), Rachel tries to track down the secret of the video and tries to avert her impending death. Her search takes her to a secluded island and the mysterious Morgan Ranch, of which only the reclusive Richard Morgan now remains. Once a successful horse ranch, the horses are long gone, after a mysterious disease drove them mad and caused them to run suicidally into the ...
Pumpkin 13.10.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Ring (DVD)
Advantages: Creepy, atmospheric, innovative story line Disadvantages: None for me
...dismisses her school’s concern for the welfare of her son Aidan as merely symptoms of the child’s grief. It is only when the teacher points out that Aidan was drawing pictures of the girl’s death BEFORE it happened that Rachel becomes curious. Whilst at the girl’s funeral, Rachel comforts the girl’s mother who is inconsolable with grief and bewilderment. The wretched woman begs Katie to try and find out what led to her ... ...as the reason for asking her to do it.
Unable to disappoint the woman, Rachel initially sets about investigating the girl’s death closer, by talking to Katie’s close friends. It transpires that a week before her death, Katie spent time with three other friends in a secluded woodland cabin. Even more strangely, it turns out that all four of the teenagers present that night were killed exactly seven days later, at exactly the same time. ...
LostWitness 29.01.2003 (21.02.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Ring (DVD)
Advantages: supernatural horror, done in the best possible way Disadvantages: it makes you think, it's not gory (couldbe disadvantages depending on who you are)
...they decided on ‘Ringu’, being the most infamous one.
My husband has seen both versions, and suggested that if I wanted to watch the original, it might be best to watch the remake first, as he found some of the original hard to follow (what with not understanding some of the Japanese references, and the whole language for that matter). Being a fan of Japanese horror, I was obviously planning to watch ‘Ringu’ eventually, so I decided to take his ... ...how it happened. After questioning the girl’s friends, it becomes apparent that she watched a video with three friends from another school a week before, and the other three students died on the same night, and at the same time as she did. Rachel follows the trail to the cabin they stayed in when they watched the video, and finds the tape for herself. She watches it, and finds it is a bizarre mixture of black and white images, showing horses on a ...
pesky33 26.05.2004 (30.05.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Ring (DVD)
Advantages: Loads. Great film all round - tense, disturbing and very scary. Disadvantages: So good that it's actually unsettling and not easy to watch.
Let's cut to the chase, 'The Ring' is the best film I've seen in ages. It's been a very long time since I emerged from a cinema feeling shaken, emotionally drained and in desperate need of a stiff drink, the last time was probably when 'Se7en' came out. Put simply, The Ring scared the crap out of me.
There are two kinds of horror film these days, the first is the trendy, post-modern teen-slasher flick epitomised by the likes of Scream, I Know What ... ...call really 'scary', not like the classic horrors of the 70's like The Exorcist, The Shining and The Omen.
Thanks to a little film called 'The Sixth Sense' though, proper 'scary' films - with proper 'scary' storylines, good acting, originality and genuine suspense are back in fashion again (Stir of Echoes, Blair Witch, The Others, What Lies Beneath etc..).
The Ring most definitely falls into the latter of these categories and, for my money, is ...
Howiemon 07.03.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Ring (DVD)
Advantages: Scary, Atmospheric thriller without the gore. Disadvantages: Plot is far from perfect
The Ring
Cert. 15
Running time. 115 minutes
Genre. horror/thriller
Cast. Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, David Dorfman, Daveigh Chase, Brian Cox, Shannon Cochran, Amber Tamblyn, Rachael Bella
Director. Gore Verbinski
Distributer. UIP
The opening sequences of this film emit false illusions into what the film could be like. Very 'Screamesque' like in appearance two teenage girls, Katie (Amber Tamblyn) and Becca (Rachael Bella) are in Katie's ... ...Becca: 'Have you heard the story about this weird videotape that kills you when you watch it, it looks like someones nightmare, after you watch it, your phone rings, you pick it up and the voice on the other line says you will die in 7 days' The look on Katie's face not only tells us she's heard about it but she's seen it too.
The phone ringing downstairs interrupts the moment and terrified Katie answers the phone only for it to be her mother. But ...
WormThatTurned 14.04.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Ring (DVD)
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Advantages: Good cinematic effects, graphics and landscape Disadvantages: A little too long
A visual threat of roiling flames, cool clashes of metal and a clear distinct fight between good and evil, Lord of the Rings had outdone many other shows, bagging acclaimed awards and leaving people hungry for more. It is able to blend a kind of fantasy- like orcs and goblins, mages and wizards with a very rustic and ancient setting of Middle East, The Shire, Mordor, and other architectural sets. It leaves us gasping and transfixed in our seats, for every battle, every story stimulates the senses, coupled with good humour and wisdom. This movie shows the rise and ebb of civilizations, great kings and ultimately, the fight between Good and Evil. Wow! A great buy with all three sequels bunched in! A must watch indeed! ...
