The Ring Two
© 2005 Ray Wong (http://reelreviews.blogspot.com)
Stars: Naomi Watts, Simon Baker, David Dorfman, Elizabeth Perkins, Gary
Cole, Sissy Spacek, Ryan Merriman, Emily VanCamp, Kelly Stables
Director: Hideo Nakata
Writer: Ehren Kruger
Distributor: DreamWorks
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, some language
Running time: 111 minutes
Script - 3
Performance - 7
Direction - 5
Cinematography - 7
Music/Sound- 6
Editing - 6
Production - 7
Total Score - 5.8 out of 10
When the first THE RING came out in 2002 (including the Korean original
and the Japanese remake, RINGU), it was a surprise hit. It somehow
rejuvenated the horror genre by incorporating good (female) characters,
supernatural creepiness, scary suspense, and an interesting mystery at
its core. DreamWorks intends to follow up with a worthy sequel. The
result, unfortunately, is disappointing.
Picking up six months after THE RING, the story begins as single mother
Rachel and her son Aidan leave Seattle for a quiet, small neighborhood
in Astoria, Oregon. The peaceful transition doesn't last long when a
local teenager gets killed after watching a strange videotape. Rachel
realizes that the copy of the tape she made for Aidan must have gotten
out, and now the evil Samara has followed them to Astoria.
Soon Aidan displays strange behaviors and has nightmares. His body
temperature also drops to 5 degrees below normal. Rachel discovers the
true reason why Samara follows them. To save Aidan's life, Rachel
must find Samara's origin and put her away forever.
Watts (I HEART HUCKABEES) reprises her role as Rachel with the same
intensity and naiveté. She is one of the few genre heroines that are
both vulnerable and strong. Her scenes with Dorfman (THE SINGING
DETECTIVE), who also reprises his role as Aidan, are very strong.
Dorfman has a droll, almost creepy quality to him that during certain
scenes, you don't know if Rachel should believe or abandon him.
THE RING TWO is essentially two-and-a-half-person movie. The half would
be Samara, played here by Stables (PRIDE AND PREJUDICE). While Samara
is a formidable antagonist in the film, and she shows up more
frequently than in the original, her role is actually less threatening.
Probably because there is nothing new in her ability. We have seen it
all before. Baker (TV's GUARDIAN) has a minor role as Max, Rachel's
colleague at the Daily Astoria. His character is too arbitrary to make
any substantial impression. Other minor characters include Perkins (28
DAYS) as a snide psychiatrist, Cole (DODGEBALL) as a real estate agent,
VanCamp (NO GOOD DEED) and Merriman (HALOWEEN: RESSURRECTION) as a pair
of doomed teenagers. Rounding out the cast is Spacek (A HOME AT THE END
OF THE WORLD), rather wasted as Samara's deranged birth mother.
To prove their serious intention for the sequel, the producers hired
RINGU director Nakata to direct. Despite the fact that Nakata also
directed RING 2 in Japan, the two films are actually different. In a
way, it is a good choice because Nakata brings a certain authenticity
to the project. You can see the Asian elements in his vision, from the
long, languid shots to the symbolic sceneries and compositions. On the
other hand, I feel that the Japanese filmmaking and storytelling styles
do not suit the American taste very well. Like THE GRUDGE - another
Japanese horror-inspired American film directed by a Japanese - THE
RING TWO often lacks enough plot movement and suspense to engage the
audience. The film becomes burdened by the weight of its symbolisms and
mood settings.
To add to the problem, the script, written by Kruger (THE RING) is
simply dull. As a horror film, it fails miserably, offering not nearly
enough scary moments. As a suspense/thriller, the tension is flat and
the plot lacks movement and urgency. As a mystery, the pursuit and
revelation are mundane and weak. Except for Rachel and Aidan, the
characters are all throwaways. For example, Max is the token male
character that gets even less screen time and importance than Noah in
the original. Spacek's role is reduced to a stereotype. There are
many plot holes that baffled the minds. For example, as Aidan becomes
gravely ill, Rachel doesn't even think of taking him to the hospital.
And no explanation is given as to how the teenagers get hold of the tape
and how they know so much about it. Compared to Kruger's effort in
THE RING, this script is a major disappointment.
Granted, there are a few good scenes and special effects, including a
bathtub scene that offers a neat twist from all the bathtub scenes we
have seen before. The deer attack also has a bizarre Damian-esque
quality to it. However, there are also many scenes that could be so
much more, yet their potential is simply wasted. When Rachel is in the
basement of the Morgan house, or when she visits Samara's
birthmother, one can't help but expect something incredible to
happen. The result is utter disappointment. Not to mention they
humanizes Samara so much that she is no longer scary, as she was in the
original. That is perhaps THE RING TWO's most fatal flaw. The story
doesn't ring true anymore.
========== X-RAMR-ID: 39600 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 1371575 X-RT-TitleID: 10003595 X-RT-SourceID: 1664 X-RT-AuthorID: 11500 X-RT-RatingText: 5.8/10
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