HTF REVIEW: "The Ring" (with screenshots) (1 Viewer)

[Dan Rudolph]

Real life frequently doesn't have pay-offs that make sense, but that's what movies are for. I'm goign to go with Orson Scott's Card's view on this: if they're going to make you imagine the story, they might as well save themselves the trouble and let you imagine the whole thing.

 

[Jordan_E]

THE RING is an example of a sucessful remake of a foreign film, unlike, say, THE VANISHING, both of which were filmed in and around Seattle. While it sure as HELL isn't as scary as THE EXORCIST, I did jump when someone called while I was watching THE RING tonight! Ron, if you did't find THE RING spooky at all, I absolutely FEAR seeing BELOW after reading your review.

 

[Joshua_Y]

I loved this movie to death..the DVD was nice...DTS sound is excellent...and I got the only copy of Ringu at CC!

 

[Doug Fogle]

I think the beginning sequence is classic-the sense of dread is almost unbearable.The rest of the movie didn't live up to the start,however=but hey,ten good minutes is pretty amazing with the sorry state horror movies are in now.

 

[Blu]

I really REALLY enjoyed this movie! While I have never been in the camp that the Exorcist was ever scary (it just wasn't scary at all) The Ring isn't the same type of movie.
It is like comparing apples and oranges.
This is a ghost story not a possession story.
I found it very suspenseful (which I never found the Exorcist the least bit suspenseful, IMHO, and I've seen it many times)
The Ring is a good movie, The Exorcist is a good movie but they are different types of movies.
I found nothing ambigous about the ending and found that it tied up everything pretty nicely at the end.

The horse on the boat scene was one of the most disturbing scenes I think I've seen in movies lately as well. There is just something unnerving about a horse drowning and trying desperately to get back on board then going under to turn into a red pool in the water.

 

[Brett_B]

Ron,

Do you think you would have enjoyed The Ring more than you did if you had not seen Fear Dot Com first?

I absolutely hated Fear Dot Com, and I couldn't help but think of that movie while watching The Ring.

Just my opinion, of course.

 

[Yumbo]

I find the Excorcist to be a comedy after watching it on cable, with all those pop-up baloons - can never take it seriously again. EVER.

regardless, I feel it is WAY overrated. boring even.

The Ring it will not be.

oops, Episode III: Too much effects? :b

 

[James Reader]

Right, can I just say that I was not personally criticizing Ron review in my initial post. As I said it's an opinion and no opinion can be wrong. I read all of Ron's reviews and have never commented on them before, so on the whole I agree with Ron's reviews.

However, Ron had presented a negative review of the film, and being as I enjoyed the film, I thought I would present an opposing opinion. Nothing more.

I do however think that nobody should expect everything in a film to make perfect sense. Most films are filled with plot holes or unexplained events and concepts.

Take Star Wars for instance - does the Force make sense? It can virtually do anything a person wants it to - hypnotize people, move objects, enable people to 'come back' from the dead... the list is almost endless. But does anyone criticize The Force? The only criticism I have seen about the Force come from Episode I where (some) of the scientific nature of the force was explained.

So why should the supernatural events of 'The Ring' be any different? I do, however, respect that the 'The Ring' takes place in 'the real world' not some 'galaxy far, far away' and that the story of 'The Ring' hinges more on the unexplained supernatural/psychic than Star Wars does on The Force.

I can respect that some people like their 'real world' films to be more coherent than their 'fantasy' films. I can respect that some people might be expecting a bigger pay-off at the end because the film seemingly hinged on the supernatural/psychic events. I can respect that the whole concept of the film wouldn't appeal to a wide range of people (we all have genres we don't like). So I can respect all of Ron's opinions, even if I don't agree with them all. Hopefully Ron (and other people who didn't like the film) can respect mine.

Ron wrote a review which as well as reporting on the technical specifications of the disc, showed his opinion of the film. I presented another opinion, which hopefully provideded a counterpoint to Ron's.

Thank you.

 

[JasenP]

When it comes to American horror films, I appraoch them all with very low expectations. Somehow I am drawn to them but they always seem to let me down.

I can say that I enjoyed the creepiness and the atmosphere of The Ring. I just picked up the original (along with the American remake) and I'll give that a spin and see if it changes my perspective.

 

[Jeremy Anderson]

The American version actually borrows elements from Ring and Ring 2, though I think the backstory is better in the American version. I think the problem some people are having with the movie is that it doesn't tie everything up in a neat little package at the end. But it can't -- it's not truly the ending. Just enough is revealed to have a satisfactory ending without totally revealing Samara's origin or intentions. My friends, that's what sequels are for!

"But I do... and I'm sorry, it won't stop." The way you hear that line makes all the difference.

 

[Simon Massey]

I approached this remake/reimagining with great trepidation, after having seen the Japanese Ring trilogy. It is not often that Hollywood remakes are any good, but I was completely surprised by how well they have managed to remain largely faithful to the story, and even introduced additional elements which, at least to my mind, improved upon the original. I was also surprise by how well the last 10-15 minutes was done. The original totally took me by surprise, and despite having seen that quite a few times, and knowing exactly what was coming. the new version was still very effective. Anyone dissatisfied with not being given the whole story about Samara/Sadako, should check out Ring 2, and especially Ring 0 (Ring 2 was a bit of a disappointment), which will probably help.

