Pretty much inferior to the original (may contain small spoilers)

Rating: 6/10 (2 June 2003)

Many people like this movie better than the original, or hate it and still think it's made better. I'll give it the same those people gave it- they prefer it because: 1) The story line is more thought out.
2) The effects are better in consequence to it being thought out more. For example, the victims rot as if being in the well.
3) After the deaths the movie cuts as if it was the end of the video, whereas the original had photograph negatives which many people found to be corny. I on the other hand, though I liked the remake's touch better, didn't find anything wrong with using the negative's effect. It rather suited the original.
If it weren't for such strange mutations of the storyline, I might agree this was the rare case in which the Hollywood remake was better than it's original. But the deal with the horses (especially the one jumping off the boat) didn't live up to it's original. There's no sign of a supernatural superstitious force, which makes the original much creepier. You don't know anything of the girl's father, and the mother was now talking english to her horse instead of another language to the girl's real father (from what I understood of it). So Samara just comes out as a normal angst ridden pre-adolescent who causes trouble. You don't see the hidden connection to the supernatural power which made her able to attack her victems through a video and make them suffer as she did. And apart from that, the acting wasn't all that well either. The people were rude and unbearable (I'm certain not everyone acts this way in America). Part of the problem has to do with the dialogue. I'm sure Rachel wasn't meant to sound so rude when she said "Excuse me, but what the hell are you talking about?". She seems to catch on easily to the other clues in her way, surely she would be smart enough to catch on to what that woman was saying. In the original, her ex-husband gave her the clues. In this one he is just there and does very little. You can't feel; the tension between him and his son either. Instead they talk about it- one of the faults of American acting. You should know what's going on by watching, not hearing.
But the worse thing is the failing attempts at comic release which certainly had no place in the film. Running with the hose and falling is one example. It just made the whole thing seem stupid.