Good remake

Rating: Null/10 (22 November 2011)

The Ring will inevitably be compared to Hideo Nakata's original, and I'd say both end up about even, with tradeoffs between the various things they add or subtract. The original's snappier pace meant fewer indulgences in atmospherics, which are in full effect in the more leisurely remake; the backstory in Nakata's film is fairly airtight while Verbinski and screenwriter Ehren Kruger don't smooth over all of their narrative potholes. But what make both films work is the same: the creepy exploration of the unknown and unexplainable, which is far more frightening than the violent killings that typify most horror films, particularly ones that come out of the big studios this time of year.