Just another tired ending....

Rating: Null/10 (2 December 2002)

/* This review MAY include spoilers - depending on what information you deem important. */
I gave "The Ring" an objective try Thanksgiving evening.
My knowledge of the movie was limited to understanding A) If you watch a specific video tape, you will die in 7 days, B) The movie is a recent addition to the 'scary movie' genre, and C) the movie has been doing quite well at the box office.
I do not profess to be some intellectually pompous boob who will critically analyze every detail, both explained and unexplained, to death. However, I have to say on a high level objective viewing of this film, "The Ring" was disappointingly tired.
I really liked the film's premise (see A above). Wouldn't it be frightening to know that in 7 days a creepy death will fall upon you? The way in which the main character re analyzed the video a second time (Why not? She's going to die anyway, right?) and discovered clues as to it's origin was fascinating. The video itself was creepy and well done. The young heroine's perseverance to get to the bottom of the video's meaning was riveting. ...and then I got tired, really tired.
First off, I am tired of every creepy movie (see: The Shining, Six Sense, et. al.) having some young kid who 'sees inside of the mind of the evil doer.' This movie has the same old clichés: The boy says to mom "She's yelling out to be released," and the boy draws deep disturbing pictures of a far off evil place using his crayons. Of course, when the time comes that mom must figure out a clue or two - she turns to the son and says "What is she trying to say?"
This has been done a million times.
In lies my potential *spoiler*. This movie has the proverbial person (in this case, a little girl) who 'disappeared' 25 years ago without a trace - she was abused by her parents who wanted a perfect child but became troubled when they discovered their only child had a mental illness. So the child mysteriously 'disappeared.' ...and today, we have a young boy telling his mom "She's yelling out to be released."
This has been done a million times. ...and then I got tired, really tired.
The visuals and special effects were good. It was a good premise, yet it went so wrong - ESPECIALLY the ending. Wait! Did the movie really end?
This movie had all of the traditional clichés of 'catching up with the girl' by the end. The movie should have ended. But no. When mom tells her son "the girl has been released," her son replies "what did you do that for? You shouldn't have done that!"
We get 20 more minutes.
This movie had all the makings of a good creepy movie with a riveting premise. But, inevitably it got tired with endless flashbacks, child clichés and a plot - not only done a million times - that would not end!