Yikes! I want my mommy.

Rating: 8/10 (4 November 2002)

"The Ring" was a movie that I thought was going to be a waste of time. I had no hopes for "The Ring" as the plot is very similar to a recent release called "feardot.com." Which was a very stylish and effective horror flick.
Basically "The Ring" is about a urban legend of a video that once you watch it you die seven days later. In the movie "feardotcom" once you log in to the site you die in approximately the same time span. There are other plot machinations that also similar which "The Ring" tries to change in a obvious 10 minute tacked on ending.
Unnervingly for me was as the first five minutes of "The Ring" started I was groaning because it reminded me of the start of countless cheap teenage drive inn slasher flicks. With two girls spending the night together alone with the parents out-on-the-town they try to scare each other with urban legends. Then one tells the story of the videotape that once you watch it you die seven days later. What follows was quite creepy and made me realize that director Gore Verbinski wanted to lull you into thinking it was going be a cheap teenage drive inn slasher flick.
One of the girls has actually seen the video, with her boyfriend and a group of their friends. Well you can imagine what their fate is.
Now a relative of the deceased girl, Rachel Keller, Naomi Watts, is an investigative reporter for the Seattle Post Intelligencer, who is asked to look into the strange death. Rachel agrees and soon comes across the video and watches it. Soon Rachel realizes that she's racing against the clock to solve the mystery before her seven days are up. Add to that, her son has accidentally seen the video too.
What follows is one of the creepiest and compelling horror movies I have seen in awhile. Pay attention or you might make the mistake of assuming there are plot holes in the story.
Also the black and white video is an eerie macabre piece of work that was a very effective component to the story.
I do find weakness with the ending as I feel it was a rushed tacked piece to avoid to close a comparison with "feardotcom"
Finally I do want to admit that "The Ring" got me to jump a couple times like I haven't jumped in years. At one point I even launched my bucket of popcorn out of my lap. Embarrassing when that happens to us, however it makes us laugh to be that startled. So I say give "The Ring" a shot.