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THE
RING
Verbinski
was wise to structure this film like a mystery. Rachel and her ambiguous
friend Noah 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.
Review by Edward Travis and David Bruce
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CREDITS
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Directed by Gore Verbinski
Novel by Kôji
Suzuki
Screenplay by Ehren Kruger
and uncredited Hiroshi Takahashi (1998 screenplay Ringu)
Naomi Watts .... Rachel Keller
Martin Henderson .... Noah
David Dorfman .... Aidan Keller
Brian Cox .... Richard Morgan
Jane Alexander .... Dr. Grasnik
Lindsay Frost .... Ruth
Amber Tamblyn .... Katie
Rachael Bella .... Becca
Daveigh Chase .... Samara Morgan
Shannon Cochran .... Anna Morgan
Sandra Thigpen .... Teacher
Richard Lineback .... Innkeeper
Sasha Barrese .... Girl Teen #1
Tess Hall .... Girl Teen #2
Adam Brody .... Male Teen #1
Alan Blumenfeld .... Harvey
Pauley Perrette .... Beth
Produced
by
Benita Allen .... associate producer
Neal Edelstein .... co-executive producer
Christine Iso .... co-producer
Roy Lee .... executive producer
Laurie MacDonald .... producer
Mike Macari .... executive producer
Walter F. Parkes .... producer
J.C. Spink .... co-executive producer
Michele Weisler .... executive producer
Original Music by James Michael Dooley (additional music), Henning
Lohner (additional music) and Hans Zimmer
Cinematography by Bojan Bazelli
Film Editing by Craig Wood
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, disturbing images, language
and some drug references.
Runtime: 115 min
For rating reasons, go to FILMRATINGS.COM,
and MPAA.ORG.
Parents, please refer to PARENTALGUIDE.ORG
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TRAILERS
AND CLIPS
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POSTER
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ON VIDEO AND DVD
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SYNOPSIS
BEFORE
YOU DIE, YOU SEE THE RING
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Urban
legends: The most enduring are often the most disturbing -- stories
of murder and mayhem happening to ordinary people that are shared
around campfires, retold at slumber parties and spread through chain
emails. Some may have started as simple gossip or rumors that, like
an old-fashioned game of telephone, were embellished and eventually
grew into myth as they passed from person to person. However, there
is one terrifying thought about any urban legend ... that it may
have been born of the truth.
It
sounded like just another urban legend -- a videotape filled with
nightmarish images, leading to a phone call foretelling the viewer's
death in exactly seven days. As a newspaper reporter, Rachel Keller
(Naomi Watts) was naturally skeptical of the story, until four teenagers
all met with mysterious deaths exactly one week after watching just
such a tape. Allowing her investigative curiosity to get the better
of her, Rachel tracks down the video ... and watches it. Now, she
must enlist the aid of her friend Noah (Martin Henderson) to save
her life and the life of her son (David Dorfman). Together, they
have just seven days to unravel the mystery of "The Ring."
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Review
by
ED TRAVIS
Email Ed Travis here
A Film Geek and graduate of Eastern University and assistant Youth
Director at Gaithersburg Presbyterian Church in Gaithersburg, MD.
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 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! |
VISUAL
REVIEW
by David Bruce
Web Master of HollywoodJesus.com
Many
have puzzled themselves about the origin of evil. I am content
to observe that there is evil, and that there is a way to escape
from it, and with this I begin and end.
--JOHN NEWTON (1725–1807)
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THE
PRESENCE OF EVIL
Katie (AMBER TAMBLYN, left) and Becca (RACHAEL BELLA) exchange urban
legends, including the one about a terrifying video that dooms to
death in exactly seven days anyone who watches it. This opening
scene sets up the mystery and hooks the viewer. How could a videotape
with strange images kill its viewers?
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Evil
enters like a needle and spreads like an oak tree.
