The Ring
LINKS
Overview -click here
Trailers, Photos -click here
About this Film -click here
Spiritual Connections -click here
The Ring is a good scary movie. It isn't a great film. It isn't a run of the mill horror-fest, either! First of all, let's look at the basic concept of this movie so that we can evaluate it. The Ring has one of the worst, most contrived concepts of all time. But, because the original version of The Ring was a cult hit in Japan…the American version was born! The concept: There is a tape, and when you watch it…you die! There isn't much to do with this concept is there? Well, director Gore Verbinski does his best to take this material to levels of creepiness that we shouldn't possibly be able to imagine. The film totally blows away its own lame concept and does show itself to be at least the most competent thriller since Signs in August.
The Ring begins with two Catholic School-looking girls talking about urban legends in their room on a dark and stormy night. The introductory scene introduces us to the "killer tape" in a fun, self-aware way, and this scene was just as refreshing as the introductory scene of Scream was in its day. Yet, the early death of an innocent girl is just the beginning, because this death is just too mysterious to go unsolved.
Enter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts), the aunt of the recently deceased. Rachel is a reporter, and when she promises to investigate the death, she quickly stumbles upon the "death tape" legend. And, before we know it, she is watching the tape! (Hint: Rachel…don't watch the tape!!!) The most chilling part of the movie is that we, the audience, watch the death tape along with Rachel. The footage is dirty, frightening, and mysterious. And, now that both Rachel and we have watched the tape…we have only seven days to solve the mystery, or we die!
Verbinski was wise to structure this film like a mystery. Rachel and her ambiguous friend Noah (Martin Henderson) both end up seeing the film and they must both work to solve the dilemma. On the mystery level, this film is both fresh and engaging. Because the audience has seen the killer tape, we are just as curious as the protagonists. However, the film does kind of falter on the horror front, as we in the audience really aren't compelled to fear for our lives, and really, not for the lives of the characters either. When the mystery is close to being unravelled…when the last day of Rachel's life unraveled…she appears calm, cool, and rational. We really don't see too much of a sense of panic or dread in her demeanor. That is troublesome, but it does little to really kill one's interest in the mystery as a whole.
Another wise choice for the director was not to wrap everything up neatly at the end. There is the obligatory twist ending that we movie goers seem to crave these days, and this twist ending need not be discussed here in this review! But we are left with some questions, which are fun to talk about on the way out of the movie. The open pieces in the plot aren't holes, but uncomfortable (even creepy) possibilities for the future of this death tape.
What sets this apart from the average thriller or mystery is simply that we have seen the tape! We want to solve the mystery, because the tape really is mysterious. What do those images mean? Who are those people? Did we just see what we think we did?
Yet, what keeps this film from horror greatness, à la Jaws or the Sixth Sense, is its lack of a deep human element. We aren't made to feel like we love Rachel or her son. It is valiant that she puts her life on the line again and again. Yet, the movie doesn't quite touch on any of our deepest fears. Most of us did not leave the theater deeply attached to the plight of Rachel. And, really, how many of us would leave the theater worried that we might actually find the killer tape? Not many. Great horror has us checking our backseats for weeks. Great horror etches itself on our brains. Great horror preys on our deepest human fears. And, at my core…I'm just not afraid of VHS tapes!
LINKS
Overview -click here
Trailers, Photos -click here
About this Film -click here
Spiritual Connections -click here
Overview -click here
Trailers, Photos -click here
About this Film -click here
Spiritual Connections -click here
The Ring is a good scary movie. It isn't a great film. It isn't a run of the mill horror-fest, either! First of all, let's look at the basic concept of this movie so that we can evaluate it. The Ring has one of the worst, most contrived concepts of all time. But, because the original version of The Ring was a cult hit in Japan…the American version was born! The concept: There is a tape, and when you watch it…you die! There isn't much to do with this concept is there? Well, director Gore Verbinski does his best to take this material to levels of creepiness that we shouldn't possibly be able to imagine. The film totally blows away its own lame concept and does show itself to be at least the most competent thriller since Signs in August.
The Ring begins with two Catholic School-looking girls talking about urban legends in their room on a dark and stormy night. The introductory scene introduces us to the "killer tape" in a fun, self-aware way, and this scene was just as refreshing as the introductory scene of Scream was in its day. Yet, the early death of an innocent girl is just the beginning, because this death is just too mysterious to go unsolved.
Enter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts), the aunt of the recently deceased. Rachel is a reporter, and when she promises to investigate the death, she quickly stumbles upon the "death tape" legend. And, before we know it, she is watching the tape! (Hint: Rachel…don't watch the tape!!!) The most chilling part of the movie is that we, the audience, watch the death tape along with Rachel. The footage is dirty, frightening, and mysterious. And, now that both Rachel and we have watched the tape…we have only seven days to solve the mystery, or we die!
Verbinski was wise to structure this film like a mystery. Rachel and her ambiguous friend Noah (Martin Henderson) both end up seeing the film and they must both work to solve the dilemma. On the mystery level, this film is both fresh and engaging. Because the audience has seen the killer tape, we are just as curious as the protagonists. However, the film does kind of falter on the horror front, as we in the audience really aren't compelled to fear for our lives, and really, not for the lives of the characters either. When the mystery is close to being unravelled…when the last day of Rachel's life unraveled…she appears calm, cool, and rational. We really don't see too much of a sense of panic or dread in her demeanor. That is troublesome, but it does little to really kill one's interest in the mystery as a whole.
Another wise choice for the director was not to wrap everything up neatly at the end. There is the obligatory twist ending that we movie goers seem to crave these days, and this twist ending need not be discussed here in this review! But we are left with some questions, which are fun to talk about on the way out of the movie. The open pieces in the plot aren't holes, but uncomfortable (even creepy) possibilities for the future of this death tape.What sets this apart from the average thriller or mystery is simply that we have seen the tape! We want to solve the mystery, because the tape really is mysterious. What do those images mean? Who are those people? Did we just see what we think we did?
Yet, what keeps this film from horror greatness, à la Jaws or the Sixth Sense, is its lack of a deep human element. We aren't made to feel like we love Rachel or her son. It is valiant that she puts her life on the line again and again. Yet, the movie doesn't quite touch on any of our deepest fears. Most of us did not leave the theater deeply attached to the plight of Rachel. And, really, how many of us would leave the theater worried that we might actually find the killer tape? Not many. Great horror has us checking our backseats for weeks. Great horror etches itself on our brains. Great horror preys on our deepest human fears. And, at my core…I'm just not afraid of VHS tapes!LINKS
Overview -click here
Trailers, Photos -click here
About this Film -click here
Spiritual Connections -click here
1 Comments:
i actually thought this movie had a good plot considering horror movie plot lines. i also screamed like a baby while watching it. i need to see ringu though. i can't wait for the sequel.
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