Rings (2017)

Now that I have put the finishing touches on the epic poem Salvation, I think I am going to change some gears and work on something for a class I may be instructing at the Phoenix Arts Center. At this point, the idea is in its infancy, but it has only been a couple days since discussing it. If you are interested in the epic Salvation, it should be out soon. As I was finishing edits last night, I decided on something with a more supernatural tone to help keep me focused, 2017s Rings.  

Plot/ A young woman finds herself on the receiving end of a terrifying curse that threatens to take her life in seven days.

When this movie was released I could not bring myself to spending the money to see it in the theater, as I figured that there was no way it could live up to the bar set my the source materials. I am glad that I made that decision and waited until it hit Family Video. While it is not terrible, it in no way resembles anything more than a regurgitated storyline that has run its course. Yes, the cast was solid with some decent performances, as always the storyline and backstory are interesting, and there were some good visual effects that at least made it watchable. Unfortunately, this one lacked the heavy atmosphere that made the first installments what they were. In fact, this was more like a mystery than a horror film and it was never able to fully transition between the two genres with too many predictable moments. In the end, if you are a fan of The Ring franchise, you will likely be just as disappointed as I was. Was this movie terrible? No, but it definitely had the potential to be much better.

The Ring (2002)

After taking a few days off to do some writing on my project, I decided to start the weekend off with a review of one of the classic films from the early 2000s. While I am sure many have watched this one, with a sequel in theaters, it was a nice trip back in time. That flick is the 2002 entry The Ring.

Plot/ A journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape, which seems to cause the death of anyone in a week of viewing it.

There are times when I like to revisit some films in preparation for seeing sequels and such, and that was the case with the Ring. While some call this a remake and others an adaptation of the Japanese film Ringu, it does not matter because it is one of the best horror films of the 2000s. There are a ton of positives with this film, as the writing is tremendous, cinematography/direction is stylistic and creates a great atmosphere, and the cast does a tremendous job bringing the characters to life, as well as bringing the layered storyline out to a creepy and dark place. Yes, there are some smaller flaws with the amount of jump scares added in and some of the pacing felt off, but those do nothing to bring the film down. In the end, this is one of the most memorable films in the genre, and a film that must be seen. If you haven’t seen it, what are you waiting for?