THE RING
(Before you die, you see the ring)

(To all readers: There is special DVD secrets for you below. Read on.)
 

After the mysterious death of a loved relative, reporter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts  Mulholland Drive) discovers the source behind the death and begins to investigate. What she begins to discover will be a descent into darkness and evil that will forever change her life.
    This was based on the original Japanese horror series of movies that took Japan by storm and became a classic. The execs at America took notice and decided to remake it hoping to spawn an equally engrossing hit. What is spawned by it is a truly horrific movie that has the makings of a masterpiece. The one thing that stood out from this movie is the incredible cinematography. I love every piece of scenery in this movie, and it's all very dazzling to look at. Every scene in this movie is like a surreal painting from Salvador Dali, incredibly woven together to dazzle the eye. The scenes with the island are probably the best because everything is so intricate. Director Gore Verbinski turns what could have easily been turned into another cookie cutter horror flick, into a work of art, giving incredibly surrealistic camera work and unbelievable camera play. I was stunned and breath taken by the sheer skill he shows in this movie, and it's present. Naomi Watts proves to have a lot of skill as well as she takes the throws of the lead, giving her character excellent charisma. We're able to like and feel for her character emotionally even though she's very unlikable in this. We get to journey with her throughout the entire movie and she gives so much animosity, it makes the movie even more enjoyable; plus she can give one hell of a scream when anything scary happens in the movie. Not to mention, she's really fun to look at.
    Martin Henderson plays Noah, Rachel's friend who discovers the tape along with Rachel as soon gets in deeper they he ever planned. He's a great co-star and gives great compliment to Watts. The movie has an incredible artsy feel as the landscape and setting of the movie feel so isolated as it revolves around a little cast of characters experiencing these horrible chain of events that occur in this large world. Daveigh Chase (Lilo & Stitch, Spirited Away) gives a scary performance as Samara Morgan, bringing to mind Linda Blair from "The Exorcist". She's a great addition to the movie and adds very well to the tension. The movie is very low-key and calm, and occasionally throws in a scare, but the real scares come from the mind games the movie plays with you, often presenting a seemingly normal object making it terrifying. The tape within itself is also a head-trip resembling an art film from a film student, when really it's not what it seems; the ending is excellent and will truly stun the audience.

The problem with the movie is that a few of the storyline's are cliche. At times, while watching this, it tended to fall victim to a lot of played out a lame plot devices that I felt were more than tired. We have the little boy who has a psychic connection with the monster and warns everyone while looking creepy, we have the air-headed teenagers, and the skeptics who eventually become the victims. The movie also moves at a slugs pace, slowly but surely developing the plot which, viewers looking for a quick scare, will find impossible to watch. Also, a lot of the storyline's are confusing in this, especially the ending which I spent hours trying to calculate what it truly meant.

Other than a few reservations with the plot, this was an excellent original movie with great scenery, skillful direction, and a great cast. Naomi Watts handles this with great ferocity. This is a good one.

• DVD version contains a hidden feature. At the main menu, press right once
  then down twice until the cruiser disappears, and then hit enter. The mysterious tape that Naomi Watts watches in the film now plays before your very eyes.
• SPOILER: The hidden "video" on the DVD also has an interesting feature; your remote control is disabled. Once the "video" has started playing, you can't stop it, pause it, fast-forward it, or return to the menu. Unless you turn off the TV, you're forced to watch the whole thing. When it's over, the DVD returns to the menu, then you hear a phone ring twice before you're given control over your remote again.