The Ring

[Guest Plushy Al Logan]

I meant to say I didn't think nothing of "The Ring" until after RAW, for some reason I could not turn off the TV.

[Guest DrTom]

I have to agree with Edwin and CJ on this one. The Ring was a perfect example of bad storytelling being elevated by the audience because of jump-scares. There are numerous things that require some pretty fair knowledge outside the film, which no careful screenwriter or moviemaker should presume the audience has. Also, the movie violated the gun-on-the-wall rule several times. I'm willing to suspend my disbelief when it comes to films about supernatural things, but throw a body a bone here and there.

 

I don't think it was a bad movie to sit and watch, but when you try to think about or even do a shallow analysis of it, it doesn't hold up well. The part I liked best was the fake happy ending that came about twenty minutes before the real ending, but a lot of that comes from my general disdain for the Hollywood happy ending.

 

I'd give it 3/10, maybe 3.5 if I were generous.

[Guest CoreyLazarus416]

There is a sequel being made, you know. And sequels to movies of this kind are meant to help answer questions.

 

I actually found this movie great BECAUSE it raises so many questions. I don't think they're plotholes, because, realistically, none of this could really happen to the extent that it did.

 

Cheap jump-scares, Tom? Did we watch the same movie? I counted a total of two (and one of them's iffing it) in the entire film. Even Psycho had more than that.

 

I have a question: What did you guys think of Lord Of The Rings? And yes, it does have to do with the subject.

[Guest Edwin MacPhisto]

Well, sequel or not Corey, until that comes out, it's just more background information. Most films with sequels--even a lot in the horror/thriller genre--don't need the sequel to really provide enough background to make a successful film. Concerning the idea that "none of this could really happen to the extent it did," of course, I buy that. All horror and fantasy movies are essentially designed on that central conceit. I don't think this set up its world well-enough. The rules of this world and scenario lacked definition. I love movies that do it well--Alien, The Terminator, Halloween, The Thing--and am disappointed in ones that don't.

 

My personal takes on the LOTR movies: did not like Fellowship much at all. Really, really awful pacing for that first hour and a half. Painful moments with some really underwritten female characters (which is, admittedly, one of Tolkien's own flaws), and a pretty poor sense of character relationships for what's essentially a quest-adventure movie. I do not feel a damn thing for silly little dwarf Gimli when he learns that his people are slaughtered, because he has said precisely 6 lines at that point. Ian McKellen was great, and I do commend the actors for taking a fantasy script absolutely seriously, but I think the sum was weaker than the parts. Probably a 4/10 on a scale like that.

 

Two Towers was an improvement for a few reasons. Foremost is the fact that it already had 3 hours of background information, so it was much easier to accept being thrown right into the action than in the first film. The actors also seem to have gotten more comfortable playing off each other, so a lot of the interactions play less stilted. Helms Deep was pretty magnificent, if even only on a technical level, and I liked the appearance. Still sluggish, awkward pacing and fairly mediocre writing across the board, as well as all that horrid, horrid elven junk that existed as an excuse to get Liv Tyler some face time. Oh, and Gollum was fantastic. Probably the best CG character I've ever seen in a film. Altogether, much better, but still flawed. Probably a 6 out 10. I'll be really excited if they finally nail it all home for The Return of the King.

 

What's your plan with the LOTR analysis? I am intrigued.

[Guest Angle-plex]

I didn't like The Ring or Lord of the Rings to tell the truth.

[Guest Ravenbomb]

I think calling America 'stupid' and 'easily frightened' is a bit uncalled for, CJ.

[Guest DrTom]

I have a question: What did you guys think of Lord Of The Rings? And yes, it does have to do with the subject.

I'm biased when it comes to the movies, since I've always loved the books, and I'm a fan of both Tolkien and the fantasy genre in general. Of course, I thought both movies were great. In terms to accessibility for people who don't know the story, though, Fellowship has it all over The Two Towers. TTT is actually interesting, since it presumes familiarity with both the original trilogy and things outside it (Gandalf's "ressurrection," for example), yet changes a lot of the details from the source material. No, I don't think that was a positive aspect of the movie, and I think it was a poor choice on the part of the filmmakers.

 

There is a sequel being made, you know. And sequels to movies of this kind are meant to help answer questions.

That's spiffy, but if it answers questions like Highlander 2 and The Phantom Menace did, then I think I'd rather remain in the dark.

[Guest Plushy Al Logan]

Sadly, I still havent slept. I'm still thinking about SPOILER BELOW:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That scene where the Ring bitch crawls out of the TV, the crawling just freaks me out.

[Garth 0]

I really liked the ring and despite a few plot holes which can easily be rectified by using the net or your imigination. Has inspired me to watch the old movies now i've got the ring and ring 2 japense with subs on video tape ..... but i'm to scared to watchthem by myself lol

[Guest CoreyLazarus416]

G has just nailed away my point entirely. You can easily overlook the plotholes if you use your imagination.

