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The Ring (Widescreen Edition)

The Ring (Widescreen Edition)

List Price: $19.99
Your Price: $15.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: a cut above the sludge that Hollywood usually calls "scary"
Review: After being barraged with countless trailers and promotions for all the movies that come out, I somehow manage to find only three or four really worthwhile movies that I like every year.

Despite some of the criticisms leveled at The Ring by a variety of disparate sources, I consider it to be (if not a masterpiece) a provocative and entertaining movie.

I watched this movie without the corrupting influence of Ringu to color my views. I have yet to see Ringu (I await its imminent release on the 4th), so I have rated The Ring based on its own merits rather than comparing it to the original (which by the way differed so much from Koji's book as to relegate criticism leveled at Kubrick's "The Shining" for its lack of similarity to King's book to a low level of believability).

I bring up Kubrick to make a point... I consider Verbinski's "The Ring" to be just as frightening as Kubrick's "The Shining." And when evaluating the merits of Kubrick's work, it is unfair to compare it to another source (in this case the book). It is similarly unfair to criticise differences in Ringu and The Ring. Carbon copies stink of redundance... and the twists that Verbinski adds to his work to "Americanize" it should give Ringu fans another perspective from which to view the characters.

The other source of criticism lobbed at The Ring stems from what some consider to be an editing problem on a massive scale. I argue that this was intentional and fit the schizophrenic and unpredictable plot better than spoonfeeding us the whole thing. The whole reason that the movie was frightening to me was that it had all these subtle connections (like the fly on the tape walking in circles) that you had to really look hard to notice. And those little things added to the subtle ghost story that is The Ring.

Upon watching the first scene, I was worried that this was going to be another teeny flick, but then I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the teeny-bop feel of the beginning was incidental and that the plot would be mainly played out by adults. In fact, one of the strongest points of The Ring is that, unlike most horror bilge, it does not use violence to carry the plot. Of the relatively few deaths that occur, I can say that each was in the plot for a definitive reason. There was no ritual "killing of the excess characters" that always seems to be a staple of the more "R-ish" rated movies in Hollywood this century.

And this is the real terror of the movie. There are a few jump scenes (including the infamous final sequence that still makes me nervous when I walk past my TV) but the feeling of dread is constant. I could not distinguish points in the movie when there was less or more dread (as one can usually do in horror flicks to accurately predict such jump moments) so the few BOO!s that there were had me surprised and scared.

The Ring was more than anything else a classical ghost story wrapped in the facade of a modern setting. In fact, I was reminded in some scenes of the last great ghost story to grace the theaters... The Shining. The difference being that the ghostly Samara chooses to haunt our technology rather than be constrained to a specific place. This is an interesting cultural event... our world has been "shrunk" by technology and people are no longer tied to one locale. Neither is the haunting in this remarkably innovative movie.

Overall, I highly recommend this movie for anyone who wants to be frightened sans knowing that a good portion of their ticket cost will be paying for the massive quantities of katchup used to produce the film. Verbinski's "The Ring" is an intelligent movie for an intelligent audience that will neither compare it mindlessly with its predecessor or need the actors to spoonfeed them the whole plot in direct dialogue. So, go watch it. You know, you have to, because... Before you die, you see "The Ring"!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Average Movie
Review: I cannot believe the number of good reviews this movie is getting. I was really excited to see this movie b/c I had heard how "scary" it was, but in all honesty, this movie is not scary at all! It has some very slow moments and the plot doesn't tie together well. I saw this movie w/ my girlfriend (who easily gets scared and doesn't like to watch scary movies), and after we left the theater, she wasn't even scared and we barely discussed the movie except for how it made little sense. If not for the twist at the end, I would've given this movie 1 star. This is a rental at best.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Movie
Review: When I walked into the theatre (the 1st time I saw it), I was expecting to see a corney, very CGI-type remake, but when I came out of the theatre with a huge grin on my face, I knew this movie was goin to go on my list of my top 5 favorite horror movies. I'm a HUGE fan of the horror genre, and "The Ring" has to be one of the best horror movies ever made. This movie scared the be-jesus out of me, and I don't scare easily. I was shaking as the end of the movie was revealing itself. WOW. Great ending...
Anyway, I highly recommend this movie. It has the scares, some (but not much) humor, and a gorgeous leading character (Ms Watts). The visuals are fascinating and the story grips you right from the start. This movie takes time to fully understand, but unlike some people I think this adds to the movie's success. SO CHECK IT OUT and try to not see it alone..... ESPECIALLY at night...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awesome and Spooky Movie
Review: i saw this movie when it was out in theaters and man did i ever talk about it after it was done.

