Be careful reading if you haven't seen it -- POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!

Rating: 5/10 (12 March 2003)

Standing on its own, The Ring is probably an above-average horror movie. Having said this, I'll admit that this review is biased toward the original Japanese version, Ringu. Believe me, I know that by reading most of the reviews on this film that a lot of people disagree with me. However, I tend to believe that the reason for this may be due to the fact that some of these people have seen the remake first which would kill the element of surprise in Ringu.
The problems that I had with The Ring were its representation of the antagonist and some of the plot outlines throughout the movie. The whole aspect of the horse subplot was needless. Then, to add more to this, you have the horse and the ferry ride which still serves no real purpose to the movie except to add more time to the already overlong 116 minutes. And why are we always treated to the same "I don't believe you" to the "you're right, something's going on" scenario that seems to be always present in today's horror movies? At least with Ringu, the male role in that movie is smart enough at the start to realize that something out of the ordinary is going on, therefore, saving us from this cliché and moving us toward the rest of the story.
And now we come to our antagonist, Sardona. This was a complete letdown for me. I know, again I'm comparing an original to a remake but it can't be helped -- Sardona doesn't hold a candle to Sadako's creepy demeanor.

I'm not saying that this movie doesn't have its moments. The opening sequence really grabs you and made me think at the time that it could possibly surpass the original. Honestly, I would recommend The Ring if only for the fact of the beginning and parts of the third act. But I would also recommend seeing the original Ringu first in order to preserve the surprises.