I did it! I finally did it! You may be asking what I did, well, I finally managed to watch 'Ring 2' without falling asleep or turning it off due to boredom. I thought 'Ju-on: The Grudge', 'Dark Water', and 'Audition' were great, but I've never been able to get into any of the Ring movies. I blame the hype, but after 'Rasen' anything will look good.
Days after the events of 'Ring', Reiko Asakawa (Nanako Matsushima) and her son Yoichi (Rikiya Otaka) have gone into hiding. Ryuji Takayama has died in mysterious circumstances, and Masami Kurahashi (Hitomi Sato) has been committed to a hospital. Filling in for Mystery Inc (minus the van and Scooby Doo, of course) are Ryuji's assistant Mai Takano (Miki Nakatani); Okazaki (Yurei Yanagi), a reporter taking over Reiko's investigation into the curse of Sadako; and Detective Omuta (Kenjiro Ishimaru), investigating the mysterious deaths of Reiko's father and Ryuji Takayama.
I found that sitting through the first two thirds of 'Ring 2' is quite a test of patience. There is little tension and suspense as Mystery Inc wade their way through what is more of a detective / drama movie. The final act is much better and is worth watching. There are no cheap scares, but there is a creepy atmosphere with some interesting plot developments. However, with a rather dull first hour, 'Ring 2' is quite a struggle to sit through.
I've really tried to like the Ring films, but with so much hype regarding them, I've only been disappointed by all except 'Ring 0: Birthday'. The moral of this story kiddies, is that hype easily ruins horror movies.
'Ring 2' should appeal to fans of the first film, but should be viewed with the first as part of the series and not viewed as a stand-alone film. It will just be too confusing. Those who didn't enjoy the first film should probably avoid this - 6/10
Days after the events of 'Ring', Reiko Asakawa (Nanako Matsushima) and her son Yoichi (Rikiya Otaka) have gone into hiding. Ryuji Takayama has died in mysterious circumstances, and Masami Kurahashi (Hitomi Sato) has been committed to a hospital. Filling in for Mystery Inc (minus the van and Scooby Doo, of course) are Ryuji's assistant Mai Takano (Miki Nakatani); Okazaki (Yurei Yanagi), a reporter taking over Reiko's investigation into the curse of Sadako; and Detective Omuta (Kenjiro Ishimaru), investigating the mysterious deaths of Reiko's father and Ryuji Takayama.
I found that sitting through the first two thirds of 'Ring 2' is quite a test of patience. There is little tension and suspense as Mystery Inc wade their way through what is more of a detective / drama movie. The final act is much better and is worth watching. There are no cheap scares, but there is a creepy atmosphere with some interesting plot developments. However, with a rather dull first hour, 'Ring 2' is quite a struggle to sit through.
I've really tried to like the Ring films, but with so much hype regarding them, I've only been disappointed by all except 'Ring 0: Birthday'. The moral of this story kiddies, is that hype easily ruins horror movies.
'Ring 2' should appeal to fans of the first film, but should be viewed with the first as part of the series and not viewed as a stand-alone film. It will just be too confusing. Those who didn't enjoy the first film should probably avoid this - 6/10