A remake of a Japanese film titled Ringu (1998), which I have yet to see, The Ring (2002) is a genuinely creepy tale of a cursed video, one that results in the death of anyone, within seven days, who happens to watch it...directed by Gore Verbinski, who's found a lot of success with the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, the film stars Naomi Watts (Ned Kelly, King Kong) as an investigative reporter who comes across the aforementioned tape after a relative dies mysteriously. Also appearing is Martin Henderson (Smokin' Aces), David Dorfman (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Jane Alexander (The Cider House Rules), Daveigh Chase (Stitch! The Movie), and Brian Cox (The Bourne Identity, X2).

As the movie, set in the Seattle area, begins we see two teenage girls alone in a large house, and soon their conversation turns to the stuff urban legends are made of, specifically in terms of the existence of a video tape that, when watched, will result in a creepy phone call stating the viewer has seven days to live. As it turns out, one of the girls just happened to have watch said tape a week ago and, well, I won't describe anymore but I will say some seriously bad mojo soon ensues as the girl who watched the tape has her chips prematurely cashed in while her friend suffers a complete mental collapse resulting her being institutionalized. So how does Naomi Watts, who plays the character Rachel Keller, fit into it all? Well, she just happens to be the aunt of the dead girl, along with also being an investigative reporter and a single mother of a creepy little kid named Aidan (Dorfman). Realizing there may be a story here, especially after learning a few of her niece's friends died mysterious the same time as the girl (they all watched the tape at the same time), Rachel begins digging, eventually coming across the tape (and watching it), and soon begins to fear for her own life, with good reason. Hoping to learn more about the images on the video, she contacts an acquaintance named Noah (Henderson), who specializes in graphic mediums, and shows him the tape (apparently it wasn't enough that she alone be cursed). Noah's skeptical, believing it's some sort of crummy, student film but soon changes his tune as the strange vibes Rachel has been experiencing since watching the tape begin to invade his reality. Rachel's research eventually leads her and Noah upstate to a dilapidated horse farm (that has no horses), run by a man named Richard Morgan (Cox), whose wife and daughter, both featured prominently on the tape, have since died under mysterious circumstances (seems the wife was a bit nutty, while the daughter was, well...). Anyway, Rachel and Noah make some important revelations, ones that may help remove the `curse', that is if they don't run out of time (seven days goes by quickly when you've got the monkey of death on your back).

I avoided seeing this when it originally came out, as there was so much buzz flying about, and for some reason I thought the film would be swathed in pretension. I finally did watch it about a year and a half ago, and then again last night, and after doing so, I was very impressed. I definitely believe this is a film in need of multiple viewings, at least for me, as the first time I saw it my focus was primarily on the ookie visuals, so much so I missed bits and pieces of the story. Subsequently, by the end of the first go around, I wasn't entirely sure what the hell was going on, specifically in terms of the ending. Now, in watching again last night, I tended to focus more on the story, picking up those minor, but important, elements I missed the first time around, and things made a whole lot more sense...not that I didn't feel there wasn't a plot hole or two, but nothing large enough to drive a bus through. The story has an ever present sense of doom and gloom, partly due to the Seattle setting (Seattle is notorious for its wet weather), but also because of the material itself as I never really got the impression that even if Rachel could solve the mystery, she'd rid herself of the curse. Also it should be known that none of the characters are particularly pleasant as Rachel, a single, working mother, at least initially, seemed more focused on her career than her son, and Noah, whose role I purposely left ambiguous, came off as a complete a-hole (check out the scene with Noah and Aidan in the car and you'll see what I mean). Even the kid Aidan came off all creepy and such, especially when referring to his mother by her name rather than calling her `mom'. Despite my being put off by these characters none really seemed deserving of the fate they were destined for, so I did find myself interested in their relative well being (Rachel's attitudes change slightly as the story moves along, but I'm still unsure if it was due to a mother's love or her own sense of self preservation), except for maybe Noah. While I may not have liked the characters all that much, I thought the performances were well done, and the direction taut and engaging. The pacing was solid and even, as the story never really got tiresome or boring. I did like the twists at the end, one of which involved Noah and provided for one of the more memorable and disturbing visuals in the film. All in all I thought this a very well made, nightmarish affair, one worth watching at least twice of only to pick up on that which may have been missed the first time around. As far as those who've seen the film, was I the only one who found that fingernail bit within the cursed video extremely uncomfortable to watch? That's a pain that will linger...

The picture, presented in widescreen anamorphic (1.85:1), comes across very well, and the audio, available in DTS 5.1 Surround (English), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround (English and French), and Dolby Surround 2.0 (English), is strong and clear. Extras, which aren't much, include subtitles in English, Spanish, and French, a short film by Gore Verbinski, one that apparently utilizes footage shot but not used in the final release of the film, and trailers for Ringu (1998), Catch Me If You Can (2002), and 8 Mile (2002). Also included, as a slightly hidden feature, is a complete showing of the material present on the `cursed' tape, which last roughly two minutes, if you dare...

