Volume 2, No. 41 October 25, 2002
Hoard of ‘The Ring’ A Review By Beth E. Concepción Imagine sitting down to watch a video that looks a lot like what one usually sees at the video/film department’s senior show, and getting a phone call where a weird-sounding girl says, "Seven days." There is a rumor about a videotape that kills its viewers in exactly seven days from viewing it, but that’s just a rumor, right? It seems unbelievable — just a bit of superstition and rumor, really. That is, until a batch of viewers keels over for no apparent reason. That’s essentially the premise of "The Ring," a suspense film that delivers a fabulously creepy — if implausible — good time. Directed by Gore Verbinski and starring Naomi Watts, "The Ring" follows Watts’ investigative journalist as she tries to get to the bottom of her niece’s death (one of four teen-agers who is killed in the movie’s beginning that has a decidedly "Scream"-esque feel). Watts watches the videotape (which would seem to me to be her first mistake, but what do I know) and then starts trying to discover the origin of the tape. To do this, she enlists her ex-paramour, the father of her saucer-eyed solemn young son (who is another Haley Joel Osment in training). Spookiness ensues, while the clock ticks away. "The Ring" is based on "Ring" a box-office hit in Japan that was directed by Hideo Nakada and released in 1998. The Japanese film in turn was based on a set of popular books by Suzuki Koji, and ultimately spawned two sequels. "The Ring" is almost shot for shot identical to "Ring" for most of the movie. The Japanese film is much more subtle and provides many explanations through the convenience of having the ex-paramour possess psychic powers. The American version, like many American movies, beats the viewer over the head with explanations and offers more disturbing images. The American version also ties things up a little more neatly. In each movie, the journalist is a single mom and — without giving away plot points — the quest for the answer of the videotape does have to do with maternal instinct. Although the child in "Ring" is less somber than his American counterpart, there is no chemistry between mother and son in either movie. That relationship could have ended up on the cutting room floor without any loss. provides a nasty little image near the end that might make it difficult for the viewer to sleep or watch late-night TV. Remember the last frame of "Blair Witch Project?" This image beats that hands-down. The Japanese version does it a little better (and thus makes it even more frightful), but the American version is certainly no slouch. Yes, there are plot holes big enough to drive a semi through, but "The Ring" is worth a look for those who like things that go bump in the night.
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