I didn't see this posted, and even though I could have sworn there was a Ring Two topic already I couldn't find it in search. Anyone can feel free to move this or merge it somewhere if it's more appropriate there. Anyway, new trailer:
i saw this movie in December. Early screening. I hate to say it, but it is not very strong. Much weaker then the first. they ruin one of the strongest aspects of the first movie, the idea that Samara is pure evil and desires to harm people. She is not victimized, or misunderstood or lonely. She is actually a villian. The sequel attempts to make her sympathetic. Also the little boy over acts much of the time, impersonating Haley Joe from the Sixh Sense, whispering and looking morose. The plot is odd and full of alot more cliches. Overall, a dissapointing effort, much less scary and ordinary. i am a big fan of the first one.
Movies are like books, except you can\'t set your\' drink on them, well.. unless its a DVD...oh nevermind
She is not victimized, or misunderstood or lonely.
I certainly respect your opinions about the acting in the sequel and your overall opinion of the movie. I have not seen it as of yet and cannot make any informed comments about it. However I do have to disagree with your assertion that Samara is somehow not a victim, misunderstood or lonely.
**SPOILERS FROM THE FIRST RING MOVIE**
Spoiler:
She *is* victimized, misunderstood and lonely. It's the very reason that she *IS* evil and wants to harm people. The American remake was very clear in how much her parents feared her for the psyhic powers that she was able to wield (and partially not control which is what drove her mother and the horses to madness). They put her in a barn and isolated her because of it. Her father all but hated her for it and her mother eventually killed her because of it.
You are made to feel sympathetic for her character even in the first Ring despite the evil curse she has now become. It's evident she is a scared child with an enormous amount of rage towards her father. Yet she is still nothing more than a child that wants to be with her mother. She loves her mother and she is ultimately betrayed and murdered despite that. Now you have a very pissed off dead little girl with enough psychic rage to burn a curse onto a video tape. A curse that will allow her to take her revenge on the world (and she has her own timetable to boot!.
Given that, Nakata injecting more sympathy for the character is not a real stretch given her established beginnings IMHO. Now if its detrimental to the character as you so noted, I understand the complaint and I look forward to judging the sequel when it's released.
Also, if you take a watch of the Japanese sequel Ring 0, you'll also find a great deal of sympathy and understanding brought to the character of Yamamura Sadako (Samara's Japanese counterpart) as she is nothing but a frightened young girl. Frightened of herself, the power she is unable to control, and her eventual fate. It's not so much a horror film as it is a drama but it's well worth a watch.
I disagree in regards to Samara. Having Samara actually be a misunderstood child simple "acting out" is much more cliche, in my opinion, and not what the first movie portrayed(american version). It is a horror movie cliche to have Samara be sympathetic and eventually discovered to be a victim herself in the third act. In fact, one of the great things about the American version was it made you think you were heading down this tired road once again, and flipped your expectations out from under you. When Niomi's character reaches out to Samara, trying to help her, she comes to a very rude awakening. Samara is in fact enjoying herself too much and that's exactly what her parents realized early on. Her father didnt believe it until too late, but her mother knew. Samara was evil from the get go. Pure and simple. She killed and tortured everything in her path. The Japenese version may have fallen back on the victimized villian cliche(not sure as I havent seen it), but the American version sure did not. Samara was pure evil in The Ring 1, no saving her or reaching out to her. And thats what made it scary and refreshing. The sequel rewrites that history and takes a much more derivative and cliche ridden path. All in my opinion, of course.
Movies are like books, except you can\'t set your\' drink on them, well.. unless its a DVD...oh nevermind
The main scare set pieces of the Ring 2 involve an attack from some deer on a car, odd and a bit lame. Creative in that its not often seen, but still odd. And a reoccuring theme involving water and a bathtub. Also the reheated climb up the well wall as Samara chases close behind. An awkward cameo by Sissy Spacek as Samara's real mother, and some slowly paced hospital scenes. The tape idea is barely in it. Its abandoned early on.
Movies are like books, except you can\'t set your\' drink on them, well.. unless its a DVD...oh nevermind
I like the plot as conveyed by the trailer, but the apparent overuse of flashy fx and shots is kind of a turn off. I loved the Japanese original because of the more "natural" feel of the film, and the American version largely maintained it. Yes, the filtering wasn't exactly natural (but quite effective), and I didn't care for the "video" effect on Samara herself, but hey, it was close enough. This one doesn't give me quite the same vibe. Still, I'm there opening weekend.
As for Samara's character... The Japanese Ringu 2 did a good job of making the viewer feel sympathy for Sadako, while still maintaining her status as a villain. The film is largely nonsensical, but that particular part of the plot was adequately handled, I think. Here's hoping Nakata has done the same, though Chris' review would seem to indicate otherwise.
I think it is apparent that The first Ring benefited from being helmed by Gore Verbinski. He turned what should have been a theme park cross marketing disaster into a decent action film with Pirates of the Carribean, and he made a very solid horror remake in The Ring. The Ring 2, unfortunately, destroys any solid momentem for a Ring 3.
Movies are like books, except you can\'t set your\' drink on them, well.. unless its a DVD...oh nevermind
i am a big fan of the first one.
Thankfully they weren't HUGE spoilers.