--ETHIOPIAN PROVERB
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 OUR
HOPE TO OVERCOME EVIL
Rachel Keller (NAOMI WATTS) is an investigative reporter who must
uncover the mystery behind an urban legend about the videotape that
dooms anyone who watches it to death in seven days. An important
feature in horror films, in recent times, is to have young vulnerable
women overcome the evil. This underscores our hope that we can overcome
the evil that plagues us.
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Evil
unchecked grows, evil tolerated poisons the whole system.
--JAWAHARLAL NEHRU (1889–1964)
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 CREATING
COMMUNITY TO OVERCOME EVIL
Rachel Keller enlists the help of her friend Noah (MARTIN HENDERSON)
in her quest to unravel the mystery of the deadly videotape.
(The male-female tension is important in creating strong cinematic
emotional conditions.) |
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He
who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps
to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against
it is really cooperating with it.
--MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. (1929–1968)
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 TIME
IS SHORT
Both Rachel and Noah have seen the tape. Their days are numbered.
Everyone's days are numbered. The film draws on our fear of death
and the desire to live. |
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Evil
must go somewhere. . . . The exorcism of evil is forever an uncertain
affair.
--PAUL TOURNIER (1898–1986)
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 CAN
WE OVERCOME EVIL THROUGH KNOWLEDGE?
Noah uncovers some clues to the origins of the videotape. The film
embraces our need to overcome evil. "We can figure it out."
"We can overcome." The truth is that we cannot always figure
evil out nor overcome it. |
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Indifference
to evil is more insidious than evil itself; it is more universal,
more contagious, more dangerous.
--ABRAHAM J. HESCHEL (1907–1972)
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WE
CANNOT ALWAYS PROTECT OUR CHILDREN
To her horror, Rachel Keller finds she is too late to stop her son
Aidan (DAVID DORFMAN) from watching the deadly videotape. Evil is
especially terrifying when it menaces innocent children. Can parents
protect their children from every evil? No, unfortunately not. |
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The
only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to
do nothing.
--EDMUND BURKE (1729–1797)
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 BEING
THERE
Rachel Keller tries to help her son Aidan cope with the sudden and
mysterious death of his favorite cousin. In terms of evil situations
that arise in the lives of children it is important for parents to
be there for their children. This film presents a good parental example. |
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The
greater the evil, the greater the opportunity to fashion out of
it everlasting good.
--HANNAH HURNARD (1905–1990)
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THE
MIDNIGHT HOUR APPROACHES
Rachel Keller and Noah are in a race against time to unravel the mystery.
The approaching "midnight hour" builds the tension and a
sense of frustration. We connect, because we have all been in such
deadline situations. |
 SILENCE
PROMOTES EVIL
Richard Morgan (BRIAN COX) lives alone on his ranch where he hides
from his haunting past. He represents those people who can make a
difference and save lives but are instead silent and uncooperative. |
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A
person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his
inaction.
--JOHN STUART MILL (1806–1873)
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  THE
EVIL FROM BELOW
Rachel Keller finally realizes the truth behind the videotape. The
answer lies in a dark pit that goes deep into the earth. This connects
with the mythological place of Hell, the source of evil. |
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There
are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking
at the root.
--HENRY DAVID THOREAU (1817–1862)
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EVIL
AS AN ANGEL OF LIGHT
A mysterious little girl named Samara (DAVEIGH CHASE) is at the
center of the evil. Evil often comes as an angel of light. Evil
does not always look like evil.
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Evil
is sweet in the beginning but bitter in the end.
--TALMUD
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 WE
ARE THE UNWITTING AGENTS OF EVIL
Rachel not only embraces evil without knowing it, she releases it
from the pit to ravage the world. The greatest revelation in this
film is the realization that we can be the agents of evil without
knowing it. |
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Evil
often triumphs, but never conquers.
--JOSEPH ROUX (1834–1886)
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PHOTOS
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CONTINUE:
Review
-click here
Trailers, Photos -click here
About this Film -click here
Spiritual Connections -click here
Forum -click
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