 

And my plan on LOTR was this:

If you can suspend your disbelief for a movie where the main character is a fucking HOBBIT, then why can't you suspend your disbelief for a movie ABOUT the unexplainable?

[Guest Angle-plex]

I get to watch "Ringu" tonight, so I'll have my thoughts up on that one later.

[Guest 5_moves_of_doom]

Slept like a fuckin' baby after The Ring, as did my 7-year-old brother. Ringu doesn't have so many plotholes, moves along at a better pace, and has an overall better script, plus, I found it much more frightening. Ring 2 and Ring 0: Birthday were... ehhhhhhh not so great.

 

Anyhow, I would imagine that one would like whichever of the versions he or she saw first, but when it comes down to the raw essence of each movie, it's quite clear that the Japanese film completely blows us Yanks' version away. The Japanese are just about better than America at EVERYTHING entertainment-wise (horror films, in a lot of cases regular films, video games, and wrestling... and porn, some would say), so yeah... just accept that, I suppose. I'll buy Ringu... and I've already seen the American version 3 times, so I figure I'll take a look at it again in 10 years. Yeah, around there.

[Guest DrTom]

A second viewing of The Ring was a little more kind. I still don't think it's any great shakes as a film, but it is an entertaining supernatural story. Yeah, I still have some problems with the story and the way it was presented, but I found that I could look past the more the second time.

 

Maybe this is one of those movies you have to see more than once. Shrug.

[Guest CoreyLazarus416]

The Ring wasn't meant to be the second-coming of Citizen Kane. It was meant as a supernatural thriller...which it excels at being.

 

And just the fact that people here at TSM have admitted to having trouble sleeping after seeing the movie makes it an effective horror flick. Much like how people were afraid to take showers after seeing Psycho, afraid to swim in the ocean after Jaws, or afraid to play with Ouija boards after The Exorcist, The Ring has made many people afraid of unmarked tapes and television sets.

 

Hey, it's better than any other mainstream horror flick since the early 80's. Have to admit that (and no, Scream does not count).

[Guest Angle-plex]

Well I just watche Ringu, and I did like it much better, just like I thought I would. The story is much easier to follow and goes at a faster pace. The Ring seemed to add a lot of junk in that shouldn't have been in.

 

Oh, and Sadako > Samara.

[Guest DrTom]

And my plan on LOTR was this:

If you can suspend your disbelief for a movie where the main character is a fucking HOBBIT, then why can't you suspend your disbelief for a movie ABOUT the unexplainable?

LOTR is a different animal entirely. The audience knows going in that this takes place in another world, with magic and strange races and a bellicose history all its own. It's like a Star Wars movie: we know it takes place "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away," so the strange races, the Force, and things like that are already explained by the exotic locale. It's more like playing along with the storyteller's choice of setting and accepting the Game Rules for that particular world. The Ring is different in that it takes place in present-day America, where we have a pretty idea of the laws of physics, nature, and the universe. I'll go along for a supernatural ride, but suspension of disbelief goes only so far once I know we're playing in a sandbox I see every day.

[Guest Crucifixio Jones]

No kidding. I was really hoping the LOTR argument was headed in another direction.

 

I saw Ringu last night and while there are only small differences between it and its remake, I've gotta give the nod to Ringu. Strangely enough, the fact that it didn't have the luxury of jazzy special effects made a few of the scenes much more frightening. I also thought it moved along better than The Ring.

 

I really don't understand why this movie even has 2-3 threads dedicated to it here. It's honestly nothing special. This is the most undeserved hype and discussion I've seen for a mediocre flick in a long time. Maybe horror fans are so starved for something even remotely scary, The Ring seems like Hollywood actually threw them a bone.

[Guest CoreyLazarus416]

Well, because most of us don't share your opinion, CJ. Most people at TSM that saw the movie said they liked it, with only the nitpicky few (not an insult, but you have to admit that you few ARE very nitpicky) not liking it.

 

Meh, oh well. Different strokes for different folks. You like Godfather, I don't. I like The Ring, you don't.

[Guest Crucifixio Jones]

Well, most people at TSM are also rap-hating, black comedy-bashing 16-year-old white kids, too. I don't think that makes me nitpicky. It means that unlike alot of people who frequent this forum, I watch a movie and don't switch my brain completely to the "off" position. I think you'll find that the "nitpicky few" have a few years on the rest of you. And...

 

Come on, let's be fair.

 

EVERYONE likes The Godfather. At least when you grow some pubes, you'll learn to appreciate it.

[Guest T®ITEC]

I have to say that I am terrified after seeing "The Ring" tonight. At my friend's house on DVD, at midnight, in the dark. Going in with all the hype, it was a beautiful setting.

 

I laughed most of the way through, pointing out stupid things and almost every ring that I saw. I also pointed out the name "Bischoff", which got a hearty chuckle.

