Reasonable Horror Film

Rating: Null/10 (26 November 2002)

*May Contain Spoilers*
The Ring is not an entirely scary film, but there are some scenes which are frightening. The reason I watched The Ring, was because I thought the idea of watching a video, then receiving a phone call telling you you have 'seven days' left to live was interesting. I was especially intrigued to see the explanation of how this came about. However, the supernatural explanation (which I suppose was the only way of justifying the strange events which occurred) was a little bit of a let down. The film leaves a few questions unanswered and there are also plot holes. Having said that, however, the ending is fairly unexpected. (The reason Rachel isn't killed is a bit dubious, although the final scene is rather disturbing). I am interested now however in watching the Japanese version (Ringu) on which this film is based.
The single most annoying this about this film, however, is the overacting of the two girls (Amber Tamblyn & Rachael Bella) at the start. Their performances are almost laughable and detracted from the horror of the first scene. I found it incredibly difficult to take this scene seriously. Thankfully the other actors in this film are much more talented. Naomi Watts does a good job as Rachel, the protagonist.
Upon reading other reviews on IMDb for this film, I was surprised at how many people commented on how the images stayed with them for a long time after watching The Ring, as I found this was not the case for me. I definitely did not feel afraid of the television set after watching this film - it was only upon reading other reviews that the idea even occurred to me.
The Ring was definitely not the scariest horror film I have ever seen (that honour would have to go to The Exorcist). However it was suspenseful and entertaining, overall I would give it 7 out of 10.