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The Ring (Full Screen Edition)

The Ring (Full Screen Edition)

List Price: $19.99
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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: well-made film can't disguise average horror plot
Review: To its credit, "The Ring" gets your attention from the start. It is well filmed and well acted, with dialogue that never seems too out of the ordinary. The creepy imagery is something that might linger after viewing the film. But as the story progresses and the viewer is trying to piece everything together, it slowly becomes apparent that "The Ring" is just not going to deliver.

There is enough plot explanation in the other reviews here, so I won't talk about it. All I will say is that in the end, one is left thinking that the entire premise is flimsy and unexplained. This is hardly unexpected for a horror flick, but all the gloss on this film leads the viewer to expect more, not more of the same.

It's worth a rental, but it ain't all it's been cracked up to be.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Innovative and the best horror film since The Blair Witch.
Review: If you scan my reviews you'll realize that I seldom rank any piece work a 5 stars. If I rate something 5 stars I have to see something in the work that is moving or groundbreaking. The Ring is suffering from the "punchline" being ruined like the Blair Witch Project. This movie's full impact is only felt in it's first viewing, but after that it does leave quite an impression. The plot thickens as the story pushes on and takes on many elements of a mystery film. This is a great work adapted from Asia's variant Ringu. This film is worth buying especially if you haven't seen this film. This is one of the best horror films released in my humble opinion.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Ring
Review: Hmm... what can I say. One night sitting bored channel surfing I saw the ring was coming on and I'd heard mixed reviews so I decided to see it and formulate my own opinion. I'm not going to lie to you like some others who change their opinion after someone else saying it's not scary. It was fairly disturbing at times however it seemed to be lacking.

My real critiques would have to be the reuse of the already beaten to death boy who sees dead people, which was in fact not in the other versions of the movie (See, Ringu) and I feel detracted from the dispense . Also I feel that it diverted nearly ridiculously from the books story and was more of a mystery/suspense thriller than a horror movie.

However all in all it was a satisfying watch and Gore Verbinski did an excelent job perfectly reproducing certain scenes from the previous renditions of the film.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Scary stuff!
Review: This movie had me scared most of the time! I've heard the Japanese version is better, but I haven't seen it, so I couldn't say for sure. This is one of the better horror type movies to come along in quite a while!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: This is not scary at all!!!
Review: I actually liked this movie when I first saw it in theatres, and was considering buying it when it came out on DVD. Good thing I haven't, because I hate this movie now. I notice that alot of people say this is scary, but it's not. I found it pretty boring and pointless. The story is that if you watch a certain video tape, you will die in seven days. What a dumb idea. How was the tape made? Why was it made? Why would a ghost be using a tape to kill people for no apparent reason? Suddenly, the ghost becomes evil at the end and kills the main character's boyfriend. Then the main character decides to make more copies of the tape! Why? The acting wasn't bad, but that doesn't help really. I recommmend these movies: John Carpentar's The Thing, They Live, The Fog, In The Mouth of Madness, Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser. Those are really great horror/science fiction movies. People have forgotten what a great horror movie is because they're too used to those stupid teenybopper comedies and now they're coming out with these teenybopper horror movies that will probably only scare little 12 year old middle school punks and people who are shocked really easily.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: IT DOES IT FOR ME!
Review: Creative, creepy thriller that pulls the viewer into the world of the ring from the very first scene.

A strange video tape is out there. Watchers view a variety of disjointed scenes. The phone rings and an eerie voice says "seven days."

Naomi Watts stars as Rachel, a woman who has watched the tape and is desperately trying to unravel its secrets. Will she find out the secret in time? Watch the film.

THE HORSEMAN

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Scary?
Review: This is one of those scary movies where it will scare the living daylights out of you or won't scare you at all. It didn't scare me at all.

This is a chilling movie and will no doubt scare the pants off alot of people. It's a great psychological thriller because instead of using a gutted person hanging from a tree to freak you out, this movie messes with your mind and will make you want to turn off the TV forever when it's over.

Naomi Watts gives a noteable performance as a reporter trying to uncover the secret behind the videotape that makes people die seven days after they see it. What she doesn't expect to happen is that her young son will watch the video. Luckily she sees him do this so she can hopefully expel the death that is coming after her son.

The ending left me wanting to know more about this videotape and the creepy little girl who crawls out of the TV screen, which is why The Ring 2 will be coming out soon.

Do you like "The Shining"? Do like to be freaked out? Get this movie. It should do just that for you. (Unless you're like me and horror movies do nothing for you, but for some reason you want to watch them anyway.) Despite the fact that I don't think it is scary, I still think this is a great movie, with a great story.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Nice and scary, if nothing else
Review: "The Ring" opens with a scene that looks exactly like the opening scene of every slasher movie. Two teenage girls are at home alone, watching TV; one of them brings up a rumor about a cursed videotape that kills you seven days after you watch it; the other girl goes pale and reveals that she saw a weird videotape a week ago; etc. The scene moves along a familiar arc -- creepy sounds, a couple false alarms, and finally a violent death. However, it does not end with a psychopath jumping out of a closet, but with a fleeting glimpse of a grainy image on the victim's TV screen. And right away the movie has our interest, because we're wondering, "What did we just see, and why did it literally scare her to death?"

