THE RING (2002) ***

Reviewed 10/14/02

Hollywood’s latest remake of a foreign film, THE RING, gets it right this time or at least equals the original.  The Japanese version of THE RING, written by Koji Suzuki and directed by Hideo Nakata, was a monster hit in Japan, spawning a sequel, a prequel, and a television series.  The Dreamworks version is directed by Gore Verbinski, and given Verbinski’s previous two stinkers, MOUSE HUNT and THE MEXICAN, he might have been hired because of his first name.  Whatever the case, Gore made good this time around.

While not hitting the peaks of fright in the original, Verbinski’s RING keeps a more consistently chilling tone.  The expected higher production values are a plus.  Bojan Bazelli’s cinematography has a blue-green sheen that makes the entire film feel like it takes place in a tomb.  Tom Duffield’s production design is eerily iconic in its simplicity.   Verbinski is attentive to atmosphere using sunlight filtered through blood red leaves and he makes the most of a desolate lighthouse.   Most intriguing of all however is that THE RING marks the follow-up film for Naomi Watts, who gave one of last year’s most memorable performances in MULHOLLAND DRIVE.

Watts plays Rachel Keller, a reporter for the Seattle Post-Intelligencier.  When her teenage niece Katie (Amber Tamblyn) mysteriously dies, Rachel begins investigating and discovers Katie had three other friends who died separately from her but at the exact same time.   What they had in common is that they viewed a video, which according to urban legend, is supposed to kill them precisely a week later.  The skeptical Rachel tracks down the spooky video and watches it herself.  Immediately, the first tenet of the legend comes true – a phone rings telling her she has seven days to live.  Enlisting the help of tech-savvy Noah (Martin Henderson), Rachel begins uncovering the video’s origin and its enigmatic imagery.  Encountering inexplicable events, they become quick believers, and their search is made all the more vital because Rachel’s young son, Aidan (David Dorfman) inadvertently watches the video.  Their quest leads them to the one-time horse-breeding Morgan family – father Richard (Brian Cox), mother Anna (Shannon Cochran), and daughter Samara (Daveigh Chase, the 12-year old who did excellent voice work in the animated LILO AND STITCH and SPIRITED AWAY).

Watts acquits herself admirably, but to be fair, the role as written does not require strenuous acting chops.  Martin Henderson, in his biggest film role so far, makes just as big an impression as laid back, good humored Noah.  Verbinski and writer Ehren Kruger adhere very closely to the original, but a psychic ability is switched from the male lead to the son (with echoes of THE SHINING).   Kruger clarifies some plot points left unexplained in Nakata’s version.  While the explanations are welcome, they make the movie no less contrived.  Ultimately, THE RING is a suspenseful thrill ride that requires significant suspension of disbelief in the far-fetched premise.