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'The Ring' (America) is about a video tape which, if viewed, will kill you seven days later. I know this sounds corny, but the concept actually works quite well. An investigative reporter named Rachel Keller begins to investigate a series of deaths related to the tape after her niece dies. What she discovers is the story of a woman named Anna Morgan, a breeder of horses, who had a daughter named Samara. Samara had strange psychic abilities, and killed the Morgan horses out of malice. (Coincidentally, Rachel has a son who also has ESP and has 'talked' to Samara.) Eventually, driven by her husband who hated the child, Anna killed her daughter by throwing her down a well. The video is Samara's revenge. The only way to be spared from the curse is to make a copy so that others will see it. The other main character in the movie is Rachel's ex-husband, Noah, who is a likeable, slightly sardonic kind of guy. I think he teaches classes on film, but I could be wrong. He also watches the tape, although he is far more skeptical of whether or not a VHS tape can kill you. Eventually, he is convinced and helps Rachel on her quest to discover the meaning of the tape. This movie has nice visuals that often are disturbing or just plain strange. They sometimes seem disjointed and make little sense, only to have major bearing on the story later. It does however at times seem like the director worked TOO hard to make the movie look creepy. For example, the entire movie has a slight, bluish tint that may annoy some people. Overall, the acting is above average for a 'horror' movie, although the movie's best moments are silent. My favorite part happens to be a shot of the sun setting behind a maple tree. As it does so, the light makes the leaves glow blood red. It's really wonderful. The music is sparse, but effective enough at setting a creepy atmosphere. Really though, the best thing about this movie is that is holds you to the end, never gets boring, and does not resort to old horror cliches. Rather than making you jump or trying to gross you out, it gets inside your head and stays with you for days. I really like that. Some of the plot was a bit confusing, particularly the bit about the horses. "Ringu" does not have any horses and still manages to get its characters where they need to go. Throughout "The Ring" I was going, "So, what's the deal with the horses?" Eventually, all my questions were answered, but don't be surprised if you get confused. Despite this, the story is original, enthralling, and definitely creepy. However, no matter how original this movie may seem, it is based on the earlier Japanese film "Ringu." The two movies have a lot in common, but also have some major differences. The plot is at first same, but branches in a different direction. The journalist is a woman named Asakawa, who also has a son named Yoichi and an ex-husband named Ryuji. She too loses a niece to the tape, and attempts to find out what is going on. However, there are no horses involved, which made me happy. Instead, there is a woman named Shizuko, who was a psychic. A scientist named Ikuma used her in an experiment to prove the existence of ESP. However, during a public demonstration of her abilities, an onlooker voiced his skepticism and then instantly fell dead. Shizuko was dubbed a monster, but it was actually her daughter Sadako who was the murderer. Dr. Ikuma killed Sadako by throwing her into a well, then Shizuko killed herself by jumping into a volcano. The ending, where Asakawa discovers that a copy must be made to survive, is generally the same. 'Ringu' focuses much more on the psychic aspect of the story, as you may have gleaned from the above paragraph. For example, Ryuji himself is gifted with psychic powers. It ignores the more technical stuff about film and video, which I appreciated a lot. However, there was one side story I missed; in "The Ring," Rachel's niece had a friend named Becca who was with her when she died. She is placed in a mental hospital. In fact, mental hospitals play a major role in the film. This is almost completely ignored in the Japanese movie. Oh well. The visual style is more simple, less avant garde, and certainly less flashy. The acting is good, and in some cases it is excellent. I really liked the actor playing Ryuji; he was able to seem caring, wistful, and a little gruff all at the same time. Again, the music is not overpowering, but in this case it expresses a greater range of emotions. There are some very tender moments in this movie, and the music underscores them nicely. The characters in 'Ringu' easily surpass their American counterparts. They are much more likeable, easier to relate to, and more honest about their emotions. There is a beautiful scene on a boat where Ryuji is trying to comfort Asakawa because she only has one day left to live. While the people in "The Ring" seemed distance from their families, those in "Ringu" act like they truly care about one another. And Asakawa is not a b*tch like Rachel. (Sorry, but I had to say it.) Ryuji is more intelligent than Noah, and Yoichi is less creepy than Aidan. So, which is the better film? "The Ring" has a more complicated plot and explains more, while "Ringu" leaves some things only implied. Similarly, "The Ring" has an impressive style, but "Ringu" accomplishes the same things with simplicity. In most aspects, it's up to viewer preference as to which is better. "The Ring" is a distinctly American film, while "Ringu" has a definite Japanese flavor. I love both films, and I think you can appreciate the story best by seeing both. Whether you are a fan of Hitchcockian-type thrillers, complicated mysteries or foreign film, I highly recommend "Ringu" and "The Ring." Ringu - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Note: While there is little to no gore or blood in either of these films, I do NOT recommend showing them to small children. The story content is extremely disturbing (infanticide and suicide) and some of the imagery may cause nightmares. Do NOT let the PG-13 rating fool you; this is scary stuff. |