is this worth watching if you've seen the remake?
or are they pretty similar?
shareIts better than the remake...
share
MovieChat Forums > Ringu (1998) Discussion > is this worth watching if you've seen th...
On the other hand, I thought the remake was better.
Each one has its strengths and weaknesses. (No surprises there.) And there's something to be said for the idea that the first version a person sees is probably always going to be the one that seems the most powerful to them.
It's worth watching the Japanese one if you haven't seen it, if only to see a different take on the same story, but if you've already seen one version, watching the other is obviously not going to have the same shock value for you.
You might very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment.
I watched Ringu first and while I loved it, enjoyed the remake more, probably because they cut the whole study the psychic phenomena angle which I felt boggd down the first.
shareYes, I think you have a good point, sommert.
I've just recently read the original novel by Koji Suzuki, and found it interesting how different it is from both of the film versions. I noticed that Sadako's video itself, and the nature of its images, was more vividly portrayed in text than in the more visual medium of film. That surprised me at first, but I guess that ability to describe things more vividly is why a book is often more potent than the film that comes from it. Anyway, even though the prose is quite dry and uninflected, I recommend reading the book as well.
You might very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment.
I watched The Ring first and thought Ringu was better. I actually enjoyed the psychic aspects a lot, but didn't find either version very scary, or really much of a horror movie at all (more of a mystery thriller with horror elements), so the additional "horror" aspects in The Ring don't do much for me, other than complicate things. Ringu also made a lot more sense to me..
It's not a Ring film, but i'm not sure which version of The Grudge I prefer. I saw Ju-On first, and enjoyed it. I own The Grudge and also enjoy it, and can't think of anything about either or that I prefer over the other. You guys are saying Ringu and Ring are really similar, but Ju-On and The Grudge are practically exactly the same. (Which makes sense, they're made by the same director)
I also think that the remake is better. I'm usually in favor of Asian originals, but this time I found that the Western style made the remake's atmosphere more terrifying. Some of the plot differences also strengthened the remake and made it more rewarding to watch. Although the fact that I saw the remake first is probably affecting my opinion. I just felt the original was quite disappointing after seeing the remake.
shareTheyre actually pretty similar, but I think there is a bit more in the remake. I definately liked some of the scarier scenes better in the original: notably the video tape and the...ending...
shareI disliked the remake mainly because of the CGI and Hollywood style special effects. The original has no CGI, and it's creepier for that reason....
Also, like someone previously said, the videotape in the original is creepy as hell... the mirror with the girl's reflection gives me shivers just thinking about it. The tape in the remake was retarded, just a bunch of random scenes that make no sense.
You try make it sound like it's some Lucas Starwars movie. There's barely any CGI in this movie. I'm guessing you're one of those "Real FX only" people that seem to be appearing like a hookers rash.
share[deleted]
I aggree the original japanese version is scarier and moodier. I aggree with strange brew. the remake was totally unnecesary.
well since you're naked you might as well f___ a friend of mine. Paul come in here!
[deleted]
Original a million times better
The only people who would prefer the remake are people who either cant read subtitles or dont like watching intense scary films.
The remake is complete crap, nearly as bad as the grudge remake
Golf Clap?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmjHT5GpAYQ&playnext=1&list=PL6 C908F9F6C7EA56
[deleted]
Glad you agree
There is just something about Japanese horror that is scary, some American movies do it right but the Ring remake was just bad. You cant remake Ringu and make it scarier than the original
Golf Clap?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmjHT5GpAYQ&playnext=1&list=PL6 C908F9F6C7EA56
Oddly, The Grudge was the only western remake that I enjoyed. There's been some truly awful ones, American Grudge sequels included, but I found that the first American remake of The Grudge did a fairly good job at adapting the source material, considering it was drawing from multiple films. The tone and the scares were there, and IMO, a couple were even taken up a notch.
The one thing that I did find silly was the need to make the leading cast white. It's too bad that most Americans won't watch a bother watching a movie that doesn't have American characters (they threw a couple Americans into the upcoming The Thing prequel that centers on the Norwegian team - why...?).
The biggest problem that American remakes seem to have is in watering down all of the Asian culture - which usually means explaining all of the plot elements with voice overs and dialogue, dumbing down the script, and diluting or outright removing the deeper social commentary.
Tale of Two Sisters was a truly haunting story that made you experience genuine feelings for all of the characters. The American remake opened with a bikini party. 'Nuff said.
I am not a fan of remakes but, in this case, I find the remake to be better than the original.
shareNah..
Strongly disagree.
The remake is indeed a great effort, and it's actually a cool and above average remake of Asian Horror films, if not the best of them as of now..
However, as the poster previously to you stated, Hollywood tends to dilute and waterdown the Asian horror film by over exposition and narrative, either by flashbacks, dialogue or other means.. There is very little left for subtlety that will allow the true creep and horrific nature of the narrative to be unveiled. The Ring, while significantly made better, is not different. It still falls into derivative story telling and narrative, and as well as into very common and overused scare tactics and cliches. And its scares are not subtle at all. The story, plot and meaning is spoonfed to the viewers at every second. It also tries way too hard with over laborious and UN-necessary melodrama. There are a few story arcs branching that muddle up the narrative along the way, that sometimes are either down-right silly and annoying; namely Aiden with his 'You weren't suppose to help her' line... Gee.. thanks for the tip, dumbass... a little too late now isn't it - Freakin' kid.
The tape itself is cool, but overdone, offers confusing images that are either overly explained or remain abstract as to offer inconsistent theory (ladder, centipede and a nail through a finger.. and then a bunch of quivering fingers in a box... Some slime looking thing pouring out of some demonic looking figure... Seriously... what the hell? So much overdone horrific imagery for shock value, yet nothing really substantially eerie..
And no, I'm no 'Non-CG effects freak'. In fact, I love CG effects, when done correctly and properly. District-9, Avatar, Spiderman, X-Men, Ironman and Transformers are some examples where CG was utilized to its maximum potential (regardless of the plot) In Ringu, there is virtually zero CG effect.. and if there is, it's completely un-noticable.. The cursed tape is far more bizarre and disturbing and not to mention, haunting.. The same goes for the climax TV scene.. brilliant scene.. flawless, well done, realistic and chilling. Well paced as-well, and un-interrupted like The Ring's version..
Samara's face is fully shown in the movie, Sadako is never shown and is far scarier.
Just some points of reference where Ringu is better.
I saw the American version in theaters and I thought it was great. Good suspense and original for an American horror film. It goes into explaining the tape more and has more of a fleshed out plot.
The original is good in its own way. Due to many Japanese movies having small budgets there isn't much in terms of amazing looking locations or special effects. It relies more on the story and the "shock" at the ending. Of course, if you've seen the remake, then the ending isn't as shocking. I thought it was a little boring for my tastes.
This is my favourite horror story. But I prefer the remake by quite a way. Much more cohesion in the story and spookier images. More detail into how it came about. No, convenient, esp abilitys to help solve the puzzle. Preferred the boy having more input in the story in the remake too.
This version is still good but I think for once hollywood has taken a good idea and made it great.
I think the remake is FAR better than the original.
And it's not because I can't read subtitles as some smartass said above (I watch all movies with subtitles since I'm not native english-speaker). It's because the remake is scarier and way more atmospheric.
I was greatly disappointed when I saw the original after all the hymns I had read about it.