If you're just an average movie-goer, pay no attention to bad reviews.

Rating: 10/10 (21 October 2002)

I am not a film critic or any type of artistic expert. I am just the average girl, not a big movie buff, untrained in anything cinema. I judge a movie by only one thing: how long I continue thinking about it after I leave the theatre. Whether it made me laugh, cry, scream, or just plain THINK, if I continue to think about it for hours, or in this case days on end, it is a fantastic movie.
I thought this movie was nothing short of amazing, the most frightening and psychologically disturbing I have ever seen. I don't believe in hyping up movies, it usually disappoints people. This movie, however, deserves the hype. I was expecting a crappy excuse for a "horror" film. The last one I saw was Thirteen Ghosts. After seeing this movie I gave up on the whole horror genre; I was sure apocalypse was upon us if someone couldn't think of a better friggin' ending to a movie.
So, I saw this movie three days ago and I am still thinking of it constantly. I am not the jumpy type, and so-called scary movies do not ever scare me. This movie scared me to the point of being frightened of the letter O. Unless you have a weak heart, see this movie just to experience the freakiness of it.
I've heard a few complaints about the movie. The first being holes in the plot. Yes, it will leave you wondering, but afterwards you will think about it a while (perhaps too much) and it will all fall together. If not, read some of the interpretations on the discussion boards here after you watch the movie. There are many interesting ideas.
I have also heard complaints about the microphones in the picture. I'm sure this really detracted from the experience of the people who saw this- whatever creepiness in those scenes had to have been ruined. In the theatre I went to, I couldn't see the microphones at all.
I think some people seem to be over-analyzing the movie as well. If you go into the movie with the mind set of "that could never happen," well, you're going to think the whole movie is stupid. Before you see it, accept this thought: "A person, during life or after death, can possess supernatural powers." This can make the entire movie more believable and easier to understand. If you keep this in mind, the movie can admittedly seem extremely real. I think this is why it freaked so many people out.
Also, the artsy fartsy sections of the movie... again, I am not an art expert, but I can really tell the sound and imagery are well done.

Kudos to the makers of "The Ring", I am finally satisfied with a horror film. Thanks for this, but I must say I am too frightened to watch it a second time.