We meet the dead girl's aunt, Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts), a harried reporter/single mom who begins investigating this supposed killer videotape. Her search leads her to a campground in the mountains, where she does indeed find a mysterious unmarked cassette. She watches it; it is filled with strange images such as a shimmering ring of light, a ladder, a woman falling off a cliff, severed fingers, etc. Then the phone rings, and a whispered voice tells her she has seven days to live.

With the clock ticking, Rachel races to uncover the mystery of the tape. Who made it, and how? Who is the strange woman who appears on the tape? In her hunt for answers, Rachel enlists the help of her ex, Noah (Martin Henderson), a computer geek who spouts techo-jargon and ominously informs her, "This tape has no data code. That's like a person born without fingerprints." There's also her little son, Aidan (David Dorfman), who begins drawing some rather disturbing pictures. Rachel has frightening dreams. Images from the tape appear in the real world. The clues lead her to a windswept island where some unpleasant deeds were done in the past, and from there.....well, I shouldn't reveal much more of the plot.

"The Ring" is not very original. It has all the standard elements of a supernatural thriller. Spontaneous nosebleeds? Check. A gloomy psychiatric ward? Check. A pseudo-psychic little kid? Yup. Water leaking from nowhere? Half-glimpsed figures? Sudden, chilling revelations? Animals freaking out for no reason? Creaking floorboards? They're all there. Where "The Ring" succeeds is in its central mystery, its muted atmosphere, its unsettling soundtrack, and some genuinely scary moments that -- for once -- don't rely on a sudden shock. The most frightening scene comes at the end, when we learn exactly how an image on a TV screen can scare someone to death. The scene happens in broad, stark daylight, and instead of trying to startle the audience, it moves with a steady, relentless pace, getting more terrifying by the second, until......well, this is horror at its most potent, and it makes up for the film's shortcomings.

Naomi Watts has real star power, as evidenced by the arc of her movie career. (from "Children of the Corn 5" to an Oscar nom!) Here, she brings sympathy and desperation to her somewhat sparse character, and also proves she can scream really well. Martin Henderson is likable, even though his character is left by the wayside. David Dorfman does a nice job as the kid, even though he's an obvious rip-off of Haley Joel Osment. Brian Cox has an effective cameo as a reclusive old man, and Daveigh Chase, that sweet-voiced little girl from "Donnie Darko" and "Lilo & Stitch," is uncredited in a crucial role that horror movie buffs will be talking about for years to come.

"The Ring" is based strongly on a popular Japanese horror film that, according to most sources, is even better. I will see it in due time. For now, I'll just give thanks to this American film for scaring my pants off. If ever there was an excuse to switch to DVD....

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Decent remake that cannot compare to the original in any way
Review: I hate to be a movie snob (actually no, that's a lie, I love being a movie snob :-) but, I have to say that, when taken on its own, this American remake of the classic japanese 'Ring' more than holds its own as a contemporary horror classic.

When taken in-context as a remake, however, it fails on most every count. But anyway.

To synopsise: Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) is investigating the possibility of an Urban Legend being responsible for s spate of recent teenage deaths. The Legend in question concerns a videotape which, when watched, lets you know that you have a week to live. When she herslef falls prey to the Curse she enlists the help of her old partner Noah Clay (Martin Henderson) to stop the fatal event from taking place.

And from there on in, what we're left with is a mundanely-acted but beautifully-shot picture full of gorgeous and spooky set-pieces (the lighthouse, the barn, the asylum).

Watts and Henderson are there as perfunctory eye-candy, secondary to the ingenious plot and chilling photography. Director Gore Verbinski should be proud of himself for having done such an impressive job with monochromatic shots, the Seattle weather and minimal special effects. The overall visual impression of 'The Ring' is truly unsettling.

The acting isn't so hot, and the ridiculous, pointless sequence with the horses on the ferry goes nowhere and does nothing. There are several horrible horror-movie cliches here too, like the boy-teen at the start of the flick with near-ESP ('they're all gonna die, maaaan) that we really could have done without.

For all of that, though, 'The Ring' works well as a modern standalone horror movie, and is certainly one of the betterHollywood offerings of recent years.

On the other hand, when one watches the original 'Ringu', you'll understand what i mean. Less overstated, less effects-laden and far , far more effecting, 'Ringu' is a Classic. 'The Ring' is not. But if you've not seen either, start with the American version.

To rent, not to buy.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: ok movie, dark and creepy
Review: This movie is good. But I don't see why everyone was so scared by it. I guess it's a different kind of scared. It's not really scary, but more creepy. Few jump out of your seat parts. I think that is what they were going for with this movie, the more creepy and dark kind of movie. It is worth seeing but rent before you buy because you might not like it, it's hit or miss I think. Enjoy


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