So, I got bored on the night before Thanksgiving, and I watched The Ring. I was just looking for a scare, something to keep me up at night. The movie had generally good reviews, and I was torn between The Ring and The Grudge, which were made around the same time and are both remakes of Japanese movies. I chose The Ring, because it looked more unique and frightening. Like, I said, I wanted to be scared.
But what I found was completely terrifying, and one of the best horror movies I’ve ever seen.
Actually, I’m writing this review as I watch the movie to keep from being too scared. It’s how I deal with things, okay?
WHAT I LIKED:
- Opening Scene
It was great. The opening scene takes you on a roller coaster of emotions and fears, making you care for characters that you’ve barely met or seen and fear for their lives. A simple phone call brings so much anxiety and suspense, any doubts I had about the movie being bad were instantly gone. There were multiple scares, building up to moments where you thought something terrible was going to happen, and then nothing did.
I don’t know how long the opening scene was. But I loved every second of it.
It was utterly fantastic.
- The Stressed-Out/Relatable/Sympathetic Characters
Most of the characters in the movie are stressed out or going through some serious troubles in their life. The movie displays it in such a way that it’s very believable, and very lifelike, as they all face things that we do on a daily basis. Knowing that I have seen and faced similar things make them more sympathetic to me, and makes me feel for them more than in other horror movies I’ve seen.
- The “Shock” Moments
There’s those moments in a movie when something completely normal turns and adds to the scariness of it. Lines like “Who told you that?” and “Hayden drew these last week” are thrown into perfectly random conversations and make them sinister and foreboding.
- BONUS: The Video Tape
So there’s this tape in the movie and if you watch it you die within a week. But that’s not the point.
I literally could not look away! That tape was hypnotizing or something. Freaked. Me. Out.
And the lady! It’s like she is literally staring at you. Jimmity Crickets, that’s scary.
If you watch the movie, pay close attention during the tape part. And don’t try to look away. You might miss something important.
*I could probably think of three or four more areas that I liked to be honest*
WHAT I DISLIKED:
- The Main Character’s Two Sides
At times, it seems like she’s a very fragile, emotional person. Which is completely alright, and often makes for a great story. But then at other times, she is commanding and very determined. She seems to be a police officer or something like that, although it never says for certain. I’m too lazy to search it online right now. If you’re curious, be my guest.
Anyways, this was just something small but it seemed to be a bigger deal to me than in most movies. That’s the problem with great movies: It’s hard to write anything bad about them in a review. But you got to have both good and bad, of course.
- It Was A Smidge Confusing
Sometimes in the movie, I don’t understand what’s going on. There are random people that are never given a name, and never really given a backstory. I don’t really get what all of the places are or where they are. In the end, nothing important is left out of confusing, but still at times I felt like there were things going on I didn’t fully grasp. Maybe watching it again would help.
Um, I can’t really think of anything else. Like I said, this was a great movie. Sometimes it’s so hard to find things wrong to write in reviews. Oh well.
MY RATING: 5.2/10
There was a lot to love about this movie, and almost nothing to dislike. The gore was kept to a minimum, the thrills and suspense were abounding, and I enjoyed the entire thing.
I would highly recommend this movie to anyone with two hours to spare. Although it’s not on Netflix, you can rent it for two or three dollars, or just buy the thing. You won’t regret it.
David Kummer 