We see the shy teenage Sadako as a student of a drama club in Tokyo and being outcast by her peers because of the strange air she generates when around them. After the unusual death of the lead actress in the play, the director chooses Sadako to play the part. This gets on a lot of the students' nerves, except for the sound man Toyama. Who both have a sweet spot for each other. Meanwhile, 30 years ago Sadako's mother was involved in an ESP experiment for journalists that turned terribly wrong. Those who were present have all now mysteriously died and reporter Miyaji believes that Sadako was somehow involved and goes about tracking her down for personal gains. Could this interference bring out her disturbing past and help discover the meaning of her horrible nightmares?
A story has always got to have a beginning. Or does it? I guess a prequel was inevitable, but in the long run it outstays its welcome and only convoluted the whole "Ring" legacy by going on to over explain things. An oddly confusing rash of ideas get an extensive workout (but some things are still left in limbo; like the cursed videotape) and Sadako's origins comes across as some sort of wishy-washy soap opera that damages that ominous presence she once held. The passive story seems more like a character item (of a tragic soul and a splash of "Carrie (1976)") and totally different in style, compared to its horror-bound predecessors (Ring & Ring 2). It's all about Sadako now, even though there's no change to the systematic formula of detective work done by no other than a media reporter. The stage is set. Not bad, but definitely lesser to the previous two. Definitely in the chills and creepy imagery department. The production is just as polished, but maybe even more so and the film's plodding movement makes way for a startlingly atmospheric (if silly) closing. Honestly I didn't care for too much of what was happening, up until the film's final intense 30 minutes and that's when the horror elements kicked in. Something that might have made it a bumpy ride with fewer thrills could've been that the original director of the first two, Hideo Nakata didn't return and it was handed over to Norio Tsuruta. Instead of the hair-raising dark mood of Nakata's ventures. He brought a much more sedated and eerie touch to the screenplay written by Koji Suzuki (the author of "Ring"). Smeared into the dour scenes is a tinglingly spooky music score that knows when to plays its cards effectively to its advantage. Performances are decent enough. The void-like Yukie Nakama is genuinely haunting in her moping appearance as the cursed Sadako.
Was clearing up parts (or adding more onto) the mystery of Sadako a good thing? I don't know, but it's a moderate sequel that only enthusiasts of the "Ring" films should bother with. I think its best to watch this one last.
A story has always got to have a beginning. Or does it? I guess a prequel was inevitable, but in the long run it outstays its welcome and only convoluted the whole "Ring" legacy by going on to over explain things. An oddly confusing rash of ideas get an extensive workout (but some things are still left in limbo; like the cursed videotape) and Sadako's origins comes across as some sort of wishy-washy soap opera that damages that ominous presence she once held. The passive story seems more like a character item (of a tragic soul and a splash of "Carrie (1976)") and totally different in style, compared to its horror-bound predecessors (Ring & Ring 2). It's all about Sadako now, even though there's no change to the systematic formula of detective work done by no other than a media reporter. The stage is set. Not bad, but definitely lesser to the previous two. Definitely in the chills and creepy imagery department. The production is just as polished, but maybe even more so and the film's plodding movement makes way for a startlingly atmospheric (if silly) closing. Honestly I didn't care for too much of what was happening, up until the film's final intense 30 minutes and that's when the horror elements kicked in. Something that might have made it a bumpy ride with fewer thrills could've been that the original director of the first two, Hideo Nakata didn't return and it was handed over to Norio Tsuruta. Instead of the hair-raising dark mood of Nakata's ventures. He brought a much more sedated and eerie touch to the screenplay written by Koji Suzuki (the author of "Ring"). Smeared into the dour scenes is a tinglingly spooky music score that knows when to plays its cards effectively to its advantage. Performances are decent enough. The void-like Yukie Nakama is genuinely haunting in her moping appearance as the cursed Sadako.
Was clearing up parts (or adding more onto) the mystery of Sadako a good thing? I don't know, but it's a moderate sequel that only enthusiasts of the "Ring" films should bother with. I think its best to watch this one last.