Rating: 
Summary: Terrible
Review: I watched this film over the weekend because of all the hype it has been recieving. This movie is one of the worst horror movies I have ever seen. I have seen a lot of horror films and the sheer disappointment I was left with after watching this film was profound. The script for the film was decent and the plot moved along fairly smoothly, but those are the only two complements this movie deserves. The subtitled translation to english is very rough and at times puzzling. This alone is enough to kill any suspense and horror and turn the movie into something laughable. There was no point in the movie in which I was truly sucked into the action. This was no doubt due to the awkward acting, the poor music selection or lack thereof during tense moments and the aformentioned comical translation. If you like the idea of Ringu I suggest you watch the American counterpart, The Ring. I also recommend Frailty as another option, but I mostly recommend passing this one up.
Rating: 
Summary: The Greater Half of the 'Ring-u'
Review: 'Ringu' tells the tale of a video tape that, for reasons unknown, that kills you seven days after you watch it. Reiko, a journalist, is greeted by a death in the family one day. Her teenage niece died mysteriously one day, leaving no trace as to why. She soon discovers that three other of her niece's close friends died on the same day as her. Upon further investigation, she finds that the four teenagers had something in common: they had all seen a cryptic video tape. The trail leads her to the tape itself and, out of curiosity, watches it. The urban legend is proven to be a lot more real than she ever expected and soon, Reiko is on a race against time to decipher the mysteries of the tape. 'Ringu' (viewed at home) achieves a sense of fear throughout the movie in the way it 'connects' with the viewer. How obvious can it get? Though not a tape, you're watching the DVD on a TV. This paranoia adds to the scares constantly.
With sparse use of any real 'special effects,' the film is able to ground its otherworldly story to reality, something few modern horror films are able to do.
The acting is great and the dialogue, or at least the translated script for the subtitles, never got repetitive. The actress for Reiko does a good job as the tense heroine, while the male lead actor (sorry, his name escapes me) contrasts very well with her as her often cool and relaxed ex-husband.
The music chills to the bone, particularly the main theme (plays on the DVD main menu), which is just a creepy concoction of strummed guitar strings. I sat there, letting the whole menu run its course as the ambience it gave off made my blood run ice cold. 'Ringu's great utilization of sound astounded me as well, using bursts of utter cacophony to add new layers of fright to already surprsingly horrifying scenes.
Quite simply, this movie impressed me in every way possible. Now, on to 'Ringu'/'The Ring' comparisons... 'Ringu' operates on a single word: subtlety.
It delivers the scares without convoluting the process. Fear without frills, as I say. They scare you moreso on a mental level, forever burning in (some cases only) a dread of TV's.
Take, for example, the tape itself. In 'Ringu,' it really is just a bunch of forboding images, adding only clues to plot. Short and sweet. In comparison, 'The Ring' goes for the throat. It does try to scare you at a mental level as well, but it is somewhat bogged down by its own attempt of quick shocks.
The tape, in this version, is much longer and thought it is adapted for plot purposes, certain parts were unnecessary and served only to provide more reasons fo disturbing imagery later on. Most importantly, one character in particular was altered in a way I didn't like, but which take is better really just depends on personal taste.
That would be the journalist's son. In 'Ringu,' he had this creepy robotic feel, speaking only when needed and showing a frightening air of maturity.
However, in 'The Ring,' though well-acted, he is portrayed as the 'cliche' horror film child. He spouts out insightful but scary things that he should know nothing about at his age (ie the little boy in 'Signs'). This take removes the vulnerablity his counterpart had in 'Ringu,' causing you to care less whether or not he dies. Ending my comparison, I believe 'Ringu' is the superior film, though both in and of themselves are great. Now to end with the DVD package:
The main menu keeps in line with the film's simple way of fright, using the main theme as its backgroud music. The scene division is well-done. The 5.1 remaster of the film looks great as well. My only complaint is the disappointing lack of the 'Ringu' trailers. I say 'Ringu' is a sure buy and I guarantee (to most people) that you will not be disappointed. Just don't come crying to me when you develop an unhealthy fear of televisions!
Rating:
Summary: Scary and atmospheric film
Review: This movie really creeped me out, and i'm pretty uncreep-outable! A slow burning thriller than does not let up in atmosphere and builds to a stunning conclusion. Hollywood have remade this one but you can't beat the original.
Rating: 
Summary: A must see alternaive to the US production!
Review: This original Japanese version has spawned a cult following in the far east as well as several TV shows and sequel spinoffs. But you don't need to worry about that to enjoy this movie. While the basic plot and theme is similar to 'The Ring', this original is more primal, more compelling, and more fist-clenching than the U.S. remake. And if you do some research on the net, you'll find there that there is a whole subtle subplot that makes this movie even more exciting! This was 'The Matrix' of Japan!
Rating:
Summary: Original is always better...
