Camera tricks and spooky music weren't necessary in the original.

Rating: Null/10 (2 March 2003)

Alright, so you went to see The Ring in theaters and left praising it for its deep, ingenious plot...but little did you know it was actually a REMAKE of a brilliant Japanese film called Ringu. If you enjoyed The Ring, please give the original a chance. It is much more subtle, and, in my opinion, infinitly more spine-tingling than the American remake. Sure the remake has its moments...it could have been a much worse film...but Hideo Nakata's Ringu, originally released in 1998 (the same year as the sequel, Ringu 2, was released) still retains an expressive power over Verbinski's version, mostly because there is no sacrifice to the American gods of specific plot narrative. If you liked this Ring, do yourself a favor and see the real one!