A Half Circle.

Rating: 5/10 (1 December 2015)

The Ring (2002): Dir: Gore Verbinski / Cast: Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, David Dorfman, Brian Cox, Amber Tamblyn: The title doesn't really represent what the film is about. It is beautifully crafted with dazzling production values and intriguing plot setup that somehow falls deep in the well of despair by its conclusion. It is a mind exercise about a video tape that kills its viewers after seven days from initial viewing. How it does this is never explained, and we never learn who's voice it is on the other end of the phone. Fear Dot Com had a similar idea that was even worse. It opens with the death of a teenage girl whose face is masked in terror. Naomi Watts plays a single mother and journalist who seeks answers and tension rises when she ends up viewing the tape in order to move on with the case. She seeks help from her ex-husband, a video processor who also views it. Directed by Gore Verbinski who has done worse than this. He made The Mexican as well as a wretched little number called Mouse Hunt. Here he is backed by visual elements and creative plot turns that fail to make sense of it all. Naomi Watts holds her own while Martin Henderson is effective in his collaboration. David Dorfman as her son fears that he too is at risk. Other roles are not as broad or are just plain strange. The film contains visually striking images that add to the film's pointless and warped presentation. Score: 5 ½ / 10