Review: This film is a masterpiece. I first heard about it in 1999 and I've chased it down until 2002 when I bought it in Chinatown. It did not dissapoint me at all, but it did disturb me. The american version (The Ring) was a very good adaptation and it was entertaining but the way it works with this film is typical. Which ever version you see first is the one you will like better. Sure, The Ring had a better budget, special effects, marketing and so on. Ringu has pure atmosphere and that is what separates Asian and American films. I will admit that coming home from Chinatown at 2:30 am and watching Ringu immediately was not the best decision made (After the film, I was afraid to go to the bathroom; so what?) It did it's job, it scared me. Of course, living in the middle of the woods helped out. Give this film the chance it deserves. If you're an avid asian horror film fan like me, you know that this film has been imitated all over asia the past few years at a rapid pace. What does that tell you?
Rating:
Summary: I Liked Both This One and The U.S. Remake
Review: Creepy film. Not very bloody at all for a horror film: the scares come from psychological tension and an intriguing story. I like how they used scenes from the "killer" video as clues in uncovering the mystery (or part of it) behind the curse. Reminds me just a little of photographs in the Antonioni movie BLOW UP. Also, the "false" reflections the girl sees in the blank TV screens were a disturbing effect; you start seeing your own reflection while you're watching (unless you have one of those nonreflecting flat-screen TVs, I suppose). I saw the U.S. version THE RING first, so that one probably affects my perceptions of RINGU more than the other way around. Hard to review one without comparing it to the other. This one has somewhat less plot and fewer scare scenes than the THE RING does, but I don't think that lessens it any. The U.S. version has nicer, weirder visual effects and flashbacks, and its complex backstory behind the curse is more involving (I thought). But that kid in the U.S. version reminded me too much of the kid in THE SIXTH SENSE. And I thought that the increased number of foreshadowing (or backshadowing?) scenes in the U.S. film stole just a little bit from the big scene with the girl crawling out of the well; whereas the Japanese version has fewer scare scenes along the way, so the big scene hits you with more impact. Also, I thought the crippled motion of the girl in the Japanese version (when she walks toward the screen) is more unsettling than what we see in the U.S. version; as is how we never see her face at all in the Japanese version. But they're both clever horror films; if you like one you'll probably like the other. Couple interesting notes: A little web browsing reveals that the RING movies, novels, manga, and TV series have evolved into a whole minor industry in Japan. Also, the novel's author claims the title RING was originally as much a verb (as in to "ring" someone on the phone) as a noun.
Rating:
Summary: Oh, please!
Review: I too purchased this movie after reading so many great reviews. Gosh! Were we watching the same film? In a word, it stinks. Perhaps, if one spoke Japanese, it may have been a decent film, but the subtitling is the worst I have ever witnessed. Half sentences? Please. Perhaps one out of twenty lines are even
translated, and those curiously unimportant. Without subtitling, the plot is almost impossible to decipher, and once you do, it's not scary at all. Don't waste your money.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely B-Grade
Review: * At the beginning of RINGU, a Japanese live-action thriller-horror
film, a group of students who watch a strange videotape while visiting
a resort all die abruptly a week later. They are physically unharmed
but died with a look of fear and horror on their faces. A young
reporter investigating the incident acquires the tape and watches it
herself, only to become convinced that she is similarly doomed and has
only a week to live. Together with her ex-husband, a university
professor, she sets out on a quest to unravel the mystery of the
cursed videotape. I am not a big horror movie fan but I like Japanese movies, so I was
more interested in RINGU than its American remake, THE RING. However,
on watching RINGU I have to say that it is not a particularly
impressive movie. It was clearly made on a budget, which is not
necessarily bad in itself, but the acting is also strictly B-grade and
not very convincing. To be sure, weak acting is sort of a trademark of run-of-the-mill
horror flics, but to inspire terror the actors have to convince the
viewer that they are actually terrified, and if they can't do this
when the viewer is willing to suspend disbelief the movie's got a
problem. RINGU is more slow than frightening. I would place it
somewhere in between the low-end made-for-TV movies on SCI-FI CHANNEL
and higher-end made-for-TV movies made for the more mainstream cable
channels. RINGU can be watched in sort of an automatic fashion -- it is,
incidentally, not a blood-and-gore film -- but it won't disturb your
sleep. I hear the acting in THE RING is actually pretty hair-raising,
but like I said I'm not a horror fan and I doubt I'll check it out
any time soon.
Rating:
Summary: It was ok
Review: I watched both movies The Ring and Ringu within the same weekend. My personal choice for which one is better is The Ring, I do however give credit to Ringu for the orginal idea, but I feel The Ring had better graphics. Also The Ring was alot more suspenseful, because they made the cottage very creepy, in ringu it looks all nice. That kind of ruins the whole mood. The whole movie I thought was better anyways. Naomi Watts was brilliant, as was also Daveigh Chase. She portrayed Samara magically, the character was perfect!
Rating:
Summary: Good Scary Movie
Review: Definetly a fantastic thriller/horror movie. I mean this movie is just straight up interesting. Even though it's kinda slow it's still excelent. Better yet when all 3 are watched, you get the full idea of whats happening and how it happened. Watch it!!!
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