I think it's obvious I'm a pretty big fan of the Ring, both the American and Japanese versions. Seeing an American sequel, Rings, really seemed out of the blue - I mean, at this point the series is hardly scary when it relies on one trope that already lost its shock value at the end of the first one. As such, anyone I know who watched the movie told me it sucks. But...is it really that bad? Much like the cursed VHS, I had to pop in...well, the DVD...and see for myself.
I've watched a lot of crap based on the Ringu universe, from the laughably awful Sadako 3D to its more bearable sequel, but equally ***. And Rasen, the "official" but hidden sequel that the franchise tries to bury under the rug, because...yeah, it's pretty batshit crazy. The prequel, Ringu 0,which just came off as a depressing drama. And of course, the massively overhyped Sadako Vs Kayako, which can be summed up as watching 80% of the Ring with some cameos from the Grudge. There's a reason why it's called the Freddy Vs Jason of Japan - it's equally stupid, full of missed opportunities, and has an underwhelming payoff. Sadako doesn't even meet Kayako until the last 10 minutes of the movie, and even then it's pretty underwhelming. Hell, watching the drama unfold over two stupid people watching the cursed video managed to be the high point than the actual main event.
So with Rings...well, I kind of liked it. Out of all the crap I've seen based on the franchise, this one ranks pretty highly on my list - in fact, I'd go as far as to say I liked it better than the first American version to release. It has a nice balance between mystery and action, while the Ring was basically all padding (of course, if you want a good version of the Ring, always go Japanese). I'll go ahead and spoil some plot points, because...honestly, I doubt anyone's too excited over Rings to begin with. Because believe me, even a passable sequel has its share of stupid moments.
Right off the bat, Rings outright tells you whoever made this flick was trying too hard, or didn't give a ***. You got your usual idiot who you'll never see again because he's yet another victim of the cursed video...sitting on a plane. And...well, it's as ridiculous as it sounds, almost taking cues from Final Destination. With that terrible first-impression out the way, the rest of the movie is really not that bad. I mean, until a quarter of the way through until you see a cult of college students who get a rush out of willingly watching the movie and getting their five seconds of fame on of passing the curse onto someone else in time. Yeah, that part is so cheesy there's even a gallery of pictures with student's warped faces, and an "in crowd" of fools who survived to tell the tale.
Yeah, what Rings lacks in credibility sort of makes up for it with the mystery. Maybe a mystery nobody cared to wonder about, but it was interesting enough for me to see the end credits. All I'm saying is that Rings remakes some scenes from Sadako Vs Kayako and leaves out the Grudge elements. Which...actually makes it a less stupider movie than Sadako Vs Kayako. Do I recommend watching Rings? Well, not really. Just because I said I liked it isn't a recommendation. It's like me saying Resident Evil 6 was an enjoyable game for me - and I'm not cruel enough to tell anyone to go out and buy it.
At this point, I think a lot of us are desensitized to horror flicks, and most have moved onto more psychological horrors, unsettling tales without supernatural spooks. You want a movie that makes your skin crawl, go watch Black House or I Saw The Devil...or if you truly have no soul, Inside...a movie that killed every moral I ever believed in, and I refuse to watch it ever again.