Rating: 
Summary: The Ring- Review behind the tape
Review: I thought the The Ring was a pretty good movie but it was kind of freaky. I went to go see it with my dad when I was only 10 earlier this year and it scared my dad and I told him it scared me but it did not. I have to admit that the makeup on all the victims was scary with the burnt looking brown skin and the huge, round and frozen eyes that make it look like they had seen something terrible.
Rating: 
Summary: Well mastered thriller
Review: I have seen hundreds of scary movies in my lifetime, and I rank "The Ring" up there with one other "quality" horror flick, "The Changeling". I much prefer the quality thriller over the silly axe-murderer/bloody/gory ones. "The Ring" weaves a masterful plot that drives the horror. It is hard to find a good scary movie these days but "The Ring" has restored my faith in a person's ability to write a rock solid thriller. "The Ring" actually has a lot of commonalities with "The Changeling" but "The Ring" blows you away with a stomach-turning twist at the end. I hope writers continue to create these kind of thrillers.
Rating:
Summary: Been a long time coming!
Review: This movie taps back into what fright is about...it is not a series of special effects or the budget that makes the film, but the psychological footprints it leaves in the mind of the viewer! The Ring stays with you for weeks after the final credits have finished scolling down the silver screen! Those who did not like it simply did not "get" it. The character of Samara dives deep into all that scares us...betrayal, fear and vengence. Rachel developes through the 7 day ordeal...love, compassion and self sacrifice.
Five stars! Loved every minute of it! Each time I watched it I saw something new! Can't wait for the sequel!!! Long live Samara!
Rating:
Summary: The scariest I've ever seen !!!
Review: I saw it in cinema, and honestly, first I doubt if I would like it. It tell about a video that could kill its viewer in 7 days. No wonder if some like it named THE VIDEO instead of THE RING. When it begin with a teenager murdered, I liked to think it as SCREAM type of movie. But, when her aunt,the reporter, begin to look for evidence like Sherlock Holmes, I guessed it will end like DRAGONFLY or WHAT LIES BENEATH.But I was wrong when it show WHY THEY DIED. The figure of "the creature", suprisingly, is very very Asian banshee style. White clothes, long hair, black eyes and skinny. In my country, we call it KUNTILANAK (banshee/female ghost). No wonder almost ladies in cinema scccrrreeeeaaaaammmm...... because this figure is very familiar in far east, especially south east asia. Two thumbs up to this idea. I like it, better than other holywood horror. No blood, no killing process, no wierd creature like WISHMASTER, but you see people dead.
Oh, one more thing, I like "the video" content. It looked amatuer film but very very surealistic. Yeah, I think that the best part of this movie. I said DON'T MISS IT
Rating: 
Summary: Workman-like remake of a classic - why did they bother?
Review: It's generally difficult to understand the logic behind an english language remake of foreign language films - Are subtitles *that* much of a pain? - but atleast when the remake is of the same quality as the original you have some justification. This isn't. It doesn't come close to matching the suspense and creeping terror that the Japanese original has, and - like the nationality issues in "Insomnia" - there are important elements of the plot that simply cannot survive translation out of it's native language and setting. The tone of the film is different as well, and the originals erie emphasis on the psychic is diluted. Rewrites - and the apparent inclusion of material from the second film - are to blame for the somewhat disjointed and illogical way in which the film proceeds. Other than that, there's nothing really *wrong* with this film - it's just hard to see the point in making it in the first place. It becomes just another horror movie. Either of the two Japanese sequels (Ring2 and Ring0) are better than this, and neither was as good as the original. However, if "Scream" et al. are your idea of a good horror movie, then you will probably like this. You might even be impressed. If you prefer genuine horror movies to teen-slasher dramas, don't waste your money - get the original!
Rating:
Summary: The Ring...Sick and Twisted....Thumbs Up
Review: Everyone knows that now-a-days you can't watch a "good" movie without it having somekind of blood or guts. This movie, while not showing much of either, gave the same effect in horror and sickness to its viewers. I saw this movie in the theaters, and when I say that everyone was screaming, I really mean it. I even saw a grown man curled up in his seat...that made me laugh. THe creator of this movie must of had a sick and twisted mind to think of everything they did in this movie. I defintly suggest you buy this movie on DVD only...VHS wont give you any extra options, and it must be seen in widescreen mode on a decent sized television....Enjoy...And one more thing, don't eat any popcorn while watching this movie...you'll just end up cleaning it off the floor.
