Other Titles • The Ring (2002) • Ring • Seven Days • Static
Synopses for The Ring (2002)
1.
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 Kôji 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. A clear cut above most contemporary horror films, THE RING offers genuine chills and will make viewers think twice before watching any unmarked videotapes.
(8 votes)
2.
With its disturbing images and a few good shocks, The Ring is the kind of frightfest you'll watch to set a chilling mood or spook your susceptible friends, but when you try to sort it out, this well-mounted American remake (of the 1998 Japanese hit Ringu, based on Koji Suzuki's popular novel) becomes a batch of incoherent parts. The negligible plot follows a Seattle reporter (Naomi Watts) as she investigates the death of her niece, the victim of a mysterious videotape that, according to urban legend, causes the viewer's death seven days later. (Fear Dot Com borrowed the same idea while avoiding this film's lofty pretensions.) The countdown structure follows the reporter, her son, and her estranged boyfriend into deepening layers of terror--all quite effective until the movie attempts to explain itself. At that you're better off shutting down your brain and letting the creepy visuals take over. --Jeff Shannon
(7 votes)
3.
Includes: The Ring The Ring: Full Circle
(6 votes)
4.
Before you die, you see...
The Ring is the critically acclaimed, smash hit thriller David Ansen of Newsweek says "raises some serious goosebumps!" This cinematic thrill ride will keep you on the edge of your seat from the 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.
(9 votes)
5.
Seconds after a new victim watches a mysterious videotape, the phone rings, telling them they have only seven days to live. A young reporter named Rachel begins investigating these events after her niece becomes the latest victim. But once she and her young son watch the tape, her research turns into a frantic race against time to find out why the tape is killing everyone and how it can be stopped.
(5 votes)
6.
An unexpected marriage of big-budget production values and low-budget instincts, The Ring offers 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 special. Clearly, the supremely eerie supernatural vibe that permeated the legendary 1998 Japanese horror film must have done something to those Hollywood suits, because Gore Verbinski's remake is actually rather good. Certainly, it's not superior to the original, but it's undoubtedly a cut above most modern horror efforts, expertly wringing every drop of suspense. The impressive Naomi Watts (Mullholland Drive) plays a journalist investigating an urban myth of a videotape that kills the viewer a week after watching it. Succumbing to curiosity, she watches it herself--big mistake--and has a week to solve the mystery or fall victim to its sinister power.
While transferring the action from Japan to modern-day Seattle may weaken the impact of the plot's mythological elements, and the film may be guilty of pointless padding (belying the original's lean format), Verbinski's effort is no less squirm-inducing, bolstered with a tremendous shocker of an ending. Exquisitely utilising the strong visual sense displayed in The Mexican, Verbinski creates a thick atmosphere of dread and suspense that never lets up, thankfully favouring old-fashioned scares, rather than retreating to blunt CG spectacle. In Watts, the film has a horror heroine who far exceeds the average wide-eyed scream queen, perfectly conveying the endless stream of bone-chilling moments. --Danny Graydon
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