As to whether the ending of the original is darker, it depends on how you look at it. Even the kid is knowingly involved in Rachel's decision in the remake, and in the original you know exactly who will be watching the copy. I prefer the ambiguity of the remake.

Whilst I have no problems with the picture and sound quality of the DVD, I was disappointed with the lack of extras. The short film just appears to be a clever way of presenting deleted scenes, and the easter egg is just a clever gimmick, no doubt borrowed from the DVD of the original film. It sounds like the R2 version will have some more extras such as interviews with the cast, so it may be worth waiting a bit.

 

[Jenna]

Count me as one who thoroughly enjoyed the film. But I'm not going to harp on Ron for his respected opinion.

Ditto. I purchased this DVD unseen without any hesitation. The MAJORITY of reviews I'd read were positive and of course, a box office of $120+ Million HAS to indicate that enough people found the movie scary enough to tell their friends. We watched it last night and were appropriately creeped out. It started out with a bang and retained the suspense throughout. The last 10 minutes caught me off guard, as well...which was a pleasant surprise. I sometimes like an ambiguous ending - makes you think.

When watching a "horror/scary" movie, I feel that I need to be in the right mood for one, and in the right atmosphere, or the movie will appear to "suck". Of all the genres, a horror movie needs more prep than others to maximize enjoyment.

Rule #1: Don't take it seriously. I have to be able to "suspend belief" long enough to be drawn in to feel the chills. When you think about it, a "horror" movie is the least plausible type of movie we have.

Rule #2: Avoid seeing it in a crowded theater with an immature crowd -- especially those who talk back to the screen. You KNOW the ones ("oh no, baby, don't open that door!"..."don't answer that phone!"). In fact, it's people like that who have motivated the rest of us to invest so heavily in our HOME theaters.

Rule #3: Watch only in a pitch-black room, preferable at night. Unplug phone (especially with THIS movie). A mid-movie call from your mother (OK...from MY mother) can totally ruin the mood.

Rule #4: "Bonus rule"...watch it with someone you know who is easily creeped out. When they jump (and they will), it only adds to the thrill factor.

There were some definite "cover your eyes" moments in this movie. :star: :star: :star:

 

[AndrewW]

I've been waiting for this review for the past week. I was on the fence whether to buy it or not; thankfully, I rented it. I was hoping for a real disturbing film, this was a disapointment.

 

[Michael D. Bunting]

Purchased it and really enjoyed watching it last night. Sure...it has a couple holes...but there aren't too many movies out there that don't these days.

I had previously read about how much the little kid (Aidan) in the movie was going to creep you out (even more than Haley Joel in "The Sixth Sense") but I did not see that at all with this movie....

About a month ago I rented "Fear Dot Com" and it was absolutley the worst movie my wife and I have ever seen...we actually even turned it off midway through the movie - as we didn't even care what happened from then on...

I will agree with Ron about the greenish tint this movie has...I thought maybe my component cable went bad

 

[Matt Pelham]

Well I personally loved The Ring and thought it was on par with the excellent original. I honestly think The Ring is the scariest movie since Blair Witch, which was the scariest movie since...???

(and no, I don't think the Exorcist is even remotely scary)

Still, I'm holding out for the SE that might happen in the future.

 

[Derek Williams]

I saw The Ring, twice the first time was with a room of teenagers and the second time was with adults. The teenage room was much better. The kids were screaming and yelling which caused an electricity that filled the room. As the suspense grew you could feel and hear the theater grow restless in anticipation. The adult showing was quite and had very little reaction. I feel the ring is a type of move that needs an audience to be appreciated. That fact is ironic based on the idea of the story needing to be spread in order to lift the curse.

 

[DavidAC]

Well I really enjoyed the Ring, I agree though that it wasn't scary(though I never thought the Exorcist was scary either) but I felt what it did have was a chilling atmosphere and was very suspensful for example

The whole scene with the horse on the boat


That scene kept me on the edge of my seat.

 

[RobertCharlotte]

The only clever thing about this entire DVD is what
DreamWorks did with their opening FBI WARNING and
studio logo. Check that out and forget the rest!

Aw, crap.

Can somebody save me the rental cost and tell me what Ron meant by this? I've read the moviespoiler.com article on this film and concluded that it's not worth my time, but when Ron says there's something that is worth my time, I trust him.

 

[StephenC]

One of the scariest movies I saw?No,but it was one of the most disturbing,suspenseful, and depressing movies I have ever experienced.IMHO,well worth the investment.

 

[Chet_F]

"Can somebody save me the rental cost and tell me what Ron meant by this?"

Spoiler:
If I remember right the screen flickers and gets snowy for a few milliseconds like your T.V. is dying. It was rather a neat effect and I obviously new it was intended to get you in the mood.


That being said I must say that I definatley loved the movie. Only the second time Ron has steered me wrong....and that is out of 100's. That is a DAMN good track record in my book. And to that I say "To each his won".