Cookieman108

By the way, in case you're interested, a sequel entitled The Ring Two (2005) was released, directed by Hideo Nakata, who directed the original Ringu (1998), and there's talks of a third film, titled aptly enough The Ring 3, possibly to be released in 2008.

The Ring was an American re-make of a Japanese film of the same name and would lead to three sequels. It is a great psychological horror flick that isn’t predictable or formulaic like most in the genre because of its strong story.

The plot is that if you watch a video, your phone will ring and tell you that you only have 7 days to live. The movie is part psychological thriller, part mystery, part horror. Rachel’s investigation into the death of her niece is the whodunit part as she goes through archives, interviews various people, etc. hoping to find clues to the video tape. The video itself is full of symbolic imagery, some of which materializes itself in the real world. More importantly it wears upon the psyche of those who see it as they realize they’re going to die. The last part is the girl who is at the center of the video and story and what she does to people. That is the horror part.

Director Gore Verbinski looks like he watched a lot of David Fincher films because he has a dark hue throughout the film to give it an almost surreal feel. That’s matched by the images from the video.

Really, this was a very good film. The story was much different from the typical horror film because it included many different elements and had an excellent script. The look of the film was strong as well. It was scary and weird too as Rachel gets closer to the story behind the tape. All together a great watch.
C

It terrified me years ago when I first saw it. Now, not so much. If you want to give your child nightmares, let them watch this.

I like this movie. It would be awesome if they re-release it in 3D. We were late to the theater to see this one and had to sit in those front row seats too close to the screen. ***Spoiler Alert****

So the part where she emerges from the TV scared the bejesus out of me. Had it been in 3D I would have peed my pants i'm sure. I like the whole uniqueness of the story. Hollywood hadn't had an original thought in decades. Well considering this is a remake of a Japanese scary film to begin with.

The movie kept me on the edge of my seat to find out what was Samara's deal. Why did she never sleep, why was she evil, why was she hurting people in life and in death. You never got the answers you were looking for, which I thought would lead to a sequel, Ring II.

People are motivated to do good, for good karma, approval, rewards, acknowledgement to avoid punishment, prison, altercations etc. But what is the motivation to be evil? I guess pure evil doesn't worry about punishment because it does the punishing. Evil doesn't need a reason, evil doesn't play by the rules, and evil doesn't have boundaries.

When you think about pure evil in those terms, if you've ever seen it, or experienced it, or survived it... you know you are dealing with a force to be reckoned with.

it was a good movie they set the tone really well with the ambience and it had a surprising twist at the end but at the same time it was kind of predictable which did take away from it a bit, but most horror movies are so I give it a good soup out of 10

The film is not presented in 4k.

2) The special features are anemic. No commentary. No documentary. A couple of brief interviews with cast members and a pretty package is all you get for this special edition.

The decreasing reasons to buy a physical copy of a film mean that the bluray market needs to present a compelling package for their products.

While a cottage industry has grown around this (see Vinegar Syndrome, Arrow Video, Shout Factory), where special editions contain interesting features edited by professional documentations, some studios are happy to just grind out repackaged copies of years- or decades-old products with new covers and not much else.

The Ring, one of the best horror films in it's generation, receives a bluray release originating from the latter camp. This cheap cash-in ships in a great looking box done up to look like a VHS tape. It touts new cast interviews. But these do not appear to be new features.

This film is presented in 1080p format, with Dolby audio (meaning the mix is not compatible with more advanced and/or user friendly Dolby Atmos home theater setups). So no remaster, no new scan of the film.

The worst part is that the studio did go ahead and print a steelbook edition. This is a handsome package, but when there is nothing but an 9.99 copy of the 15 year old version of the film stuffed inside, this is more of a cynical attempt at gouging the pockets of collectors than honouring the film.

What a joke. I'm returning mine.

There's not a lot left to say about 'The Ring' that hasn't already been said except enough time's passed that you can legit call it the millennium's first bona fide horror classic. Adapted from a 1998 Japanese film that's a classic in its own right, 'The Ring' adds stylistic touches of 'The Shining' and 'The Changeling' to produce one of the most successful remakes ever

{ By the way, I'm seeing a lot of comments complaining that the movie's been edited for a PG-13 rating. FYI: this movie was always PG-13, it just scared you so much at the time you assumed it had to be rated R ;) }

I just revisited this streaming on Amazon, and it looks greener than I remember: I recall the film having a bluer tint. I once wrote an entire paper in college comparing 'The Ring's "analog" blue look to 'The Matrix's "digital" green filter so I'm going to feel real silly if it was always just plain green. I've noticed a lot of movies on Prime Video look darker than normal so it could be a product of that; so turn up the brightness a little and maybe cool the picture tint a couple notches if you're a real stickler for the authentic 'The Ring' experience.

To me this is one of the best supernatural mystery movies ever made. Don't listen to edgelords that say its not scary because it's pg-13 or weebs who don't like it as much as the original Japanese version. This movie takes a very simple premise and turns it into a somewhat deep mystery with solid acting and great style. I'm not a huge fan of American adaptations but this movie takes the original (which was based on a novel) and improves on it in just about every way, which is rare. It knows what it wants to be and delivers. I go back and watch it at least once a year and it's become one of my all time favorites.