Ringu (1998) - Review

 

(Original Japanese version)

Ringu, a Japanese horror classic that was later followed by an even more critically acclaimed remake in the west. While The Ring to this day is one of the most talked about movies of this genre, I couldn`t ignore my tendency of going for the original Japanese version instead. And it is for a good reason. Asian countries (especially Japan) are renowned for their mastery in producing horror cinema, they are considered to be the finest in this art form. And it is a general belief that remakes always fall flat in comparison to their original counterparts. My infatuation with Japan of the 80s and 90s, and the fact that a good number of viewers preferred the original to the remake, led me to finally tick this movie off my watch list. Before I proceed to share my experience with the movie, I must reiterate that this is my personal account and therefore it might not have to stand true for you. Also, the review may contain spoilers. So if you don`t want the experience to be ruined, you might want to stop here. However, if you're the kind to not mind spoilers, or if you`re very sure that you aren`t going to give it a watch, you may proceed reading.

I`m not a big fan of horror movies. That`s not to say I don`t enjoy them, they just don`t sit within my sphere of beliefs. I headed in to watch Ringu with many expectations, given the tremendously positive reviews. Maybe, the hype escalated my expectations to an unreasonably high altitude. To the point where upon completion, I was dissatisfied. One aspect of the movie majorly turned me off, halfway into it. I shall discuss my disappointment with the movie in detail, while also highlighting a few positive attributes that uniquely stand out, thus compensating for my lack of satisfaction and not making the movie dull in any way. Given the popularity of The Ring, there`s a good chance that you are aware of the plot. But just in case you are hearing about it for the first time, the plot revolves around a cursed videotape. Whoever watches it is believed to die within a week. Upon her niece`s death, journalist Reiko alongside her ex-husband Ryuji sets out to investigate the case.

One of the things that Ringu succeeds in doing perfectly well, is setting up the atmosphere and tone that you`d expect from a Japanese horror classic. It`s dark, gloomy, unsettling, and doesn't feel forced in any way. Another observation that I am urged to point out is the sudden appearance of characters in the same scene but in a different frame. It catches you off guard in a subtle way, and it is quite uneasy to adapt to. These little details really add to the success of the atmosphere. One more scene that I am in love with, is the part where Reiko`s son Yoichi, is caught watching the tape. Reiko rushes to stop him in a rather eerie and startling way, crawling intensely toward him. While one part of it highlights a mother`s desperation to shield her child from the curse, the way it played out doesn`t make it difficult to tell that it`s from a horror movie. It might be up there among one of my favorite horror movie scenes, even more than the iconic one where Sadako crawls out of the television. Horror movies often rely on jump scares in a desperate measure to not miss out on their ‘scary factor.’ Ringu doesn`t do that, and this decision deserves tremendous respect and recognition. It was a bold move on the director`s part, and it reflects his confidence. Special mention to the background score, it's not complex yet it couldn't have been more apt and fitting. It marvelously blends in well with the imagery creating a perfect sense of tension that's captivating.

Now coming to the drawbacks. The wait for the antagonist to finally appear, was too long. Don`t get me wrong, the movie does well in its buildup to the climax. At various points in the movie, you end up believing that it was finally time for the big scare, only to sigh in relief. But when the climax had finally arrived and the veil was taken off, it wasn`t as frightening as I`d hoped it to be. And the moment itself was too brief. Maybe the fact that I had a rough idea of the television scene (since it has been so widely discussed) took away from the excitement. Also, the fact that Sadako`s face was not shown and it was only her eye that was highlighted, makes me feel like the movie tried to play safe. While some reviewers claimed that the mystery added to the uneasiness, I personally felt like it was a risk that was dodged cleverly. However, other notable traits like her twisted arms, stiff body posture and movement, and the trademark hair covering her face absolutely make her a memorable character who deserves to be in the museum of quintessential horror antagonists.

The plot of the movie, while it may come across as simple to some, took a complicated turn for me when the mystery behind the tape and its events was being explored. It could be that the subtitles were inaccurate or not precise, as for a good amount of time we mistook Shizuko`s brother for her husband (who was also the Doctor). My biggest complaint with the movie, however, and the massive turn-off which instantly tempted me to pause and not proceed to watch further, was how certain characters (specifically Ryuji) were assigned psychic powers. It was difficult to absorb and felt extremely out of place. It`s almost as if the scriptwriters had a hard time figuring out how to explain the backstory behind the tape`s existence in a simple and connected manner, and thus chose an easy way out by assigning one of the characters the ability to look into the past. For me, what makes a horror movie stand out is the ordinary nature of the characters. In most cases, the protagonist is a normal human being like any other person and that makes him come across as believable. Assigning such special abilities to the protagonist is unexpected, may go against the intended genre of the movie, and definitely comes across as a cheap way to carry forward the plot.

Aside from the drawbacks, I enjoyed how some parts were executed. For one, there was barely any husband-wife drama between the divorced couple, which you're likely to see in Hollywood. I liked how the emphasis was strictly on the plot here and no attempts were made to make it unnecessarily emotional or dramatic. It just wasn`t needed, Ringu is practical in that regard. Also, the tape was eerie, specifically the part where Shizuko was seen doing her hair in the mirror, with a smile. It left a cold shiver of uncertainty and discomfort down my spine. Reiko`s father pretty much seemed like a character whose only purpose was to babysit her son Yoichi, until the end where his presence in the story served a significant purpose. The ending was remarkable for two reasons, not only because it finally disclosed how the curse could be lifted, but also because the objective of the movie which was to save the son, would have been met but at the cost of a sacrifice. It was clever, impressive, and well-connected.

At the time of watching Ringu, I had 2 other people accompany me. Although it was midnight, the disappointment with regard to the fear factor could contribute to the fact that I wasn`t watching it alone. And while the movie has its fair share of tense moments that tempted me to look away from the screen on a few occasions, the ‘big moment’ wasn`t worth the wait.   In the areas it manages to deliver, it does so beautifully and with great efficiency. But the areas that brought me disappointment really prevented me from enjoying the movie to its full extent. I have my complaints about Ringu, but it was not a bad movie by any means. It is just that the hype its western counterpart had in the horror movie community, raised the bar of my expectations to unrealistic heights.