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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 |
 "mildly creepy, not scary"As a fan of Japanese cinema, I really wanted to enjoy this movie, especially since I'd read that it is much better then the American remake (which I haven't seen). Unfortunately, Ringu starts off nicely, but runs out of steam by the end of the film. There are a couple of genuinely creepy moments, but nothing approaching "scary". If you want to see good Japanese horror, try "Ichi the Killer", or if gore isn't your thing, the stark eerieness of "Onibaba" is much more unsettling than anything offered by Ringu.  "unengaging"This film did not impress me. This is the original story on which the US remake, The Ring, is based. There is less cohesive plot here, and much is left to the imagination. I don't see anything particularly compelling about this version nor anything I would consider superior to the original. It meandered a bit too much and did not engage me in the story.  "Attractive Characters, Engaging Mystery & a Creepy Curse.""Ringu" is a supernatural thriller based on Koji Suzuki's novel of the same name. This film adaptation has spawned two Japanese sequels and an American remake, with more to come, and was a seminal work in the ongoing Asian horror film craze that began in the late 1990s. "Ringu" is more a paranormal mystery than a horror film, though. It's not even remotely a splatter film, so those who like creepy but don't like blood may enjoy it. A story about a cursed video is making the rounds of high schools. Supposedly, anyone who watches it dies one week later. The video has become the stuff of urban legend. A reporter, Reiko Asakawa (Nanako Matsushima), who is investigating the rumors, intensifies her research when she learns that a young relative of hers has died mysteriously after seeing the legendary video. In the course of her investigation, Reiko watches the video and begins to fear for her own life and that of her young son. She enlists the help of her ex-husband, Ryuji (Hiroyuki Sanada), in analyzing the cryptic film. Together, they race against the clock, searching for clues to the video's origin. "Ringu" is spooky rather than scary. It sometimes relies on gimmicks -such as the expiration date placed on anyone who sees the video- and on inconsistencies to move the story forward. It's not sophisticated. But the characters are likable. And "Ringu" succeeds in engaging the audience's interest in discovering the mysteries of the video. The film has a slow middle section, when Reiko and Ryuji are analyzing the tape. But the tedium lends the story a bit of realism, so may actually help create a sense of plausibility. "Ringu" recycles elements from other films and books, but it does a pretty good job of it. It's not innovative, but "Ringu" is an entertaining thriller with an attractive cast. In Japanese with a choice of English, Spanish, or French subtitles.  "Inferior to The Ring"Ringu was a big disappointment. After seeing "The Ring", I was interested to view the original, having heard that it was twice as creepy. Wrong. Unlike the Americanized version, there is little to no character development. The plot is linear and over simplified. The "terrifying" little girl is merely poorly groomed. Here, the son is virtually ignored, unlike in "The Ring", where he provides the most chilling events of the film. Ringu's ex-husband/father character has some ridiculous psychic abilities that are used to give the viewer some insight into the motivations behind the spooky little girl. This was handled much better in the American version, where these things are found out through journalistic investigation (the heroine is a reporter, for goodness sake) and confrontation of the girls' father. And the ending of "The Ring" is much more cold-blooded and fits the story line far better. Aside from "The Shining", "The Ring" is still the scariest movie I've ever seen. "Ringu" comes off as little more than a well-intentioned high school play. It just proves what I always say - America's #1. "This movie sucks."Ringu sucks. I'm really, really sorry. It does. It's boring, uninteresting, has little, if any, character development, and delivers no creepiness or scares. The acting is wooden, one character reveals his powerful psychic powers (which would have been hella useful earlier!) in the middle of the movie for no apparent reason, deus ex machina style. Then they're never referred to again. That's not just bad writing, it's silly. Everybody raves about this movie like it's actually frightening, or at least somewhat creepy. I had a hard time making out any plot whatsoever, and the "big scary part!" is a snore. And I'm sorry to burst more bubbles here, but the soggy chick with rolled back eyes is not scary at all. It's not even remotely creepy. It was actually painful to watch, but only because I had to reconcile myself with the fact that Japan is so absolutely in love with this garbage. There was one redeeming quality to this film - the scene where Sadako is clubbed and thrown into the well. It is absolutely hysterical! Initially, we see a still shot of Sadako standing like an idiot staring down a well. Out of nowhere, Sadako's mother runs full-tilt into frame with a 2x4 or something and whacks her daughter over the head. The sound effect used at that moment is the funniest thing I have ever heard in a movie. "THWACK!" Now that's comedy! I couldn't stop laughing when I saw that. I'm certain it wasn't meant to be funny, either, which only makes it funnier in my opinion. This movie is trash. It's a complete trainwreck that all Japanese teenagers agreed to think was cool simultaneously, en masse, which is basically how Japanese pop-culture is directed these days. I dare you to find niche films in Japan. Heck, independant music taste is even harder. There's a reason "idoru" (meaning "idol") is a term in Japan. Everybody decides that something is awesome, and then as soon as the next awesome thing comes along they drop the old one and flock to the new. Ringu is like that, the latest awesome thing in horror films. The American version of this film is EVEN WORSE. Don't say I didn't warn you. |
