The Ring Two (2005)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Hideo Nakata

Writers (WGA):

Ehren Kruger (written by)
Kôji Suzuki (novel)

Release Date:

18 March 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Fear comes full circle.

Plot:

Six months after the incidents involving the lethal videotape, new clues prove that there is a new evil lurking in the darkness.

Plot Keywords:

Videotape | Dead Animal | Water | Good Versus Evil | Drowning

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Naomi Watts	...	Rachel
Simon Baker	...	Max Rourke
David Dorfman	...	Aidan
Elizabeth Perkins	...	Dr. Emma Temple
Gary Cole	...	Martin Savide
Sissy Spacek	...	Evelyn
Ryan Merriman	...	Jake
Emily VanCamp	...	Emily
Kelly Overton	...	Betsy
James Lesure	...	Doctor
Daveigh Chase	...	Samara (archive footage)
Kelly Stables	...	Evil Samara
Cooper Thornton	...	Father of Emily
Marilyn McIntyre	...	Mother of Emily
Jesse Burch	...	Male Reporter

Also Known As:

Samara (Hong Kong: English title) (Singapore: English title)
The Ring 2 (International: English title) (alternative spelling) (UK)
Samara: Ring 2 (Philippines: English title) (informal title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence/terror, disturbing images, thematic elements and some language.

Runtime:

110 min | 128 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Taiwan:R-12 | Germany:16 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | USA:Not Rated (unrated DVD version) | Hungary:16 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18SG | Malaysia:U (cut) | Portugal:M/16 | Sweden:15 | South Korea:15 | Japan:U | India:A (cinema release) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15A | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Poland:15 | Singapore:PG | Spain:18 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Astoria, Oregon, USA

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

According to the production notes, there were bizarre incidents on set of life reflecting art. On the seventh day, the production office was discovered to have flooded overnight, the result of a burst water pipe. Water is a strong theme in the film. In response, director 'Hideo Nakata' requested a Japanese purification ceremony be carried out by a Shinto minister, but the strange incidents continued. While on location, a swarm of thousands of bees descended on the prop truck, prompting the immediate evacuation of the department, before the bees left as quick as they arrived. For no apparent reason, a five-gallon water jug burst open in the production office kitchen, one again flooding the same room that had flooded only weeks earlier. One morning on the Universal lot, a set costumer stepped out of the parking garage to discover an antlered buck charging across the asphalt in her direction. Though deer are a regular occurrence in the hills, the similarity to the deer attack in the film is uncanny.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: When Aidan sees Samara in the mirror, his mouth is closed, but when you see his reflection in the mirror, his mouth is open. This happens again and again until he starts taking pictures.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Emily: Ever seen a shooting star?
Jake: Sure. You?
Emily: You know what you're supposed to do, right?
Jake: What do you mean, make a wish?
Emily: If you saw one right now, what would you wish for?
Jake: Well, that's a secret.

Movie Connections:

References Planet of the Apes (2001)

The Ring Two Should've been called BO-RING!

The Ring Two joins the new breed of "Who-dun-it" mysteries... "Who-dun-it first". For example: Creepy Kids... Who-dun-it first? How bout the Sixth Sense, The Shining, the Omen and the Exorcist... A desperate ghost hoping to manifest itself into physical form? Just watch Child's Play and, oh yeah, Ghostbusters II (Veego's even creepier than Samara at times). There's even a taste of Jurassic Park believe it or not. But most of all Who-dun-the-entire-movie first? Of course its predecessor, the Ring.

The Ring Two is of course the sequel to The Ring. To refresh your memory The Ring was genius. The creepy video tape. The mysterious deaths. The deep history of Samara and her family. And of course the infamous phone call warning you that you will die in 7 days. The first Ring movie was deep. The focus being on the video tape, which is much like the creepy chain letters you get in your e-mail, and the suspense of Rachel (Naomi Watts) dying in 7 days. And finally you get your cheap thrills, which Gore Verbinski accomplished masterfully making The Ring a new legend for our generation.

If The Ring is deep, The Ring Two is a kiddie pool. With all the things that went on during the first Ring movie, there was nothing left for the Ring Two to do but MORE cheap thrills in between borrowed gags from other thrillers and horror flicks. Verbinski left the director's chair and passed it back to the director from the original Ring Series, Ringu. This was proving to be the most anticipated thriller this year. I was real disappointed to find that the Ring Two simply shouldn't have been made.

The Ring Two is about Samara who comes back and wants to be human again. Who does she choose? Conveniently the son of Rachel from the first ring.

If you notice there's so much more to talk about concerning the Ring but all it takes is a couple sentences to sum up everything in the Ring Two. That's because there's not a whole lot that goes on. In this movie, plot line wasn't as important as the cheap thrills. Even with the mentality of wanting to be scared, The Ring Two doesn't deliver as well and leaves you thinking "ehh... that could've been done a lot better". The opening sequence, for example, could've been a moment in the movie that all moviegoers will remember just like in the first Ring, but instead it was in short... stupid.

There's nothing new in the Ring Two. Everything is either recycled from the first movie or reused from other movies. There are three types of movies: good movies, bad movies, and movies that should've never been made. The difference between a bad movie and one that shouldn't have been made is that the latter has a lot to live up to and has the pressure of satisfying the fans of the story, whether it be a sequel or an adaptation from another text. The Ring Two dangerously ruins the mystery behind the first movie which should've been left alone.

Everyone should just watch the Ring One, get scared, be happy, then burn every copy of the Ring Two. That should put Samara away for good.