Review of Ring Trilogy (4 disc Box Set)

Introduction

The recent American remake of The Ring/Ringu and its surprising rewards at the box office had the knock-on effect of opening up the original, and Japanese horror cinema as a genre, to Western fans. Tartan Asia Extreme, ever the champion of gore-fests and schlock-horrors from the East, have released the Ring Trilogy, comprising of Ringu, its sequel Ringu 2, and the prequel Ringu 0.

The basic premise that drives the Ring series is a fantastically simple idea that feeds off the `urban legend` gimmick - what happens in the movie could conceivably happen to one of your friends, or even you. A mysterious chain-letter-like videotape has been circulating around a town. as soon as you`ve finished watching the eerie images, you receive a phone call: "You will die within seven days", a voice says. Unless you pass it onto someone else, you cannot break the curse.

In Ringu, a young female reporter by the name of Reiko has her interest piqued by this videotape...she is determined to track it down and break the urban legend that has evolved around it and find out its relationship with a fabled monster called Sadako. Soon however, she finds herself trapped in the curse of the Ring, with only seven days to save her life.

Ringu 2 picks up pretty much straight after Ringu: this time, the assitant to Reiko`s ex-husband, Mai Takano takes the main role, and races against time to solve the mystery of Sadako and lift the curse of the Ring. However, now Reiko`s son Yoichi is involved, and a lot more so than either Reiko or Mai thought at first.

Ringu 0 is a change in tone from the other two movies. It follows the Carrie-esque backstory of the mysterious Sadako, and how she turned from a budding actress into the monster we know from Ringu and Ringu 2.

Video

The DVD cover states that the series has been "remastered", and it certainly has. The visuals are fantastically well done. I`ve seen Ringu on both video and TV, and the picture quality represented here far surpasses anything I could have wished for. From what I can tell, this is a significant improvement on other releases on The Ring on DVD too - not only is the picture quality better, but the burnt-in subs have gone too. Ringu and its sequel are pretty much at the same high level, although in Ringu the picture is not quite as sharp as in the other two films. Print defects I noticed on the video version have been cleared up to a pristine condition, so that there are no longer specks or dust. Colours are, whilst not vibrant, at least accurate, the level of detail is high, but best of all, in the numerous dark/lowlit scenes the blacks are solid and strong. Superb.

Audio

The sound quality is excellent over all three films, and both DD5.1 and DTS tracks are included in all of them. Nakata uses a subtle soundtrack in these films, and the silence and atmospheric effects in key moments prove more unsettling as the big piano chord you`ll find at the scary moments in other horror films. The DTS track uses the surrounds well to demostrate the eerie atmosphere around Sadako, but also packs some power when called upon.

Features

Unfortunately, although Tartan have improved the picture and sound on the previous release, the the already-slim extras section has been thinned even more.

Ringu and Ringu 2 both only have theatrical trailers attached to them. Ringu 0 - the most recent of the Ring Trilogy - has slightly more: along with a trailer, there is also a documentary and some deleted scenes included. These are fairly substantial pieces: the documentary is over 20mins long, and contains mostly B-roll footage. Although I don`t really like `seeing behind` horror movies as I feel this ruins their mystique, this is very well done, to the point of surprising me with English subtitles - quite rare on foreign movie extras. The deleted scenes lasts for approx. 7 mins.

But the main `extra` of this Trilogy boxset is a first-time presentation of Hideo Nakata`s film Sleeping Bride. Sleeping Bride is a tender, Disney-esque story about a young schoolboy growing up in love with a girl in a coma who has never even been awake. Unsurprisingly, she does eventually, and the five days they spend together opens both their eyes to a world anew. Whilst not a movie likely to knock you out, it is a sweet, well performed film (although made for a much younger saudience than the Ring films), and it is impressive Tartan included this in the package. Trailers for Nakata`s other films, including Dark Water, are also on this disc.

Conclusion

Personally, although amazed by the ingenuity of the premise of the Ring films, I felt a little underwhelmed by the execution of it. For me, there are not enough scary moments, and - more relevantly for a horror that relies on chills over thrills - not even enough haunting images to stay with me after the credits rolled. Ringu is a decent film and - as a fan of Japanese cinema - definitely worth watching, but not the saviour of the horror industy. Ringu 2 relies on the success of the first film, and as the story progressess this reliance becomes more evident. The story is a carbon copy of the first, if you just switch Mai for Reiko, and the `energy transferral` cure for Yoichi is plain silly. In Ringu 0 at least they trie dto stay away from the formula of the first Ringu, and to an extent this works. As I mentioned earlier, the film it mostly strongly resembles in Carrie, and so prepare yourself for a slow build-up with a faster ending.

Overall Tartan have produced a very professional package that is a must-buy for anyone who liked either the original Ringu or big fans of the American remake. Great picture quality and sound pretty much across the board makes this an attractive package.