RING 2 (1999)
Directed by Hideo Nakata
Starring: Miki Nakatani, Fumiyo Kohinata
Genre: Horror
Running Time: 96mins

Rating:

Picking up where its predecessor left off, our protagonist is no longer Reiko Asakawa, but her ex-husband's girlfriend , Mai Takano, who after Ryuji's tragic death seeks reasoning for his demise while searching for Reiko, who with Yoichi have disappeared from contact. Meanwhile, Yoshino is forced to come to terms with his involvement in the tormented life of Sadako as he is told of her survival in the well for 30 years. Elsewhere a scientist develops a theory for the "literal" absorption of Sadakos powers as the curse of the videotape continues to haunt those who see it.

As you'd expect from a sequel, Ring 2 fails to deliver the same quality as its predecessor. In all honesty, this is through no technical fault, but more in the department of writing. The budget has increased on the back of the originals success, but unlike the original - Ring 2 struggles to maintain a control of its multi-layered story and as a result loses its structure.

The necessary mood and atmosphere are all present and correct, complimented by some beautiful lighting and cinematography, but the story is clearly absent. The problem with Ring 2 is that whereas in the original the time structure dictated the chain of events, here we are susceptible to no such structure, and as a result the many branches of the story are lost and undefined. The characters are under developed, as are their relating stories.

In the original, a wealth of information was gradually fed out to us through subtle moments of dialogue, whereas here we are given everything spoken at us, explained while still remaining obscure to say the least.

The finale of the doctor's experiment to rid the anger of Sadako's evil is the main problem with the film. The method and theory behind the experiment is so ludicrous and implausible that although it does lead on to a tremendously thrilling set piece, you can't help but wish Nakata had found some other way of ending his story. It seems clear that he is incapable of holding all the strands of the story together. This is not a fair reflection on him as a director, particularly after his mastering of the original. There is an overload of ideas in Ring 2 that fail to come to fruition. There are so many sub-plots and sub-characters added at various times of the film that make the whole thing incohesive and lacking a definite pace and structure.

But for all its flaws Ring 2 is still a relatively entertaining film. Watched immediately after Ring - Ring 2 will be a large disappointment. However, when watched again there is some charm evident in this instalment. The monochrome flashback sequences are particularly eerie. The scene where Mitsumi telepathically passes on her experience of witnessing the death of Tomoko by Sadakos spirit is particularly frightening, drawing upon a gradual building fear complimented once more by Kenji Kawaii's fantastically atmospheric score.

Another stand out scene involves the return to the hotel room on Izu island. Here, Mai witnesses a spiritual recreation from one of the scenes included in the originals videotape sequence. Through the use of some fantastic close up photography and POV shots, we are taken into the very heart of the scene fearing all that lurks beyond our field of vision. Many more set piece scenes follow all equally well handled by Nakata who regularly attempts to push the boundaries of media related horror.

It is the fact that they are all considered separate set pieces, however, that is Ring 2's biggest downfall. Add to this, some shameful squirming from the cast of Sadako's eventual victims and you have a momentarily good film diluted by some unnecessary irritations.

A minor disappointment to the series.