On it's own, a great looking film with a worthwhile payoff.

Rating: Null/10 (24 October 2002)

I was dragged to this movie kicking and screaming. I had heard the buzz on the internet (mostly negative) bashing this film in comparison to the original. I was so unprepared for a movie I would enjoy and it made this experience all the more thrilling.
The Ring is not a grand piece of cinema. If I were to make a short list of movies my favorite thrillers it would include... The Haunting (w/ Vincent Price), The Shining, my first viewing of Poltergiest, the Exorcist, and Eraserhead. These movies creeped me out because the atmosphere, backstories and characters played on our primal fears... things which we can't control. Other films recent films like The Sixth Sense, Signs, The Others and examples of clever storytelling with the spooky payoff at the end. The "Ring" succeeds less on telling it's story and more on imagery that conveying the feeling of dread. Like the first grainy images of Nosferatu... or the reverse speaking dwarf in Twin Peaks", the videotape in "The Ring" leaves you with an uneasy cold, dark feeling. It's what you see in our nightmares, images that neither make sense nor are relevant. The next day you try to piece together what you dreamed but it doesn't make any sense... but those images may stay with you a lifetime.
The acting is effective. Naomi Watt does a great job at playing the conformed believer. Martin Henderson looks great and does a solid job with limited matieral. Director Gore Verbinski does a fine job with the borrowed matieral, keeping the pace and balance of the film (mystery and horror) from getting sunk in the mud. His crisp direction, active camera work and use of imagery make this a feast for the eyes... even if you want them shut at times. He's also smart enough to give suitable reigns to his support staff and post production team. The standout elements are the great cinemtography, Rick Baker's all too brief makeup effect work and Han Zimmer's haunting score. Of course there's the ending which was worth the price of admission. See The Ring with an open mind and prepare to be entertained.7 out of 10-Grant Poughkeepsie, NY