Rating: 
Summary: a ghost story does not have to take place in an "old dark ho
Review: I reluctantly put this DVD on the other night, thinking it to be another lame horror film typical of the genre over the last ten years. Boy was I wrong. This film may have some of the creepiest imagery since "Carnival of Souls". In addition to the nightmarish imagery, this film also included an Urban Legend, an intriguing mystery and a twist at the end, all these things kept me completely engrossed in the film from beginning to end.I did not see the original, so I am only reviewing it based on it's own merits. The plotline does have some flaws but not enough to distract from its overall impact. The fact that the story centers around television and video proves that a ghost story does not have to take place in an "old dark house" to be scary.
Rating:
Summary: Spookfest !
Review: I'm usually wary about any movie in the horror/spooky genre which involves anything modern, especially electronic equipments like TV, telephone etc. For me, (since I am old fashioned) spook is most effective when associated with castles and witches and forests and dungeons. But this was a pleasant surprise to me. Everything is so perfect about this movie - it had me tight-gripped throughout it. This is the remake of the Japanese classic 'Ringu' directed by Hideo Nakata (What a shame - wish I knew Japanese to see and enjoy the movie, reading English subs alone might not do the trick for me), which in turn is based on Koji Suzuki's novel by the same name. Naomi Watts and the supporting cast are well chosen. The background score by Hans Zimmer elevates the film to a whole new level, mesmerizes you. . The lack of bright colors in the movie or rather, the choice of colors and settings which blends in with each other only adds to the eerie atmosphere. Another thing to note is that it doesn't have the usual Hollywood way of scaring people - cats jumping out of cupboards, walking zombies and ridiculous amounts of blood & gore. The strength of the whole movie lies in the suspense and the fear of the unknown it builds up. Those who feel that there were some things which had to be explained/shown in the movie after you've finished watching it, there is an accompanying feature aptly titled 'Don't watch this' contained in the DVD which will fill in the gaps I highly recommend this DVD; maybe renting this is the most sensible thing to do since I'm not sure how well this movie can retain its flavor in repeated viewings.
Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly Good
Review: Rachel (Watts), an investigative reporter, first hears of a silly urban legend at the funeral of her teenage niece, Katie. Katie died suddenly of unknown causes while at home with her best friend, who was so freaked out by whatever happened that night that she is now in a psychiatric ward. Rachels learns from some of Katie's other friends that there's supposed to be some video tape that causes the death of anyone who watches it exactly seven days later. She is compelled to look into it further when she learns that three other teenagers all died mysteriously on the same night and at the same time as Katie. THE RING is a good supernatural thriller and an improvement on the Japanese original, RINGU. Director Verbinski demonstrates that he knows how to raise the hairs on the back of your neck. Editing, sound and some unconventional film techniques are used to raise the creep-out factor to high level. The story is told from Rachel's point of view and she brings the appropriate skepticism about the allegedly cursed video tape. Watts plays the character with intelligence and just the right level of fear to be believable. It's not until after she has viewed the nightmarish tape that the truth of the legend becomes undeniable; Rachel is now in a race to make sense of what she has seen before her seven days are up. The only weakness of the screenplay is that when the source of the evil is revealed, it's somewhat unsatisfying because it leaves you thinking that there must be more to it than that. Of special note is a hidden feature on the DVD menu. If you move the cursor one step below the last item, it disappears from view; press "enter" and the deadly video from the movie plays in it's entirety. But don't panic when your remote no longer works...IT CAN'T BE STOPPED!
Rating: 
Summary: The Sh*tiest horror film ever
Review: the only thing i can say about this movie is that its a piece of SH*T!
