Wonderfully creepy!

Rating: 9/10 (31 December 2004)

One of the few PG-13 flicks that actually managed to get under my skin! Adapted from Koji Suzuki's novel, a female reporter investigates the origins of a tape that supposedly kills you one week after watching it after her niece is the last supposed victim of the tape's deadly curse. This one is way better than its Japanese original, "Ringu", of which it was a remake of. For one thing, it's pace isn't as deathly boring and Verbinski directs the movie with more visual flair than his Japanese counterpart. There are some truly scary "jump moments" thrown in here and there that caught me completely off guard and the imagery in this film is top notch. The killer tape in this one actually IS unsettling, unlike the one in "Ringu", and Samara is 10 times scarier than her Japanese alter-ego Sadako. It's best to think of this as a supernatural detective story and I enjoyed not being able to predict where the movie was going, I was along for the whole ride, right down to terrific "twist" ending that is only one of few in recent memory that I didn't manage to see coming a mile away. An oppressed, dreadful and genuinely creepy atmosphere prevails throughout and is possibly the film's strongest asset...this one will get under your skin. Naomi Watts is excellent as well as everyone else involved in this. Often suffers from corniness however and the plot hits it's ups and downs along the way, but there is enough here to make up for it. Watch it...and be prepared to move the TV out of your bedroom before going to sleep at night!