Not all it's cracked up to be

Rating: 3/10 (30 October 2002)

I never expect anything from a horror movie. The "scares" are rarely based on anything truly horrific and instead rely on jump cuts, obscenely loud sounds, quick gross-out shots, and other cinematic devices. In my view, this is much less a sign of great filmmaking and more a sign of a gullible and unintelligent audience.
With that said, The Ring tries. Ultimately, however, all the common editing tricks used in other horror movies are used in The Ring.
The story itself is confusing and leaves a lot unexplained. Sometimes in films, like in Memento or Last Year at Marienbad, this is a good thing. In The Ring, it's a very bad thing. What is unexplained can not really be interpreted and is left too open-ended to satisfy.
And am I the only one that expected the little boy to look at his index finger and mutter "Redrum"?
6/10 - Naomi Watts was good. The concept is good. The execution is flawed.