I must admit that I made the mistake of watching the US "Ring" before this, the original Japanese version. The US version is OK and indeed better than most modern horror films, but Ringu is superior and of course the impact of the famous ending is lessened slightly. This is the film that rekindled my interest in horror films after feeling for many years there were no new ideas or quality any more. As everyone knows Ringu follows the story of a cursed tape, once watched you receive a phone call that tells you of your impending doom. The tension of the film is the key to the impending terror, and it has a really cloying, dark feeling throughout. As is the case with most Asian horrors, especially the earlier films of the recent batch, the director does not make the plot too obvious to the viewer. You have to watch closely and decide a few things for yourself. I must admit I really enjoy this aspect of Asian films, you have to work at it, as opposed to the usual spoon-fed Hollywood story lines. There are some major differences between Ringu and Ring, the father is psychic, which makes sense, there are less jumps and telegraphed shocks, but the same dank, dirty atmosphere is there in both films. It is not a perfect film. It obviously lacks the budget of Ring and there are patches when nothing much happens which is difficult for an audience fed on constant periodic shocks. Asian cinema has a different pace, there are points of quiet, leading to out of the blue shocks. This actually increases the tension of the film, leading up to one of the most terrifying climaxes possible. Once you have seen the ending you will wish you hadn't, as you cannot watch it fresh again. A great film that is perfect for TV viewing, excellent acting throughout, with possibly the best ending of any horror film.