 

Yet, here I am, too afraid to go into my bedroom and get some sleep. Ever. Horror films like this one *always* get to me, and they get to me badly.

 

Yes, it was a ghey movie, but so so *so* creepy. I never want to see it again.

 

 

EDIT: Ahhhhhh my username has an "r" with a RING around it !!!

Edited March 15, 2003 by superfluousT®ITEC

[Guest CoreyLazarus416]

Yes, CJ, because taste is objective, and age is the only measuring stick for alternative tastes. Get the fuck over yourself. I replied saying we have different tastes, and neither of our stances on the movie would change. Then you decide to throw an attempt at an insult.

 

And my pubes only need to grow back because I shaved them last week, thank you very much.

[Guest Crucifixio Jones]

*gets over self*

 

*still thinks The Ring ain't great*

[Guest TonyJaymzReloaded]

What made The Ring so good, IMO, was the whole mindfuckness of it.

[Guest John Dub]

Over the summer, I saw a preview for this, only it wasn't really a preview, it was just the video that supposedly kills you. I'd heard of the Ringu before, so I knew what was up when "Before you die, you see the Ring," was uttered by the girl. It didn't have any preview qualities. It was just the video. It was 4 in the morning, I had very little sleep, and was watching some TV. That being said, I got freaked out. I get freaked out a lot. I'll act like it's nothing, but once I'm in bed and the lights are out, I'm like a baby. Signs almost had me up all night.

 

So I decided to watch the Ring last night at around 11 in the dark. I figured I'd be up all night, worried about being killed by the TV in my room, but I was bored. It was a terrible mistake.

 

Not because it scared me, but because it was a crap ass movie that was overly hyped by everyone which failed to scare even me, and that's saying something. It was just a bad movie.

 

SPOILERS!!!******

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Only one part actually scared me, the whole "I saw her face" bit, but after that the movie went slowly downhill. I was not scared once more. I was left with plenty of questions, perhaps I'm supposed to be, but what the hell? How come Samara had control over a video tape? Did she have special powers? It's never explained.

 

I liked the switcheroo at the end, that was well done. You think she freed the girl's tortured soul, but "You weren't supposed to let her out" was pretty cool.

 

My biggest gripe is how the main character connected the dots so easily. Why the hell would she just grab the blank tape in the hotel? It's like she knew exactly what it was and what it did. She always knew exactly what to do or how to react to get to the next place she needed to be. It's like she had seen Ringu and knew everything that needed to be done. It was a poorly told story.

[Guest SP-1]

SPOILERZ:

 

 

 

I think they tried to explain Samara's ability to

control the tape when they were going over her hospital records. They had ultrasound-like pictures of her rocking horse and whatknot.

 

 

 

END SPOILERZ

 

 

 

That came to mind.

[Guest CoreyLazarus416]

Spoiler (Highlight to Read):

Yeah. The ability to imprint images on film was never FULLY explained, but the audience is supposed to believe Samara can do such once the interview video is watched, where the doctor asks Samara how the images were imprinted onto the film. Samara response was simple, and stays within the film's overall aura of "how could this happen?" The response: "I don't know. I just see them."

 

 

 

The movie has its fans and its detractors, much like every movie to date (save for maybe Ghostbusters, but I know somebody will try to detract from its excellence), and the fans seem to like it for the same reason its detractors do not.

 

EDIT: There, I used the fucking Spoiler tags...

[The Dames 0]

.....could you TRY and use the damn spoiler tags people?

 

Dames

[Guest converge241]

i rented it and watched it saturday night

 

when they are on the boat and the ring image flashes real quick (almost subliminally ) our fucking phone rang and scared the shit out of me!!!!!

[Guest Angle-plex]

And just the fact that people here at TSM have admitted to having trouble sleeping after seeing the movie makes it an effective horror flick. Much like how people were afraid to take showers after seeing Psycho, afraid to swim in the ocean after Jaws, or afraid to play with Ouija boards after The Exorcist, The Ring has made many people afraid of unmarked tapes and television sets.

I don't know about other people, but even Poltergeist made me more afraid of television sets that The Ring. Every time I woke up in the middle of the night and the TV was doing the national anthem, I was freaked out.

 

I just watched the american version again, and while I liked it better than the first time I saw it, I still think Ringu is better. A few of my friends absolutely hated Ringu and like Ring though, so maybe some people just prefer the hollywood version better.

[Guest El Satanico]

I recently watched Ringu.

 

I prefer the backstory Ringu gives the mother and Samara/Sadaka and Ringu explains the tape a little better, but overall I liked The Ring slightly more.

 

I would've liked it if The Ring did a better job of covering the ESP aspect in the backstory about Samara and her mother. I loved the "horse on the boat" scene, but the stuff with the horses confused the backstory of Samara and pushed the important ESP part of the story into the background.