Review of Ring, The (Special Edition)

Introduction

"Dark, sinister and genuinely horrifying, this is a film you will never forget."
"Makes the Blair Witch Project seem like a stroll in the woods"
"See it if you dare"
"Will scare the living hell out of you"
"Something to scream about"
"Knuckle-biting terror"
"One of the best horror movies in years...just don`t watch it alone".

So went the blurb for the original Japanese version of this film. But when I watched it, Ring wasn`t really all that scary. The story was like a long episode of The X Files, and there were certainly some very bizarre goings on. But it didn`t "scare the living hell" out of me, nor was it "knuckle-biting terror".

Why should that stop the obligatory Hollywood remake though, and The Ring is it. The story is outlined up above, and if you still haven`t seen either version, then I can`t really go into any more detail or it will spoil it.

This is a second stab at a DVD release timed to coincide with the release of the re-make of the second film in the series. Those cynical marketing hacks have shoved a couple of extra bits on to make people buy it again.

Video

An excellent 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer greets us on this disc, with a nicely restrained colour pallette, good levels of detail, and with that slightly eerie blue/green filtered look. This is not the sun kissed America of so many films, it`s a much darker, danker and grimy place. Everything looks nice and clean and if the image up on screen ever looks a bit weird and murky, it all seems intentional.

Audio

A DD5.1 soundtrack is provided (once again we miss out on the dts of the US release). This soundtrack is certainly an improvement on the hissy stereo of the original Japanese version of the film, and lots of care and attention has been paid to making the sound work hard to improve the film experience. There are plenty booms and bangs to encourage you to leave your seat, and some nice rumbling bass and eerie sound effects to keep you looking over your shoulder.

As with the original release, there is a rather minimalist score, but this version probably works rather better.

Features

Basically we get the same extras as the original release, with a few new bits tacked on.

Don`t Watch This was on the original release, and is 15 minutes of footage, some from the film, some excluded from the film, and bits of the mysterious video. It`s a gimmick really and there should be another way of watching this stuff, maybe with some explanation. But that`s just too conventional isn`t it?

There is a making of featurette which is really nothing of the sort, just interviews with cast and crew, with a few bits of footage spliced in between.

The real extra, and the one they want you to buy this disc for is Rings, which is kind of the link between the first and second film. A group of students all watch the fateful tape and then we follow what happens. Can`t say much more without giving the game away.

We also get trailers for the original and the sequel, as well as a chance to view a bit of the new tape.

And as with the original there`s the chance to watch the tape from the film via an easy easter egg from the main menu.

Conclusion

I was really looking forward to the original version of the film. I had high expectations. But I didn`t find the classic that so many had promised. Even so, I wanted to give this remake a go, as it might have fared better - stranger things have happened.

Once again, it wasn`t really all that scary, perhaps not helped by knowing what happens. I compared the original to a long episode of The X Files, and this remake is not much different, just with a bigger budget. I`ve certainly seen better episodes of The X Files.

The pacing of this film is definitely better than the original but it still seems to drag in places. Naomi Watts certainly shines out from the gloom of the film, but even her performance can`t lift this film from being average. At least it doesn`t resort to masses of claret everywhere to try and get your attention.

Like the original, you might find something here to interest you, but it just didn`t do it for me.

As for the DVD, it`s an improvement on the original release, but it`s such a cynical marketing ploy to release a better version in time for the sequel that you ought to boycott it on those grounds alone. Whatever you decide, this one might just be worth a rental, just don`t set your expectations as high as the PR says you should.