Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13539 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-10-10
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Full Screen, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, German, French, Dutch, Arabic, Bulgarian
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 110 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
An unexpected marriage of big-budget production values and low-budget instincts, The Ring offers chills to be savoured. Usually when Hollywood indulges its cash-hungry game of remaking foreign films the result sacrifices much of what made the original so special. Clearly, the supremely eerie supernatural vibe that permeated the legendary 1998 Japanese horror film must have done something to those Hollywood suits, because Gore Verbinski's remake is actually rather good. Certainly, it's not superior to the original, but it's undoubtedly a cut above most modern horror efforts, expertly wringing every drop of suspense. The impressive Naomi Watts (Mullholland Drive) plays a journalist investigating an urban myth of a videotape that kills the viewer a week after watching it. Succumbing to curiosity, she watches it herself--big mistake--and has a week to solve the mystery or fall victim to its sinister power.

While transferring the action from Japan to modern-day Seattle may weaken the impact of the plot's mythological elements, and the film may be guilty of pointless padding (belying the original's lean format), Verbinski's effort is no less squirm-inducing, bolstered with a tremendous shocker of an ending. Exquisitely utilising the strong visual sense displayed in The Mexican, Verbinski creates a thick atmosphere of dread and suspense that never lets up, thankfully favouring old-fashioned scares, rather than retreating to blunt CG spectacle. In Watts, the film has a horror heroine who far exceeds the average wide-eyed scream queen, perfectly conveying the endless stream of bone-chilling moments. --Danny Graydon

Special Features

• 15 min experimental short film created by director Gore Verbinski exclusively for the release
  
• Animated menus
  
• Trailer

DVD Technical Information:

• Running Time: 110 minutes
  
• Region Code: 2
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85
  
• Wide Screen
  
• Soundtrack Languages: Dolby Digital 5.1: French, German, English
  
• Subtitles: Arabic, Bulgarian, Dutch, English, English for the Hearing Impaired, French, German

Synopsis
In Gore Verbinski's remake of Hideo Nakata's chilling horror film, a group of teenagers all die suddenly and inexplicably exactly one week after watching a mysterious videotape at a remote cabin in the Pacific Northwest. Journalist Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts), a relative of one of the victims, begins an investigation that leads to a mountain resort where she discovers the tape, which contains footage of random and surreal images. After viewing the tape, Rachel receives a phone call stating that she, too, has seven days left to live. As the clock ticks away, Rachel enlists the help of her former boyfriend Noah (Martin Henderson), who is the father of her startlingly serious young son Aidan (David Dorfman). Assisted by the intuitive illustrations of Aidan and the initially reluctant research of Noah, Rachel attempts to discover the significance of the cryptic tape before her time is up.
The original RING, based on a novel by Koji Suzuki, was a cult phenomenon in Japan, spawning a sequel, a prequel, and other spin-offs. Although Verbinski's adaptation shares much in common with its Japanese counterpart, the director distinctly alters numerous plot elements and, in grandiose Hollywood style, employs a much larger budget. The beautiful cinematography is one of the more telling enhancements, along with added screen time for other characters, including the morose Richard Morgan (Brian Cox). However, the key to this RING is Watts, who shines through the creepy atmosphere in a role that follows her success in MULHOLLAND DRIVE. This would appear to be no coincidence, since the film comes across like a David Lynch version of an X-FILES episode that presents shockingly scary moments and makes the most out of the unknown.

Customer Reviews

A worthy Hollywood remake of a truly great film
I am not one for Hollywood remakes of classic films, but in all fairness, when one does come along that does justice to the original, I will acknowledge it without getting all snobby about how the original was a far superior piece of moviemaking. Unfortunately, for an overall view of a remake, comparisons do have to be drawn to the original as well as looking at the film on its own merit.

I do still prefer the original Japanese masterpiece (and the two sequels that it spawned) for an overall plot that combines madness and obsession with several psychological twists, as opposed to the fact that, well, it was the original. That doesn't mean to say in any way, that the Hollywood remake failed to do it justice, by turning it into just another blockbuster. The remake takes the best of the original, adds some ideas of its own, and pays special attention to just how the original got its atomosphere. All in all, there was a lot more thought behind this remake than ticket sales.

The Hollywood remake of "The Ring" still retains the all-important menace of the original, where a certain look, stance or static image can invoke more horror than a room full of hacked-up bodies. While the main plot has not been altered, the sub-plot to the origins of the protagonist and creator of the video has been 'tweaked' (presumably to make it easier for Western viewers to accept a storyline involving 'psychic powers' without reducing credibility). Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is debatable, but fortunately, the adapted storyline works well, and that is what matters at the end of the day.

Naomi Campbell is very well suited to the leading role. Her star turn in "Mulholland Drive" earned her several well-deserved critical acclaims, and she has not rested on her laurels here. Again, she turns what could have been another "Nancy Drew" character, into something more adult and believable.

My only criticisms of the movie is that more of the onus was on the videotape itself, whereas the original "Ring" placed equal emphasis on the menacing character behind the videotape. The climactic scene as well, despite being brilliantly excecuted does choose to give the game away a little bit too early, rather than hold out for 'that bittersweet gut-wrenching moment'.

All in all, however, the US version of "The Ring" is still a very satisfying and scary movie, without resorting to good old Hollywood cheese, or by-the-numbers film-making.

Scared the living **** out of me!
A television screen full of static hasn't been this frightening since 'Poltergeist'.

In brief (and without revealing anything crucial), a sceptical journalist hears of a videotape which causes anyone who watches it to die seven days later. Of course, she boldly investigates, finds the tape, watches it (in a most foolhardy fashion if you ask me...) and starts to wonder if perhaps the story is true. Because if it is, she has only seven days to get to the bottom of the mystery.

A truly atmospheric psychological thriller, where the horror element is supplied by a steadily growing sense of menace, rather than copious quantities of blood and gore. Creepy, seemingly random images get even more scary as the story unfolds and their significance is revealed.

I have deducted one star simply because there are some deleted scenes in the special features that should have been left in.

Watch it, but not on your own. And you might want to turn all your mirrors to the wall before it starts. Oh, and the day after watching it, don't do what I did and accidentally flip to an untuned channel on the video. I swear I left my seat.

Gripping
So I settled down on my own (somewhat complacently) and watched The Ring last weekend. I knew nothing about the film other than it being about a video tape and people dying after they watch it. Personally I'm thinking it can't be that scary with a ridiculous storyline like this, so I was expecting one of those tongue in cheek slasher type movies. I can tell you now that this is no picnic in the park; it's an intelligent, haunting and well put together film with a very clever plot. From the opening scene you're drawn straight it and there's no let up throughout. There is little actual gory bits, the scary element is really got across in the bleak washed out filming, the sounds, the imagery and the usual jumps along the way. It does well in making it difficult to predict what's going to happen next and what happens at the end; which is partly what makes it so good. The ending is superb, definitely not what you expect. My brother called right after it finished and I nearly had a heart attack. One that stays with you!