(Please note, this review is my own work and was originally written for a now inactive website called DVDDebate.com)
There is an urban legend about a video tape. If you watch it, seven days later, you die in unexplained and horrible circumstances. After her niece falls victim to it, hard-nosed reporter Rachel Keller decides to get to the bottom of this mystery. Once she herself has seen the tape, she becomes convinced she is going to die. Calling on the aid of her ex they both set to work peeling away the layers of a very disturbing story. What they find at the bottom is not pleasant.
I was fortunate enough to see the original 'Ring' or rather 'Ringu' (Hideo Nakata 1998) before the US remake was announced and it stuck in my mind like a splinter. From the creepy opening to the devastating denouement I was captivated by the artful and most notably restrained hand of the craftsmen who put it together. It was subtle and effective and left you feeling washed out, rattled and distressed; everything a great chiller should. I therefore had a mixed reaction when I found out that Hollywood had seen it too and wanted to make it accessible to a wider audience (read "American horror junkies with bottomless wallets and many friends"). I saw the sequel to the original and was again intrigued but less affected by the continuing storyline. I avoided 'Ring 0' because it was reputedly awful. Then suddenly the Hollywood re-imaging was upon us and I went to see a preview at the cinema, taking with me my girlfriend who had seen the Japanese version
with me and was a little freaked out and my housemate who had not seen any of them. We were all surprised and impressed.
Verbinski seemed to me an odd choice. I had enjoyed 'The Mexican' and even loved 'Mouse Hunt' but neither of them seemed to me to be good primers for something as complex and cerebral as this horror. However he handles it surprisingly well. The atmosphere is laid on thick and oppressive, sometimes a little too miserable. You wonder why anybody wants to live in this godforsaken and unnamed American place. Water is used with dripping malice and slowly pooling doom-laden portent, much like Nakata's other (and I would say superior to 'Ringu') effort, 'Dark Water'. The problem is that occasionally he becomes a little too heavy-handed with the editing. It pains me to say this as it is consistently effective, but the over-use of flash-cuts and shock zooms leaves the rancid flavour of a student film in the mouth on a few occasions. However this is only a small complaint and merely serves as a perfect example of the differences between this and the more creeping original.
Watts, like her star turn in the superb 'Mulholland Drive' (David Lynch 2001) is on top form. Rachel starts off made of granite, asking her brother-in-law if he's okay as he sits in despair to one side at his daughter's wake. Slowly she starts to crumble as the premise of impending death chips away at her veneer of strength until she is a whimpering wreck by the close of the film. She is ably supported by a very watchable Martin Henderson as her wry and sceptical ex, Noah, and the now-obligatory inclusion in a psychological horror of an intelligent and dark little boy, in this case her son, played with subtle vigour by young David Dorfman.
The differences are what will separate fans down the middle. Most fans of the original will dislike the new inclusions, a side-story about horses, and a more fantastical ending which seems to have less impact. They will also miss the parts that gave the Japanese version more flavour, such as insight into Sadako (or Samara in the remake), the malicious and devastating use of her uncanny powers even in life and just a general feel of realism. Also the performance of Brian Cox is disappointing and a little over the top considering what this man could do with the role of Hannibal Lecter.
It is important to note, however that my girlfriend found this version easier to understand and therefore more accessible, and my housemate then saw the original and wasn't too blown away so it's all down to the personal tastes of the individual. It's not even simply a case of the Japanese version being more subtle than the US version. My advice would be to see both before buying and then decide which, if either, you would like to own.
One thing to keep in mind: you must watch this film with the volume up. For it to have the kind of shattering impact that a first (or tenth) viewing deserves you must have it cranked up so loud that you worry about the neighbours thinking you're murdering somebody next door. The cuts and blasts of sound come fast and unexpectedly and jab you at just the right times. Without this masterful audio track on high, the films impact is halved at least. Clear and rumbling with unimaginable power, the thundering sound is perfectly pitched to leave you a wreck on the sofa by the time it's through with you. Bass levels are strong and gutsy and the screams both human and mechanical will pierce your heart. The soundstage seems a little underused however, with most of the impact coming from the front rather than crawling in from beside you; however this seems strangely in keeping with its video-tape based premise. It is also important to note that I was distinctly unnerved by it even though I have seen it already, along with the originals and knew the story through and through, and it was broad daylight! The influence of the 5.1 track cannot be underestimated.
Whether you will get a lot out of (rather than enjoy, as the word does not really apply) this movie is dependant on how you like your psychological horror. If you loved the original you'll probably have seen this already and if not I urge you to. If you haven't seen either then you can do no wrong by seeing this one first. It is more accessible than its Asian big sister and generally easier to get people to watch with you. If you did not like the original, you may yet get something more from this, but it is doubtful. It is a competent and effective horror and will probably linger with you into the nights following your first viewing. You may even eye the clock a week from then and hold your breath as the minute hand reaches the mark of seven days exactly. Then again, you may not.
Horror is all relative to the individual and that fact is no more apparent than the moment in this movie when Rachel realises her son has watched the tape and doomed himself. Her terror is far greater over this incident than the reality of her own impending death. For her, the life of her son is more important so the very premise that it may be taken away scares her more than dying. It is this that raises 'The Ring' above its more straightforward contemporaries. A classy and thought-provoking pot-boiler, it is not for fans of cheap shocks and disposable casts. Before you dismiss it on the grounds that it does not measure up to its source, look at the differences between the two versions and then look harder at the similarities. It serves as the perfect bridge between the two markedly different film styles. If all adaptations were like this, perhaps we would have more fans of alternative and world cinema. Whatever your standpoint, if you want to experience it to full effect, just follow the horror movie code; turn the lights off, turn the sound up and don't answer the phone.
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Re-rated based on Ciao's insistence that such reviews are no longer considered "Off Topic"
Soho_Black 21.04.2008 21:00
Great review of the film, although I see you've posted this as a DVD review, but you've not mentioned the DVD features. Are there any extras? If so, what are they and are they any good? If you add to this, or if you change it to be posted as a "Film Only" review, which can be done by accessing "edit review" above the review and changing the drop down menu under the "Which format are you reviewing?" question at the bottom, please let me know and I'll re-rate.
HotBabes 21.04.2008 13:44
I haven't seen the original but wasn't impressed with this at all! x
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 Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: Gripping and eerie! Disadvantages: Not enough conclusions made about mysterious videotape and other parts of story, and the explanations that are given are brief
spobz 11.03.2003 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Ring (DVD)
![The Ring [DVD] [2003]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78523730.jpg "The Ring [DVD] [2003]")
Apr 20th, 2008
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