The basic storyline is;-
watch a videotape and the telephone rings and tells you you will die in 7 days.....when told this you are totally freaked out while watching the tape and waiting for the phone to ring.
A group of teenagers try to prove the story wrong by watching the tape but, they end up dead - so, is there any truth in it? journalist Rachel stumbles across the tape after her niece is one of the teens to die - she watches the film and is told she will die - determined to find the truth she embarks on a struggle to live.
I actually put off watching this dvd after being told it was crap - but, having just watched it i loved every minute of it...it totally kept me intrigued all the way through...
in the collectors edition you get ring1 and ring 2 - in ring 2 the story continues after rachel thought she had escaped ...
magoogy 05.02.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of The Ring (DVD)
Advantages: THE greatest horror movie ever made Disadvantages: Pace too slow for most Westerners to get into
stay awake if she believes herself that she will.........
A genuinely moving and beautiful little story - that is part of "Ring" trilogy box set as a separate DVD for no apparent reason. So if you hate horror movie look out for Sleeping Bride anyway.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Mainly film notes
Making of Ring 0: Birthday
Trailers
Ring 0 Deleted scenes
To be honest there are no real items of interest on the special features, but it does have a nice moving hologram as you can see on the picture of this DVD.
VERDICT
For fans of "Ring" this is a nice box set to have, but it is a little pricey maybe for what you get. The price is now about £25 - I bought only because I had some Amazon vouchers, and the original £39.99 was a rip-off.
The interesting thing about Ring movie is that the movie is about a film that if you see you die and you ...
Michele Weisler, Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, Michael Macari
Director of Photography
Bojan Bazelli
Author
Koji Suzuki
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Bonus Feature - 1. DON'T WATCH THIS VIDEO, Bonus Short - 1. THE RING VIDEO, Trailer, Scene Access, Interactive Menus
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 English French German
Professional reviews
Review
"...Very elegantly crafted....Watts has a live-wire charisma reminiscent of the young Debra Winger..." (Entertainment Weekly, p.54, 25/10/2002)
"...One of the keys to making THE RING work as well as it does is the strong performance of Watts....Her presence succeeds in making us believe..." (Los Angeles Times, p.C5, 18/10/2002)
"...THE RING sticks very close to the original script....The film-makers add some impressive sequences..." (Sight and Sound, p.49-50, 01/04/2003)
"...Smart, savvy and distinct....There's a troubling atmosphere that clogs up your throat..." (Total Film, p.96, 01/03/2003)
"...It creates a gloomy and disturbing mood..." (USA Today, p.3E, 18/10/2002)
"...A stylish Hollywood remake....[The] craft elements are fine, with special kudos to the Method Studios for creating the compellingly mysterious Ring video as well as visual effects..." (Variety, p.21-9, 07/10/2002)
DVD Description
In Gore Verbinski's remake of Hideo Nakata's chilling horror film, a group of teenagers all die suddenly and inexplicably exactly one week after watching a mysterious videotape at a remote cabin in the Pacific Northwest. Journalist Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts), a relative of one of the victims, begins an investigation that leads to a mountain resort where she discovers the tape, which contains footage of random and surreal images. After viewing the tape, Rachel receives a phone call stating that she, too, has seven days left to live. As the clock ticks away, Rachel enlists the help of her former boyfriend Noah (Martin Henderson), who is the father of her startlingly serious young son Aidan (David Dorfman). Assisted by the intuitive illustrations of Aidan and the initially reluctant research of Noah, Rachel attempts to discover the significance of the cryptic tape before her time is up. The original RING, based on a novel by Koji Suzuki, was a cult phenomenon in Japan, spawning a sequel, a prequel, and other spin-offs. Although Verbinski's adaptation shares much in common with its Japanese counterpart, the director distinctly alters numerous plot elements and, in grandiose Hollywood style, employs a much larger budget. The beautiful cinematography is one of the more telling enhancements, along with added screen time for other characters, including the morose Richard Morgan (Brian Cox). However, the key to this RING is Watts, who shines through the creepy atmosphere in a role that follows her success in MULHOLLAND DRIVE. This would appear to be no coincidence, since the film comes across like a David Lynch version of an X-FILES episode that presents shockingly scary moments and makes the most out of the unknown.
![The Ring [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78488210.jpg "The Ring [DVD]")
