The Ring vs Ringu

Rating: 8/10 (22 February 2003)

I have never known an original to be less of a movie than the remake but in this case I have to give it to Gore Verbinski for keeping the tone of the original in-tact but amplifying the chills a few notches. I was disappointed with the original (I tried very hard to like it) although the tone was decidedly creepy. The remake really delivers. It is everything a scary chiller movie is supposed to be (including plot holes and far fetched premise). The story line of how the girl came to be so evil was nastier in the original (but why did they switch from the father being the culprit in the original to the mother in the remake??) but the tale around how the tape came into existence was more plausible in The Ring.
It gave me the creeps throughout without resorting to gore or special effects. Also,I thought that the character development of Rachel was very cleverly done and more developed. You were meant not to care for her parenting skills in the beginning as it gave the chance for her to redeem herself as a parent when the father did not. Naomi Watts character was certainly flawed and this added to yourself being drawn into the movie. Cardboard cutouts never do well in this type of movie. The role of the son was more prominent in this one which was no bad thing although 6th sense comparisons are inevitable.
All in all I would suggest to see both the original and then the remake and make up your own mind. I actually think they compliment one another. I certainly think more of the original now then I did before. This is maybe because I saw it in a more 'western' context and it filled in a lot of unanswered questions I had before I saw the remake.