Not as memorable (or disturbing) as the original

Rating: 3/10 (16 October 2002)

Slightly disappointing remake of the 1998 classic Ringu Japanese horror film. Although the film made a good effort at 'Westernising' the original concept behind the Ring, it failed in creating the mysticism behind the originals urban legend story.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS
The removal of the psychic abilities from mother to daughter from the original story means we have no background on Samara, prior to her apparent 'adoption'. Also, the inclusion of actually seeing Samara, in a mental hospital, speaking e.t.c., completely ruins the mythos surrounding the 'evil' little girl. The necessity to over-explain plot points through banal dialogue and the inclusion of more disturbing imagery and shocks during the film, only helped to detract from the horror of the final act (especially the overly artsy video).
The acting, however, was not bad from Naomi Watts and Brian Cox, but the little boy, Aiden, I found to be irratating and somewhat resemblant to a potato.
If you can get hold of the original Ringu, watch that instead. 3/10