Rating: 
Summary: Instant classic: a story from the other side
Review: A couple of notes before my thoughts about the film: 1. There's an ongoing barrage of comments in the reviews here in Amazon with people saying that the original Japanese version (Ringu) is better or more subtle and that you "should see that one first" or that the American version is inferior etc. etc. etc. Sorry people, but this is totally besides the point. What matters is whether this version works or not(in my opinion it totally does) and not whow it fares in comparison. 2. Lots of reviewers talk about plotholes and unanswered questions (most of them without mentioning even where these plotholes are and why they consider them "holes" to begin with)...Uhm, sorry again, but maybe you didn't notice that this is a film about the paranormal???? And, as such, it is by definition "allowed" NOT to follow your understanding of reality??? If it did, it would then have to do with something other than the peranormal! Comprende? Ok, onto the film then. Needless to tell more about the story, it's been written in full detail by many others.
The Ring is the first thriller-horror film in a long while that has a superb storyline, a brilliant script, and very good to stunning acting performances as well as a great directorial effort.
Even though there have been recent great films in the genre (notably The Sixth Sense and The Others) the Ring goes one step further because of its frantic pace that doesnt let up for a single minute. That's a paradox really, and simoultaneously the Ring's claim to greatness because as you see it creates the impression that it's rather slow, but, there's constantly clues added as you watch, constantly the story evolves and the film doesnt sag at all at any given point.
On top of that, there are so many ingenius ideas that work to the benefit of the whole plot (the fly that comes alive through the screen, the tape lacking a number print, and of course the fact that it's a paranormal story which finds its outlet through modern technology). The doom-ladden atmosphere is devoid of banality, particualarly the island setting in the film and the brilliant use of the murky weather backround, but overall the director has seriously worked on intimidating the viewers without resorting to cheap "boo!" tactics.
Sequences like the one on the ferry with the horse that goes wild will stay on peoples' minds for a long time but the Ring is actually full of disturbing optics that you keep with you long after you've exited the movie theater. The curse-carrying tape on its own is nothing short of an art-piece, surely one that will (hopefully) inspire more films in that direction. Extra kudos for the casting of the film: the kid is a return to the 60s faces in the genre with its almost possesed look in his eyes, as is the girl herself with her tragic grimace, but where the film could have blown it and -thankfully- didn't is with the use of the "beautiful blonde" but she does an admittedly very good job in her part and contribution as does everybody in the Ring in general. Not since the Shining (and that over 2 decades ago) have i come across a thriller that kept me edged throughout as this one did. That, i think, is a heavy compliment to this flick. The Ring is not to be missed by fans of the horror-thriller scene or by viewers who like intelligent well made films no matter what the genre.
Another thing that should be pointed out, is that Ring is also an allegory on television, or rather, becomes one whether it's intended to or not. At one point the reporter is standing on her balcony having a panoramic view in other apartment buldings and what their inhabitants are doing inside and sees everywhere a switched on television set. That, along with the fact that evil chooses to use the TV set as its entrance to our world is indicative of what i mean. But, it's not merely indicative, unless you -somehow- think that TV is NOT evil.....
Instant classic.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing film
Review: " The Ring " is probably the best movie to come out of 2002. I personally think it is much better then the original film, " Ringu".The ring has some very shocking scenes and is a very disturbing movie.Also, another plus is that the movie doesnt rely on blood and gore to scare the viewer, which is very uncommon for movies these days. I highly recommend that everyone looking for a good horror movie should rent The Ring.
Rated PG-13 for Disturbing images, Language, and brief violence Note: this movie should not be viewed by young children or anyone that scares very easily..
Rating: 
Summary: I dont wanna be a pain in the ass but this movie sucked
Review: Really the movie was not olny bad it was the wost and most over rated horror movie I have ever seen.It not scary it's dry and weak,very dispointing but dont let this review slow you down,go see it if you must but I suggest you dont.
