Ringu vs. The Ring
Review by Matt Reedy
Even if one has not seen Ringu, or the American remake, The Ring, I’m sure that at least the commercials have outlined the basic plot. The story is the same for both movies: a young reporter investigates a sinister videotape that brings death within seven days of viewing it. Having seen the tape herself, the reporter races to beat the clock and solve the mystery before her week is up. The situation becomes even more dire when her son accidentally views the tape and is placed under the same curse. Along the way, she uncovers the origin of the images on the tape, and their connection to the ghost of a young psychic girl.
Now although the idea of a haunted videotape sounds hokey, the story is surprisingly effective in its creepiness, and makes for one of the most original horror films in years. The original film version, Ringu, was an enormous hit in Japan, and spawned both sequel and prequel movies, a Korean remake, and a television show. Naturally, Hollywood took notice and had it remade for western audiences as The Ring, which is in theaters now. But can a big-budget Hollywood remake possibly stand up to the Japanese original? The answer, in my opinion, is a surprising yes. As much as I enjoyed Ringu, I was really entertained by The Ring, even though I kept my expectations low. And while both films have their good and bad points, I feel that The Ring actually delivers on a just slightly better level than its predecessor.
Take for example the pacing of both movies. In Ringu, you have the beginning “scare” scene to set up the story, and although there is an underlying sense of dread throughout, the only other shocking moment comes at the very end. What The Ring was able to accomplish was to keep that same atmosphere but add a few more spine-tingling scenes scattered along the way, which is better at keeping an audience interested. Now although The Ring slightly changes the story of the psychic girl and adds more depth to her backstory, she has a much more frightening air about her in Ringu. And her “money shot” sequence near the end seemed a lot scarier in the original, but maybe because I knew it was coming in the remake.
All of that aside, I recommend both films. If you liked The Ring, then go online and get a copy of Ringu, it’s not hard to find. And if you are a die-hard purist and have only seen the original, don’t avoid The Ring. I think you may be pleasantly surprised.