Director Hideo Nakata’s missing photo at the Internet Movie Database (www.IMDB.com) might just be a sign that the director of the recent Ring 2 would like to vanish into the night’s air. Having squeezed every drop of originality out of this film, we, as the ticket purchasing public, are now left to feel robbed of our right to fright.
The Ring, with its strong intensity, succeeded in achieving its goal of scaring you. Indeed it succeeded so well in its task that the nation flocked to the opening day (35.1 mil), due to its PG-13 rating and promise of genuine horror.
Even though there seems to be a trend in remaking foreign films for the American audience (i.e. Vanilla Sky and Desperado), this gross disappointment didn’t need to happen. If they had only put a little more effort into constructing a convincing plot then the characters would have come across as a bit more compelling.
As with many Hollywood products, actors tend to reprise their roles in successful films. Naomi Watts, who did an excellent job playing the frantic mom in the first, seems desperate this time around. Not as in character desperate, but more desperate for each take to be over.
The young kid from the first film is the centerpiece to this whole nightmare come to reality. He was already used enough in the first film, and though you can do that in mega action flicks such as Lethal Weapon, when your focus is to thrill, you want the surprise of change to be your ally not your downfall. As the movie began, I tried to ignore the whole idea of such a magnificent idea possibly selling out. Why? Because I just haven’t been scared like that since I was a little kid sneaking downstairs at night to watch Freddy Kruger on HBO.
In Ring 2, the tagline reads: Fear comes full circle, but it seems like we’re left following the cast in circles. The story begins six months after the first film ends, and the fear of the tape that takes your life is thought to have been settled, but the black and white screen bleeping and crawling to get you in stop motion terror of Samara is back. This time she wants to come through to our world through Aiden the young boy of our heroine, played by David Dorfman. The kid is freaky, but not very entertaining; see Haley Joel Osment (Sixth Sense) or Jonathan Lipnicki (Jerry Maguire) for entertaining kids. Furthermore, the fright of the slumping faces were remixed and the suspense of the door opening with the reek- reek- reek (input Psycho slashing here) kind of feeling, prove to be gone, along with the rest of the good stuff.
The cheap shots just keep coming as we’re rushed through the “new” plot, which doesn’t even need to be spoiled, it’s all in the commercial. What I thought would shock me nearly senseless, left me checking my pockets to see if I’d been physically robbed of my $8.50 admittance fee.
The mystery of the first is gone and the fear put on the ringing of the “dreaded phone call” from Samara telling the doomed listener they were history is also gone. If you want to see demonic possessions and demons trying to come through to “our-side,” go see Constantine. At least with Keanu you basically know what to expect, and you can enjoy yourself. If you want an interesting take on a Japanese kid gaining powers and don’t mind animation then go watch Akira. If you want to see another great horror franchise formulaically dragged through the mud in an attempt to make a quick buck off the sequel, than bring a date and go see The Ring 2.