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★★
Directed by: Hideo Nakata
Written by: Ehren Kruger, Kôji Suzuki, Hiroshi Takahashi
Starring: Naomi Watts, David Dorfman, Daveigh Chase and Kelly Stables
Film Review by: Rachel Pullen
The Ring 2 Film Review
So, we have all been asked over for a night of Netflix and chill with a hottie we have a crush on right? But what if the movie they had in mind was some trippy flick which had the ability to kill you in seven days? Would you go? No one needs to get laid that badly.
And that my fellow film lovers are the opening scenes to The Ring 2, a story that delves back into the lives of single mom Rachel and her weird, tired-looking son who seems to revel in just being super creepy and old before his time, and after a move out of the city to rebuild their lives after the first brush with the girl, her TV and weird videotape they are ready to embark on a new peaceful life…
Wrong! Samara really has it in for these two and once Rachel finds out about the Netflix and chill session gone wrong, she begins to fear for the worst, but unlike normal people and just not getting involved, she gets super involved (rolling around in cursed tapes and wet TV’s level of involvement) and of course, causes Samara to not hijack their TV, but posses her son in order for her to have her own mom.
Of course, a race against time happens again and Rachel is left to save her son and self from the damp and slimy grip of Samara…wow, is that not exactly the same as the first film I hear you ask? Yes, yes it is.
And here is the first issue with The Ring 2: it’s a lazy storyline, just a retelling of the first film but with a few changes. Rachel’s son is in peril, Rachel has to look into the backstory of Samara, follow the clues and brush shoulders with those who knew Samara when she was in the world of the living…. just…like…the…first film…sigh.
Now, I am not claiming to be a storytelling master, but I’m sure there were other avenues that could have been explored; maybe the video made its way into a Blockbuster store, or someone thought it was a Sundance selection and previewed it to hundreds of people all at once, but no, let’s just tell the same story but with different cast members.
But once again The Ring cannot be denied its 5-star visual aesthetics, the use of washed-out colour tones flood the screen, the constant presence of water, be it with conversations by a lake or drama in the bathtubs, we are always reminded that Samara is there, her presence lingers in the background, chilling and unwelcome, bringing the uneasy feeling that comes with watching any of The Ring films.
We can’t deny that Samara is a creepy and annoying little ghost, but sadly her presence on screen is amped up in this film, which makes her a little less frightening and more like an annoying baby sister who keeps hiding the remote. Ambiguity is key, the imagination is more powerful, and when you see her call Rachel mommy and apply some yoga flexibility to climb out of the well you kind of just go…meh, kick her back in, sell ya TV and call it a day Rachel for god’s sake.
Overall this instalment was lacking a lot, but if you’re interested in the origin story of how Samara became to be so goddam evil, then this certainly fills in a lot of the gaps and can make for an interesting watch, but if you’re looking for the chills and thrills of the first film, then like the cursed tape…don’t watch.
And so, my loyal readers let’s once again recap what we have pondered this time…
Who the hell still has a well on their land?
DVDs are the way forward.
And if someone is chasing you out of a well, give them a quick boot to the face and let gravity do all the work for you.
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