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Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Boring

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Having seen the Verbinski film first. I was not as scared as I likely would be otherwise. However, there is one advantage the Nakata film objectively has.The plot made more sense.For instance, take when the female leads learn about how Sadako/Samara ended up in the well. In the Verbinski film, we just have Rachel get a vision while looking for Samara's body. Without much explanation for how she could see a memory that wasn't her own. In the Nakata film, however, it was explained earlier that Reiko has ESP, as does Ryuji.Also, Sadako's story being less revealed than Samara's better feeds into the mystery of how the tape was made. Or for that matter, why Sadako does all the bad things she does. The lack of detail on her character also feeds into the idea of her being completely evil. Lastly, it doesn't explain who Rachel will show Aidan's copy to. (Though she does show it to a death row inmate in a deleted scene). In the Nakata film, Reiko plans to have her dad watch the tape for Yoichi's sake.In general, both are fine. But the plot of this one is much better.

Maybe the biggest and most popular Japanese horror film in recent years – certainly one of the few to garner world-wide attention and an immediate Hollywood remake – RING is a thoughtful, delicately-paced movie that suggests more than it shows. Like all such classic horror movies, the emphasis is on a creepy atmosphere and careful scenery building rather than violence or sudden loud crashes in the music. It's an atypical film, one which (like most of the 'new wave' of Asian horror films) requires a certain amount of patience to be able to sit through all the dialogue and scenes where nothing much in the way of action happens. But viewers are rewarded by plenty of splendidly creepy moments (as in the "leave your lights on afterwards" sense), which build to a genuinely suspenseful climax which even throws in a few twists to startle the viewer who believes he or she is ahead of the game.RING is a low budget film, but the lack of money helps rather than hinders the project. For a start the film seems realistic, shot in real houses instead of sets, and with actors who turn in accomplished performances as normal, everyday people. The slow pacing makes this feel like a documentary and it's actually refreshing to see a film without needless car chases and fancy FX sequences (unsurprisingly, these popped up in the US remake). Nanako Matsushima is fine as the journalist mother, forever neglecting her son, and the scenes requiring her to show fear are fantastic. Hiroyuki Sanada, one of my favourite Japanese actors of all time, is equally excellent as Matsushima's ex-husband, who also watches the videotape and finds himself desperately investigating the past in order to save himself, his wife and his son in the present.The videotape is always the centre piece of attention in the movie and the images we see on screen are deliberately thought-provoking, bizarre, abstract, almost dream-like shots which have the power to send a chill down the spine of the most stalwart watcher. The spooky bits get better as the film progresses: the interlude in the soggy well is a frightening set-piece although nothing happens, just the suspense of the situation is enough to make it work. The scenes involving the child apparition Sadako are superbly portrayed and should get a reaction out of the most hardened watcher. RING is a great movie that refuses to serve up a detailed plot line to the audience. Viewers are required to put thought and imagination into the film, in order to work out what is going on and to get the full effect. Those who do will surely agree that this is a successful, effective, quietly creeping horror classic that builds up the best sense of dread in any film I've seen.

Though the overall plot-lines of 1998's "Ringu" and 2002's "The Ring" were almost identical - (Surprise! Surprise!) - I, personally, thought that the American remake, "The Ring", was, by far, a much more effective and chilling ghost/horror story, in the long run.After reading all of the gushing raves that "Ringu" was getting from excited reviewers - I cannot believe how downright disappointing and, yes, anti-climatic this film was, for the most part.Not only did Ringu's story fail to hold and sustain any genuine suspense and terror - But, it was also very weak, visually - And, on top of that - The Japanese actors all seemed to be such amateurs who were just bland and forgettable nobodies, completely lacking in the ability to create dynamic character portrayals.Nope - For me - This was definitely one of those mighty rare instances where a remake actually surpassed the original on all counts.

The Ring has been on my informal watchlist for over a decade and I had high expectations which were deflated during the first snail-paced hour.The film features Hiroyuki Sanada in the main role, playing the exact same man we've seen him be in Sunshine, Lost, Helix and the rest: more frustratingly vague than mysterious. The female character is forgettable.And the horror? Back in 1998 the meme of ghostly Asian girl in a white dress was fairly new, so we can forgive its use here. The ending scene is terrific, really sent some chills down my spine. And before that we see the contents of the actual video which are quite trippy & beguiling. There's also a nicely-done scene in a well.But to get to these good parts you will have to sit through an hour or so of interminably dull build-up. If you can prepare yourself for that, then you'll probably enjoy the final scenes.Recommended if you enjoy slow-burning Asian horror. Otherwise you may find yourself tempted to give up before the hour mark, or at least skipping forward (a terrible sin reserved only for the worst films, of which this isn't one).