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Ringu Director: Hideo Nakata Number of Items: 1 Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen Format: Color, Widescreen, Dolby Audience Rating: Unrated Running Time: 100 minutes Studio: Universal Studios Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Region Code: 1 Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2003-03-04 Buy from Amazon |
 "One of the most unsettling finales ever"I'm glad to see that some of the reviews posted here point out that both "Ringu" and "The Ring" are very successful, and that to compare them is to be ignore the merits of both pictures. Since more readers will have seen the remake, I do want to encourage viewers who haven't caught "Ringu" to do so for three major reasons: first, the spirit's motivations and roots are clearer while still maintaining the story's eerie ambiguity. It moves beyond the "Just because she's evil" realm. Second, the last choice made by the main character (dropped in the remake, my guess because it was thought too disturbing for an American audience) is brilliantly horrifying, and brings to life human frailty and the lengths desperation will take us. And finally, because the finale, in which spirit and human meet face to face, is one of the most unsettling things I've ever seen in a film ... and I love being unsettled, so I've seen a lot of unsettling scenes. The remake's version is also plenty effective, but the way the scene is filmed here - with something to suggest stop motion - will stay with me forever ... as will those fingernails. A great film, not to be missed by genre fans. "TOTALLY ADDICTIVE!"I'm going to put it simple: The Ring is a horror movie. Ringu is a suspense movie. The Ringu series are 3 movies(don't know why there's only one on dvd, but well..). The more you watch Ringu, the more you understand the plot and the more you want to keep watching. This movie is so perfectly done, that in spite of watching the second one, I still need to watch the last one, in order to totally understand it! It doesn't has all the visual and sound effects that The Ring has, but it gets you deeper and deeper every minute. Is a smarter movie that you will not want to miss.  "Both movie versions were all in all exceptional"As I was watching the DVD of Ringu I tried my best to not think back on The Ring since I watched the american version first. I partially suceeded and the two things that I couldn't help compare was the video tape curse and the appearence of Sadako and the appearence of Samara from the TVs. The American version of the curse itself was more visual chilling and made me more nervous and even a little frightened than the original curse itself. However, the original curse had the jarring memorable screeching metallic noise that reappears at a tense scene of precognition (ex. The scene where Reiko picks up the phone and the scene as Ryuji is dying where she realizes that something is not right). With the famous coming out of the TV death sequences, Samara was visual stunning and frightening, her unnatural animated movements freaked me out when I first saw it...but it was animated, no real talent other than the computer graphic effect artist talen was placed in this sequence. In Ringu, we have not only the crawl, the walk, the hair hiding the face all done by one person with no special effects (except for crawling out of the TV) done by the actress herself...we have the eye. With that said, now unto the review. The movie was entertaining and psycholigically creepy. More straightforward with little plot twists than the American version, it carries itself quietly. While there was not much background music, the sounds and music it has was chilling, especially it certain scenes. The movie gave an explanation while not revealing too much, leaving and satisfying answer with an air of mystery (ringu explains why Yoichi, Reiko's son has pyschic powers thanks to his father). It was everything I expected it to be. I wasn't looking for the special effects or strong backstory that the American version had (keep in mind that Ringu did not have as big of a budget as The Ring), what I was looking for a quiet chill and dignified thrill that The Ring did not have, and I found it when I watched my favorite scene, the TV death scene. While I admit, in my opinion, The Ring scared me and affected more than Ringu (it's a lot more frightening to have a demonic evil CHILD than an older girl and a lot more traumatizing to have a mother, not a father, kill her own child), Ringu was no disappoinment...I recommend it highly. "it'll scare your socks off"Thank God there are still people who know how to make good horror movies-- this is one that will haunt you for days afterward. There is a nice creepy atmosphere throughout the whole film, and some nice shock moments, especially at the end when you think the story is wrapping up. Having said that, I do feel there are some problems with the plot, which leaves some things unexplained: 1) how the tape was made 2) whether the reporter has psychic visions at one point or just a vivid imagination 3) the title. Also, someone does something in the final scene which seems a bit out of character (I would have thought there would be a better way to resolve the dilemma). Still, this is a good old-fashioned frightfest that works without lots of gore or gratuitous special effects. NOTE: Before this film, there was a Japanese TV version made in 1996 which proved so popular it was released theatrically (Director: Chisui Takigawa; Cast: Katsunori Yakahashi, Ayane Miura, Yoshoi Harada, Tomoroh Taguchi). Apparently, it explains some of the plot better than other versions. Thomas and Yuko Mihara Weisser's JAPANESE CINEMA ENCYCLOPEDIA give it 3 out of 4 stars. "My phone starts to ring at 4:55am."I saw the 'American version' of the 'Ring',great movie. Saw it once,and again at 4:55am while still dark,turned the movie on,and I get to the part where the girl tries to turn off the tv with the remote,and guess what,my phone starts ringing at 4:55am exactly when she tries to turn off the tv. Great movie,I'm sure the Japanese version is more superior,foreign films have better story plots,thats why I mostly watch british and Japanese films. If you 'rent' or 'buy' the 'American version' movie,you'll know what I mean by the phone ringing. Oh ya,I didn't answer the phone,have fun,great movie....... |
