As a horror film, “Ringu” is certainly not perfect but it comes frighteningly close.
"Ringu"´s success as a horror film is a direct result of it possessing the following two important attributes: careful pacing and vagueness. Under the direction of Nakata, "Ringu"´s intentional slow pacing can be seen as a double-edged sword. On one hand, it creates an atmosphere of dread and foreboding as the clock starts to wind down on the seven-day deadline, slowly but surely building up the tension as it goes and setting the stage perfectly for the astounding ending. On the other hand, some may find it boring very early and lose interest before the movie even starts to get interesting. In this case, one´s impatience will lead to regret. Whether the pacing is intentional or not, it works to the film´s advantage rather than impair it. Vagueness may not seem like a good trait to be associated with a movie but for "Ringu", it works wonders. "Ringu"´s vagueness when it comes to explaining the sinister connection between the videotape and Sadako keeps the plot unpredictable until the very end. Even after the movie ends, some questions are still left unanswered. "The Ring" made the mistake of trying to explain away all the ambiguities found in "Ringu" and this only serves to dampen the story´s intensity and removes the aura of mystery from the movie. Anyone watching "Ringu" will also notice that Sadako´s face is never revealed, preferring to let the audiences´ own imagination run wild as to what lies beneath the flowing black hair. No amount of makeup or prosthetics could ever replace the horror that lie in our own minds.
"The Ring", even with its Hollywood-sized budget and special effects cannot begin to measure up to "Ringu". What "Ringu" lacks in polish, it makes it up with plenty of guts and a simple storytelling technique. Running just over 95 minutes, "Ringu" tells its story straight up without all the fluff. Instead of relying on blood and gore for cheap scares, "Ringu" scares you with mind games, revealing little tidbits of information at a time and pushes the audience to extrapolate on what lurks around the corner. As "The Ring" over-thinks its way around the plot and has to muddle its way through until the end, "Ringu" lies in wait while building-up the tension and finally goes for the jugular when you least expect it. Sensational!
Video:
Dreamworks has done a remarkable job with this video transfer. Featuring anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, the video images are almost immaculate and the colors are rendered naturally. However, black levels are a bit on the forceful side in several scenes. Grain is present in the video, which reflects "Ringu"´s low budget production but this slight defect actually adds a good amount of rustic charm to the horror-filled atmosphere of the movie. Being a foreign language movie, "Ringu" offers a choice of three subtitle languages: English, French and Spanish.
Audio:
Digitally remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 (a Dolby Surround 2.0 mix is also available), the outstanding audio track creates the optimum environment for a late night scare-fest. Turn off the lights and let the surround channels envelope you with eerie sonic effects that is guaranteed to send a chill up any hardcore horror fan´s spine. Unfortunately, those effects are only used sparingly throughout the movie. Watching a foreign language film with anything other than the original language audio track should be a crime and fortunately for us, only the Japanese language track is featured on this DVD.
Extras:
Extras? What extras? The term "bare-bones DVD" is definitely created for discs like "Ringu". Instead of even featuring the expected trailer for "Ringu" as an extra, Dreamworks decides to promote their other releases with trailers for "The Ring", "8 Mile" and "Catch Me If You Can".
--Miscellaneous--
My dog ate the DVD insert! Has Dreamworks suddenly gone cheap with its DVDs?
Entertainment Value:
As a horror film, "Ringu" is certainly not perfect but it comes frighteningly close. Not since "The Exorcist" have I been genuinely disturbed by a movie. By keeping the plot simple and easy to comprehend, "Ringu" succeeds at a level that is truly remarkable. All the ominous signs like a low budget, relatively unknown casts and a plot that features a killer videotape would immediately point to the production of a low-grade B-movie. However, director Nakata manages to transcend all these shortcomings and produce an unassuming yet horrifying movie that will continue to frighten audiences for years to come.
"The Ring", even with its Hollywood-sized budget and special effects cannot begin to measure up to "Ringu". What "Ringu" lacks in polish, it makes it up with plenty of guts and a simple storytelling technique. Running just over 95 minutes, "Ringu" tells its story straight up without all the fluff. Instead of relying on blood and gore for cheap scares, "Ringu" scares you with mind games, revealing little tidbits of information at a time and pushes the audience to extrapolate on what lurks around the corner. As "The Ring" over-thinks its way around the plot and has to muddle its way through until the end, "Ringu" lies in wait while building-up the tension and finally goes for the jugular when you least expect it. Sensational!
Video:
Dreamworks has done a remarkable job with this video transfer. Featuring anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, the video images are almost immaculate and the colors are rendered naturally. However, black levels are a bit on the forceful side in several scenes. Grain is present in the video, which reflects "Ringu"´s low budget production but this slight defect actually adds a good amount of rustic charm to the horror-filled atmosphere of the movie. Being a foreign language movie, "Ringu" offers a choice of three subtitle languages: English, French and Spanish.
Audio:
Digitally remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 (a Dolby Surround 2.0 mix is also available), the outstanding audio track creates the optimum environment for a late night scare-fest. Turn off the lights and let the surround channels envelope you with eerie sonic effects that is guaranteed to send a chill up any hardcore horror fan´s spine. Unfortunately, those effects are only used sparingly throughout the movie. Watching a foreign language film with anything other than the original language audio track should be a crime and fortunately for us, only the Japanese language track is featured on this DVD.
Extras:
Extras? What extras? The term "bare-bones DVD" is definitely created for discs like "Ringu". Instead of even featuring the expected trailer for "Ringu" as an extra, Dreamworks decides to promote their other releases with trailers for "The Ring", "8 Mile" and "Catch Me If You Can".
--Miscellaneous--
My dog ate the DVD insert! Has Dreamworks suddenly gone cheap with its DVDs?
Entertainment Value:
As a horror film, "Ringu" is certainly not perfect but it comes frighteningly close. Not since "The Exorcist" have I been genuinely disturbed by a movie. By keeping the plot simple and easy to comprehend, "Ringu" succeeds at a level that is truly remarkable. All the ominous signs like a low budget, relatively unknown casts and a plot that features a killer videotape would immediately point to the production of a low-grade B-movie. However, director Nakata manages to transcend all these shortcomings and produce an unassuming yet horrifying movie that will continue to frighten audiences for years to come.
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[release]10784[/release]