In many no-English speaking countries pretty good movies have been produced
lately. Japan, Spain, India and Scandinavia are creativitely and qualitatively
no less than the almight Hollywood millions machinery. Some people even say
in those countries simply better movies are being made.
Last few years Hollywood leans on the visual spectacle mainly. The so called shock- and wow-effect; the rollercoaster-movies. X-men, Spider-Man, Lord Of The Rings and StarWars are the blockbusters nowadays. Beautiful movies (literally), but no emotional depth or intelligence what so ever. Distraction for Bill Cosby fans and Jay Leno viewers.
Remarkably Hollywood acknowledges the opinion mentioned above by producing a whole lot of remakes of no-American films. Nevertheless most remakes are totally inferior compared with the original. The Ring (2002) is a remake of a Japanse film Ringu based on the novel of Koji Suzuki.
In Japan Ringu is being considered as an phenomenon. After the book followed a television serie with in the end even a true motion picture. It became a success with as a result already two official sequals. Probably Hollywood has made a good decision by trying to achieve the same result in America and Europe by producing a remake. By the way they are not the only one, because Japan itself and South Korea were already first.
So far the background information. Question: Is The Ring (American version) a good movie? Answer: Yes.
In short The Ring is a thrilling movie with mainly a frightening alienating atmosphere. Furtermore the movie breathes such coldness which makes you realize death is seventimes more inevitable you could ever imagine. Deliberately I leave the content of the movie unspoken, because The Ring is a movie you have to see unprepared.
Ingredients: Horror, death, fear, alienation, tension, commitment, video, chilliness, love and Naomi Watts.
The Ring is a compelling movie. And therefore highly recommendable.
PS. I did not watch the Japanse original (yet).
- May 2003 -
Naomi
Watts .... Rachel Keller
Martin Henderson .... Noah
David Dorfman .... Aidan Keller
Written
by: Koji Suzuki
Directed by: Gore Verbinski