In 2002, Ringu had been remade into The Ring. Ably directed by Gore Verbinski,
the American re-telling of "Ringu" is a faithful adaptation of the original
story. Naomi Watts plays the reporter this time out, a single mother with a
young son (played by David Dorfman in a subtle performance of a child who is
mature beyond his years). Like her Japanese counterpart, Watts gets drawn into
the mystery of The Ring when her niece, Katie, (played here with complete
free-spirited conviction by Amber Tamblyn, who is better known these days from the TV
series, "Joan Of Arcadia") abruptly dies for no apparent reason. Drugs are
suspected, but the horrified expression that is frozen onto the face of Katie's
corpse says otherwise. Likewise, Katie's three classmates, whom she recently
spent a weekend with in the mountains, all died at exactly the same time she did.
While The Ring may slavishly follow the same story as the original, director
Verbinski, along with screenwriter Ehren Kruger, still manage to flesh out the
bare bones story. As a result of this, The Ring is more of a mystery story, and
it is all the better for it. Although there are some really good scares in The
Ring--along with a successful use of gore effects that are not overdone--the
remake truly grips the viewer by having Watts peel away the layers of this
bizarre enigma--hopefully before she can become the next victim of the
videotape from hell. Naomi Watts is superb in her role as a normally hellacious
reporter who becomes overwhelmed by the grim events that engulf her family. Her
performance is true grace under pressure, and it's a pleasure to watch.
The Ring is available on DVD, which doesn't have much to offer for it other than
the splendid movie itself. There are no extras, save for a short film that was
created by the director. This film purports to reveal more of the mystery behind
The Ring, but it's nothing more than a cute gimmick. It would have been nice to
have a director's commentary, or even one of those short "making of"
documentaries. Perhaps Dreamworks will release a "Special Edition" DVD sometime
down the road. --SF