THE RING TWO (2005) 1 1/2 stars out of 4. Starring Naomi Watts, Simon Baker,
David Dorfman, Elizabeth Perkins, Gary Cole, Sissy Spacek, Ryan Merriman, Emily
Vancamp, Daveigh Chase and Kelly Stables. Based on the novel The Ring by Koji
Suzuki and on the motion picture The Ring. Written by Ehren Kruger. Directed by
Hideo Nakata. Rated PG-13. Running time: Approx. 111 mins.
With Hideo Nakata - the director of the original Japanese Ringu and Ringu 2 -
calling the shots, you'd think The Ring Two would be on a par or even superior to its
predecessor.
However, something seems to have been lost in translation, for The Ring Two is a
jerky, sputtering, uneven chiller that offers few real scares and follows a script that,
at times, is totally illogical.
If you missed The Ring, then you will be totally mystified by its sequel. And if you saw
The Ring, then your expectations will be shattered.
The film starts off promising enough. A high school student who has been given a
copy of "the tape," must show it to another unsuspecting person in order to avoid
its fatal curse.
A solid premise, that is immediately dropped as Ehren Kruger's script than
re-introduces us to Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) and her son, Aidan (David Dorfman).
Picking up six months after the terrifying events of the first film, Rachel and Aidan
have fled Seattle for the quiet, coastal town of Astoria, Oregon.
Ah, but our high school student from the opening also lives in Astoria, and when
Rachel learns of his fate, she knows bad things are again in store for her and Aidan.
The movie's biggest problem seems to be a lack of consistency. The ghostly
Samara's abilities continually change depending on the whims of the script. Events
occur - Rachel and Aidan are attacked in their car by a herd of deer, for instance
- that don't seem to make any sense.
And the film's music is so overcued and overplayed, promising much more than it
delivers, that it becomes intrusive.
Watts and Dorfman give their all, but are continually undercut by the weaknesses of
the script.
The movie's biggest shocker is Sissy Spacek in the small role of Samara's natural
mother, now institutionalized. It's sad to see such a top-notch actress slumming in
this kind of drivel. She is more of a distraction - at the screening people were
actually whispering to each other, "Isn't that Sissy Spacek?" - than watching her
performance.
Nakata wastes too much footage on various shots of water - the ocean, rain, a
fountain. We understand Samara's connection, so it seems redundant for the
director to continually hammer the audience with it.
The Ring Two is a rather tedious affair, heavy on atmosphere, but light on story. It's
a silly bunch of hogwash, a pale shadow of the original.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, Ind. He can be
reached by e-mail at bbloom@journalandcourier.com or at bob@bloomink.com.
Bloom's reviews also can be found at the Journal and Courier Web site:
www.jconline.com
Other reviews by Bloom can be found at the Rottentomatoes Web site:
www.rottentomatoes.com or at the Internet Movie Database Web site:
www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
========== X-RAMR-ID: 39598 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 1371216 X-RT-TitleID: 10003595 X-RT-SourceID: 872 X-RT-AuthorID: 1363 X-RT-RatingText: 1.5/4
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