As always.... [Archive] - Kung Fu Cinema Forums

Jake31

03-07-2003, 01:33 AM

I am a day late and a dollar short. I just saw "The Ring." Oh, I saw the American version. It is my understanding that the American version is based off of the Japanese movie "The Ringu."

This movie blew me away! Can someone tell me about the Japanese version? Thanks in advance.

Regards,

Jake

zwolf1

03-07-2003, 11:20 PM

The Japanese version came out on DVD the same day as The Ring, and it's under the original title, "Ringu." The American version is scarier, I think, but the original is somehow *creepier.* It's a lot more quiet and slow than the American version, which used a lot of "startle effects" to make you jump. Ringu doesn't show as much, just kind of builds a dark atmosphere and worms its way in and freezes you. I love both versions... I kind of like the American version more (maybe because I saw it first), but I have to admit that Sadako (the Japanese version of Samara) is maybe even creepier than her American counterpart. That *eye* will give you nightmares, for sure. They're basically neck-and-neck, though. Ringu is definitely worth getting... just don't expect the frentic-ness of the American version.

There are sequels in Japan, too - Ringu 2, and a prequel, Ring 0: Birthday. I didn't like either of these much (although the ending to Ringu 2 packs a wollop), but that's probably partially to blame on the fact that I saw them on some awful malfunctioning bootleg VCDs that were an effort to watch. I'll definitely pick them up if there's a legit stateside release and give them another look. There's also a Korean remake available called The Ring Virus (I think HKFlix carries that) but I didn't like that one much at all -- it managed to flub every opportunity for scariness.

The Ring is a *huge* deal in Asia... they even have theme parks built around it and everything... :)