Rating:
Summary: A fun, scary, and chilling experience!!!
Review: There was a time when horror films were fun, scary, and exciting. Lately, they have lost their edge, becoming nothing more than horrendous parodies of themselves-- greenlit by money-hungry producers looking to make a quick buck. Horror films used to cause excitement amongst moviegoers. Now, whenever a horror flick is released, it quickly gets lost in the crowd of comedies and quasi star-vehicles. Frequently ignored at the mainstream box-office but made so cheaply, these films more often than not make a profit, inspiring countless unnecessary sequels, keeping those suited tyrants smiling all the way to the bank. Just in time for Halloween, a handful of horror films were released. Amongst them was "The Ring," an American remake of a 1998 Japanese hit, adapted by "Arlington Road" and "Scream 3" scribe Ehren Kruger. Here is a fine example of a modern horror film that actually thrills, and proof that strong word of mouth can greatly benefit a good film not expected to do as well. Not only is this one of the best horror films ever made, it is also one of the few remakes that actually fare better than the original.
"The Ring" is a surprisingly effective and subtle horror film that, through genuine wit and intelligence, stands out amongst the computer-generated messes that pass for Hollywood's current attempt at horror. It's a surprisingly dark film that stands in nihilistic contrast to the feel-good, life-affirming style of horror typified by The Sixth Sense and its many imitations.
"The Ring" sets up its central premise with admirable speed and clarity. Supposedly, there's an urban legend about a mysterious, unmarked video tape that somehow causes the death, seven days later, of anyone unlucky enough to watch it. One unfortunate viewer is the niece of neurotic reporter and single mother Naomi Watts. While investigating her niece's death, Watts has the misfortune of watching the tape herself. The premise is beautifully set up in a simple opening scene that uses a ringing telephone and the image of a static-filled TV screen, as well as a pulse-pounding musical score, to whip up a sudden crescendo of tension.
Director Gore Verbinski's (The Mexican) visualization of what is on that tape has to be counted as one of the film's major triumphs. He is to be commended for not taking the easy route of filling the screen with explicit but meaningless "shock" images: instead, he creates a creepy collage of surreal but recognizable pictures. They have the disturbing power to get under the viewer's skin with such skill that it creates a feeling of continually growing dread which doesn't become obvious until it's already too late to escape.
Having watched the tape, Watts soon receives a phone call informing her that she (and apparently, the film's audience) now has precisely seven days left to live. Refreshingly, Watts goes against American horror film convention by neither ignoring the threat or attempting to escape in the stupidest, most illogical way possible. Instead, she immediately sets about to figure out what the tape means and how she can prevent her own seemingly inevitable demise. Aiding her in this endeavor are her ex-boyfriend Noah (Martin Henderson) and her disconcertingly Haley Joel Osmentish son (wonderfully played by David Dorfman in a very creepy performance).
This is the rare Hollywood horror film that actually respects its audience's intelligence enough not to have its heroine freaked out by finding a stray cat wandering around the pantry. Instead, Verbinski gets his scares by filming an off-center vision of a world that is recognizably our own. He has the patience to create a subtle atmosphere that prays not on our immediate impulses, but on the usually hidden fears that lurk within us all--the knowledge that at any moment, our life could end for reasons we'll never know.
In horror films, the less you know, the scarier things are. Verbinski understands that the camera creates tension just by moving; he builds anticipation and suspense about what could be lurking just outside the frame, while rarely revealing what it might be. The look of fear so clearly expressed by his characters is always more chilling than any monster he might turn his camera on. Perhaps Verbinski's greatest accomplishment is when the film's main horror finally does make itself visible after dominating the viewer's imagination, it still manages to be as frightening as anything we could have visualized in our mind's eye. Yes, I was absolutely terrified!
Though this film is obviously designed to showcase the skills of its director, one cannot ignore how much of the film's success comes from Naomi Watts' performance as a very untypical horror heroine. Playing her role with an unstable neurotic streak, Watts manages to make her character endearing, frustrating and, most importantly, real. In a time when so many horror films tend to present women as either cute survivors or victims born only to be exploited and punished, Watts gives us a recognizable human being who, though understandably terrified, displays welcome strength and determination, giving the film a needed boost of reality.
