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This account is not in use anymore, please remove me from your COT if I'm in there! My new account is JessL. If you want an explanation, see inside my profile. x
Member since:09.02.2003
Reviews:80
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My nerves are currently extremely frazzled, having watched The Ring last night. My friend lent it me on DVD, and having seen all the hype surrounding it, I was more than enthusiastic.
I tried to write this review last night, after I'd finished watching it, but I didn't even want to think about it and failed miserably. So this is my second attempt at reviewing The Ring!
The Ring is about a mysterious videotape. Apparently, if you watch it, you will receive a phone-call, and there is someone on the other end with a child-like voice, whispering 'seven days'. Seven days later, you die. Rachel Keller's (Naomi Watts) niece watches the film and dies, and she being a journalist, sets out to uncover the mystery. She, her ex-boyfriend and her son watch it, and she's in a race against time to save them.
You follow what she does on each day (Day 1, Day 2, etc), and even the most normal thing has you on edge because the music makes you think that something's
going to happen in the very next second.
It's a simple storyline, but very very effective. It terrified the crap out of me. There is something in the first five minutes (I'm not going to spoil it for you) that made me scream, and I mean scream. I didn't realise I was screaming and it didn't sound like me, and I tried to shut myself up but I couldn't. I tried to run upstairs to the safety of my sister but my legs were wobbly and I fell down the stairs. I burst into tears (and finally stopped screeching) and I rang my friend, and it took her 10 minutes to persuade me to go downstairs and turn it off. I managed to watch the rest of it though, which I was very proud of!
It does sound a bit cheesy - I mean, would you watch a video that you knew would kill you? And then would you leave it lying around for your son to watch? It's a bit silly, but if she didn't do that, there would be no film, so I'll let her off!
The video-tape disturbed me the most. There is a ladder propped up against the wall, a lighthouse, a tree, a woman brushing her hair, these black lumps when you look closer are horses... that really scared me. They sound normal written down but they really are well, at the very least distressing!
There is some very good acting in there. Rachel, played by Naomi Watts, and Noah her ex-boyfriend have been perfectly cast in those roles. If say, Nicole Kidman was Rachel, you would think 'look, it's Nicole Kidman pretending to be Rachel' but Naomi Watts is relatively unknown. The little boy, Aidan, is too trying to be Hayley Joel Osmend, and he just seems irritating and unnecessary to the plot.
Rachel is not a likeable figure. She seems obsessed with her work, and she's stubborn and hard-nosed. You do grow to like her though, because of her dilemma and you can see her genuine fear and confusion through those seven days. Noel is likeable enough, but never too involved in the film - you don't get to know him at all.
It gets more disturbing as she unravels the mystery of The Ring. There are gruesome images, shocking scenes and it puts genuine fear in your heart, however cynical you are. The little girl Samara genuinely scared me, and I just don't want to think about her.
This might not be suitable for horse-lovers however, as I found the scene involving one really disturbing, and I'm not particularly keen on the things as I'm allergic!
I thought the ending was rather disappointing, but then the REAL ending kicked in and terrified me. I swear my heart skipped a beat as it happened. It's totally unexpected, but neatly leaves room for a sequel to tie up all those loose ends.
The Ring is a disturbing, shocking and sometimes gruesome film. It's a horror, mystery and thriller put together and the result is the scariest film I've ever seen. It's the fear of the unknown that makes this film work, and for people who like to be scared, I'd recommend it. If you're like me, stay well away - I wish I did!
It lingers in your head for ages afterwards, just swirling around and I admit, I've been slightly more jumpy and on edge since when I watched it! The well part was very Scary-Movie style though, and slightly ridiculous. There are a few off scenes in the film which drag down the general quality, but overall it's a good film.
It's a remake of Ringu, a Japanese film, and is rated 15.
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This is a really good film. I watched the Japanese one last week after hearing it was supposed to be even better/scarier. I think it may have been but having seen the new version I knew what to expect so I wasn't too scared. Also the Japanese version doesn't have anything about horses in (it's something about a volcano instead) - so there's not that really grim scene. Kerry x
Andy.mack 06.03.2003 21:04
The thing that puts me off is that its a horror but its also a 15. Andy
WormThatTurned 06.03.2003 19:27
I saw this last week and wasnt expecting that much but what a great scary film it is, I think its the best horror film since well.....ever!!
An unexpected marriage of big-budget production values and low-budget instincts,The ... more
Ringoffers chills to be savoured. Usually when Hollywood indulges its cash-hungry game of remaking foreign films the result sacrifices much of what made the original so...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
An unexpected marriage of big-budget production values and low-budget instincts,The ... more
Ringoffers chills to be savoured. Usually when Hollywood indulges its cash-hungry game of remaking foreign films the result sacrifices much of what made the original so...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
![The Ring [DVD] [2003]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78523730.jpg "The Ring [DVD] [2003]")
Mar 6th, 2003
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