First class suspense

Rating: 9/10 (4 May 2008)

The Ring, an American remake of the Japanese film "Ringu", is in my honest opinion a spectacular and enthralling film. The writing, directing, performances and replay value are amazing in and of themselves. I especially love the premise, and I will review this movie as it's own film, not a remake. What really makes it wonderful is the incredible performances and suspense. I really love all the actors' and actresses' dedication and believability, there being very memorable deliverances of lines and scenes after the film is over. The suspense is top-notch, because of how well the movie is played out and how creepy and fun the material is, that I was both eyes on the screen every second. Naomi Watts is radiant and brilliant; the scenes where she slowly puts the pieces of the puzzle together, or uncovers something dark and haunting are haunting themself because of how marvelous she makes this material.
Do not get me wrong, the material itself is great, but it would have been nothing were it not for the cast. The characters are all interesting, and the main story is quite saddening and effective when it is slowly revealed through many different aspects. While it seems as though the main threat, a "killer videotape", would be a ridiculous and stupid threat, hard to make convincing, it undoubtedly works to the fullest here and is entirely convincing, the videotape's images and the events themselves all being very interesting and entertaining. While the movie is not a masterpiece, it is not too short from it, having a great replay value and being one of the top 20 most effective horrors of the 00s, in my opinion. I am glad it receives a lot of positive reception, for it deserves every bit of it.