"The Ring" is a handsomely mounted, intelligently crafted thriller that skillfully maintains a tense sense of dread. The crisp editing, fluid camera work, meticulous production design, menacing score and gloomy Pacific Northwest locations all contribute to the unsettling atmosphere, as does Verbinski's decision to use primal horror imagery, rather than gore and cheap scare tactics, to unnerve us.
Verbinski and company have crafted an exemplary thriller, and maybe one of the year's best films. I have not seen a thriller as disturbing and satisfying since the likes of Richard Kelly's "Donnie Darko" or Alejandro Amenabar's "The Others." "The Ring" is a true masterpiece of modern horror, which is wonderful considering Hollywood hasn't pumped out any consistently good edge-of-your-seat films in quite some time. Maybe "The Ring" will help change this. One can only hope.
Rating:
Summary: Scariest Movie Ever!
Review: I have seen all the major horror films: Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, the list goes on and on. My favorite movie when I was 6 was the movie Poltergeist. I have never been afraid of a horror movie until now. The Ring scared me so badly that I had nightmares for about a week. I had to keep my TV covered because I was afraid of it. The Ring has a great way of making a viewer afraid of common household appliances like the phone, the TV, the VCR... it is great! There are many twists that the viewer is not anticipating and that keeps the movie going. Just when you think you know what direction the movie is about to go in, it surprises you again. The Ring is also filled with many disturbing visual surprises and even the editing is unique compared to most scary movies. Many of the images will haunt you long after you see the movie. I also highly recommend seeing the original Japanese version of the movie called Ringu. It is much more subtle than the American version, but I think I respect it more for that reason. Some portions of the story simply make more sense in the Japanese version. However, the American version has scarier special effects and the mental institution scenes really add to the movie. Still, it is tough to decide who is scarier, Sadako or Samara, but both are wonderfully frightening in their own way. If you love to be scared, GO SEE THIS MOVIE! I can't say enough great things about it. Please, see both versions. I won't say anymore because part of what makes the movie scary is having no prior knowledge of what makes it that intense... one of my friends was told how it ended and it did not scare her at all because of it. Just trust me on this and watch this movie!
Rating:
Summary: I don't understand many of these reviews...
Review: Let me start off by saying that this movie was EXCELLENT. It was scary, the storyline was intriguing and well-crafted, and the creepy atmosphere was great. I really don't understand what half these reviews are talking about when they call the plotline "incoherent" and say that there are all of these plot holes that the movie didn't explain. I don't even comprehend what plot holes they might be referring to- (maybe they just didn't understand it?)- because nothing didn't make sense to me. I actually thought the movie made a valiant attempt to explain itself and justify its "lofty pretensions" in a rather believable way. Perhaps the plot holes people are talking about were merely misinterpretations of the supernatural occurances in the film (which is why I think that maybe some people didn't understand what was going on...). Here's my advice: if you like creepy movies (not slasher movies, and especially ghost stories), go see this movie. If you don't like the "lofty pretensions" of ghost stories but appreciate creepy atmosphere and/or good movie-making quality, go see this movie- you might enjoy it. If you do not qualify in one of the above categories, you probably won't enjoy this movie, so steer clear.
Rating:
Summary: The Curse of 'The Ring'
Review: Gore Verbinski's American remake of the Japanese modern horror masterpiece replaces the original's raw horror and nightmarish intensity with elegant atmosphere and elegiac, contemplative pacing. 'The Ring' is a vivid, menacing, and somber mood film. Naomi Watts carries the film as a emotionally detached journalist and mother whose niece dies from a supposed cursed videotape that allegedly kills whoever watches it seven days after its viewing. Watts gets her hands on it, watches it, shows it to some loved ones, and goes on an investigation, racing to cure herself from the curse before her seventh day deadline (pun intended). Verbinski shows weaknesses (but still succeeds) with the character drama and emotion, but excels with the film's haunting visuals and atmosphere. Ehren Kruger's thoughtful and grim screenplay is a masterful adaptation of the original Japanese film. 'The Ring' is a bleak, beautiful, and breathtaking horror film with a strong emotional core. It also raises some very powerful and evocative themes about parents and children, compassion and the media's lack thereof, grief, tragedy, and the film goes full circle with them (pun still intended). Don't forget to watch the original Japanese film 'Ringu,' which is being released simultaneously with the American remake on March 4, 2003.
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