Rating:
Summary: pleasingly creepy
Review: Adapted from the Japanese "Ringu", "The Ring" is a stylish and consistently chilling flick centered on a mysterious videotape whose viewers mysteriously die. Rachel Keller (the lovely Naomi Watts, late of "Mulholland Drive") is an investigative reporter who looks into the mysterious case of the tape when her niece falls victim (her heart just stops, her face frozen in some expression of limitless fright). Along with the niece, several of her friends also turn up dead - succumbing on the same date and time. Very much a reporter in the tradition of that guy on "The Incredible Hulk", Rachel trudges off to a remote island cabin where the victims were last together - and finds the tape. Though containing only a short movie, the tape is nightmarish - scary without resort to shocks, it's a pastiche of ominously surreal images (dark landscapes, torn fingers, an old well, a woman combing her hair in front of a mirror that doesn't reflect a camera, another falling off a cliff, worms, ladders, flies - very Dali-esque). Immediately after watching the tape, Keller gets a phone call - a childlike voice tells her she will die in seven days. Rachel turns for help to her young son, a gifted but incredibly dark boy who seems to have an affinity for the dark force that threatens Rachel. She also reaches out to an ex-boyfriend, a video engineer whose initial skepticism guarantees that he too will watch the tape. Soon she begins to succumb to the power of the ring - she becomes distorted on pictures, and finds herself blackening out faces on pictures as her niece had. Racing the clock (okay, the calendar) Rachel pieces together the cryptic images into a chain of clues, which lead her to a dark island (the flick was filmed both in the northwest and in Massachusetts, but manage to consistently bring out the creepier aspects of each) and a secret that won't stay hidden. I loved this flick, and couldn't disagree more with the amazon.com review that found it burdened by "lofty pretensions" (doubtlessly Jeff Shannon enjoyed "Se7en", an overblown chiller which was pretentious, overburdened by cheap thrills and a reliance on Hollywood's stereotype of the apocalyptic biblical psychopath - but one nearly universally praised). The script preserves a perfect sense of dread between the shocks, while the cinematography doesn't resort to cheap chills (it's both chilling and refreshing that shocking imagery is unaccompanied by shocking sound effects - the film could have been titled "Silent Scream") and actually understates its jabs. You may spend most of your viewing time just scanning frames (and it's worth it, more reason to spring for the DVD) to capture its enigmatic and disturbing visions. Rather than pretentious, the script taps into primal emotions - fear and regret - bred by the chaotic lives people quietly live. The script isn't overly wordy, nor does it have Rachel try to turn the tale-of-the-tape into a metaphor for some typical Hollywood philosophy. The editing may look sloppy - there are numerous scenes which don't otherwise fit into the plot, signs of scenes or sub-plots which were never finished or simply cut (like an ominous stranger that Rachel's son sees on a rainy street, or a scene in which a horse goes berserk while being ferried to an island)and some sound effects clash with the onscreen images (like the scream we hear from a girl on the ferry, despite the fact that she's covering her mouth), but I think it's a deliberate effect meant to highlight the entropy at the edge of Rachel's life, and remind us that there's more going on then we can see with our own eyes. Though much of "The Ring" may come off as non-sensical, the script weaves a complex yarn - like a puzzle, its pieces uncannily come together. With its many visual cues, the film is incredibly re-watchable, and come closest to that cinematographic ideal of telling a story entirely with pictures. I haven't seen "fear.com" but don't feel the need to compare this flick to it. If you need a good chill, embrace the power of the ring.
Rating:
Summary: Thank God Beta is Obsolete
Review: Let me preface by saying that scary movies never scare me: I yawned through The Exorcist and have no fear of blood, guts, gore, or crazy dudes with axes. But, The Ring freaked me out. "The Ring" masters the art of creating fragmented, nightmarish images that conjure up some really creepy scenes. Plus the storyline is mostly unpredictable. It seems that the makers of The Ring paid special attention to exclude those typical horror movie details that annoy us, while preserving those that while still stock, never fail to work. I watched The Ring last night and couldn't get to sleep for three hours--that's how badly I didn't want to turn out the light. Bravo...
Rating:
Summary: decent horror flick
Review: I was pleasantly surprised by how effectively well made this movie was and it was a REMAKE!, there are several creepy eerie scares throughout, the movie wasn't that scary as people said it was but it still had decent directing and a great story.I think most horror movies are aimed at scaring women, there should be more powerfull movies to scare the guys too, not even excorcist was that scary, in fact i found nightmare on elm street scarier than both....if a horror movie like this was taken up a notch by 2x, more disturbing scary faces,more haunting noises,scarier music e.c.t it would scare anyone.
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