This movie was one of the most well done pieces of film i've ever had the pleasure of watching. The video tape images were weird and a couple were disturbing. Movies don't freak me out...but this one managed to spook me a little, so that speaks volumes for the type of atmosphere this movie brought. I can't wait til it's released so i can watch it all over again...great and classic movie.

scale from 1-10..i rank it as an 11.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Ring
Review: Though the majority of truly effective scares resound most clearly when borrowed from the original source material, Gore Verbinski's reworking of the phenomenally successful 1998 Japanese film Ringu is a suitably chilling version of the story that has already seen a Korean remake, two sequels and a made-for-television movie. That is no reason to bash The Ring though. That's just what critics like to do. Well forget what they have to say, this film is SCARY! Wisely opting for a sustained sense of dread over a series of shock scenes or over-reliance of special effects, The Ring also benefits from the suitable and assured lead of actress Naomi Watts despite some over-dramatization of events early on. The majority of newly incorporated plot elements are also fairly effective, with at least one instance aboard an island-bound ferry reaching a fever pitch of disturbing heights. The critics say that there were plot hole, but that is also a lie. NO PLOTHOLES. Everyone in the theatre understood it, and was able to follow it, but the simple-minded critics, need everything spoon fed to them. Let's face it, the critics try to sound important, but fail by making us TRUE filmgoers laugh. If they don't like a film, than it is probably good. The Ring is a scary movie that'll mess you up for a while. Watch it alone in the dark!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: First really scary horror film in ages.
Review: I have to say, I was quite impressed with The Ring. Over the last few years I've started to become a fan of the horror genre. The trouble is, the more horror films I see, the less they manage to actually frighten me. And, to me, that's rather the whole point.

Resident Evil got my vote not because the zombies were scary, but because it had some good shocks and nice action. The Ring is a very different type of movie, closer to horror than action.

From the very first scene of the movie the eerie atmosphere is set very well. If you're actually watching the movie, it's near impossible not to get into the creepy mood. Even if you're just waiting for "it" to happen, whatever it may be. The movie makes it quite clear, it will happen, and you do not know what it is. It's a really refreshing take from recent films where the villian is obvious.

I've heard numerous reports of people losing sleep over this movie and having trouble leaving it at the theater. I can't say I found it frightening to that level, but it still managed to send a good chill down my spine throughout the film and startle me a number of times. I was shaking a bit coming out of the theater, I'm hoping it's because it was rather cold. ^_^;

The horror is broken up from time to time with interesting and entertaining exploration and story development. However, just when you think the movie is switching from a horror flick to an interesting mystery flick, the horror elements return, in force.

Although parts of the movie are somewhat corny, and many reports of the movie are of course over hyped, you will indeed at least be creeped out and entertained throughout. It's certainly worth seeing, and I'd recommend seeing it with a friend. You'll have a hard time not giving away the details if you don't.

And if you like to bring a gullible, easily scared girl to the movies with you, don't be surprised if you end up jumping a few times yourself. ^_^ Don't worry, your friends who have seen it as well won't laugh at you... too much.

- Rirath_com

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent Horror Film
Review: The Ring is stunning , Naomi Watts is awesome in it and its just a great scary time!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great movie
Review: ya know, a lot of people say they didn't like this movie because it left many questions unanswered, but i believe that makes it better, cause it sparks our imagination and allows us to create our own theories and investigations. on the directors part it's quite clever, cause it keeps us coming back to watch it again and again trying to put the pieces together

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: YOU MIGHT LOVE IT, OR HATE IT
Review: DONT SEE THE RING IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION FOR EVERYTHING. IF YOU DONT THEN THE RING IS AWESOME. THE VISUALS ARE GREAT AND IT IS QUITE SCARY. SOME STUFF DOESNT MAKE A WHOLE LOT OF SENSE, IF ANY... BUT IF YOU CAN GET OVER THAT THEN SEE THE RING. I VERY MUCH ENJOYED IT.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best Horror Movie Out There
Review: While I am not one for horror films, I went to go see The Ring in theatres and actually enjoyed it. It is a VERY scary movie, unlike any you have seen. It'll make you jump and have you looking at TV's with a totally different attitude. I'd definitely recommend it. =)


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