Okay, I saw 'The Ring' first, but I can't do anything about that. 'The Ring' and 'Ringu' are two very different films. 'Ring' is elegant, slow-paced, elaborate, and nightmarish, while 'Ringu' is intense, gritty, simple, and frighteningly realistic. I think a lot depends on which mood you prefer and which film you see first. The following is a comparison of the two film's individual parts:
Rachel Keller / Asakawa Reiko
While I prefer the growing sense of fear and panic portrayed in the more sympathetic Asakawa Reiko to the calmer and steelier attitude of Rachel Keller, the American version puts a weighty and meaty piece of subtext and character development into the character with the emotional growth from cold and ignorant to mature and caring. Both roles solidly portrayed by Naomi Watts and Matsushima Nanako.
Takayama Ryuji / Noah Keller
The distant and tough persona of Ryuji is far more interesting and less grating than the immature and irresponsible Noah. The part of Noah is connected very well to the themes of the remake, though, as the immature deadbeat father.
The Son - Yoichi / Aidan
Aidan is much more fleshed out and more integral to the story. He also is a part of many of the central themes of the film, such as the distant relationship he has with his parents, his expressive drawings, and his questions about death.
The Story
The Scares
The TV Scene
The Well Scene
Remakes don't usually bother me. The majority of the time, though, they are unnecessary and derivative, and some completely butcher the story ('The Haunting' 1999) of the superior original. But its true, remakes have a bad reputation, and its warranted many of the times.
Verbinski's 'Ring' revisions instead of copies Nakata's 'Ring,' introducing its own style and ideas into the story without losing respect for the film its premise was taken from. 'The Ring' isn't just a bland, derivative, shallow horror remake whose main purpose is to milk the scares out of a much revered modern masterpiece of Japanese horror. It expands on the story with impressive emotional resonance and suprisingly moving themes and symbolism. The film's beautiful and dark cinematography is not just for creepiness, but its moody and somber atmosphere supports the themes of grief and tragedy that provide much of the film's emotional underpinnings.
The remake and the original are two very different films. The different style and structure between the films emphasize their individuality from each other. The 'Ring' remake is a While the style of Hideo Nakata's original is better established and more polished and perfected,
Remakes never bother me. The majority of the time, though, they are unnecessary and derivative, and some completely butcher the story ('The Haunting' 1999) of the superior original. And its true, remakes have a bad reputation, especially when remaking a good movie. 'The Ring' isn't just a bland, derivative, shallow horror remake, though, whose main purpose is to milk the scares out of a much revered modern masterpiece of Japanese horror. It expands on the story with impressive emotional resonance and suprisingly moving themes and symbolism. The film's beautiful and dark cinematography is not just for creepiness, but its moody and somber atmosphere supports the themes of grief and tragedy that provide much of the film's emotional underpinnings.
