I saw the remake a couple of times but I never saw this one, the original one. Is it better than the remake or is it not worth renting?
'I said I'm not gonna hurt ya. I'm just gonna bash your brains in!' - The Shining
Surprisingly, I prefer the American version. While the creepy way-too-articulate-for-his-age child was a needless and lame Hollywood addition, I feel that the psychic abilities in Ringu just wouldn't fly as well with American audiences. To simply touch a person and have a vision and then know pretty much all the information needed in order to find the well would probably strike most people as a cheap way to move the plot along as opposed to the American version where they do a lot more research and rely a lot less on psychic powers.
Visually, I think the remake looked prettier. That might have a lot to do with the time passing between the two, but the visual style and color in The Ring was more pleasing to my eye than in Ringu. I also liked the addition of the dripping and pooling water in the remake.
That being said, a lot of the American version follows the original very closely. Even some of the shots are very close in composition. Basically, the American version is a glossed up Ringu with the addition of a creepy child and the subtraction of a lot of the supernatural abilities of the male lead.
I usually hate remakes, but there are some that work. The Fly, Scareface, The Thing, and in my opinion, The Ring.
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original all the way man, it has such a subtle way of scarring the crap out of you
plus when he takes her picture and she see's herself all deformed... arghh,
when my mates used to stay over I would get up in the middle of the night and put that scene on full blast and scare the life out of everyone.
We all went to see the remake, and laughed all the way through... it just didn't match up to the original.
The remake is very disposable horror, good for a quick fright, but not much else. Ringu stays with you for a while, very very creepy but no big sudden scares.
My top 20 films: http://www.shompy.com/theeye23/l30156_ukuk.html
I like the original, i guess i liked naomi watts
shareRingu is simply a better movie all around. The script, the direction, everything. I still enjoy the remake but it is just too intent on explaining. every. last. detail. It unfortunatly leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination. I also love how in Ringu there's the inference that that the victims of the curse continue to perpetuate it (remember when the little boy tells the heroine he watched the video because "Tomoko (his cousin and the first victim) told me to watch it."). Very eerie.
sharethe remake is scary in a direct way. The original is scary in a subtle way. So the Ringu might not be for those who want a quick amusement.
shareTo the person who said that:
"the moral is, it's all subjective. watch the film for yourself. it's also worth mentioning that almost everyone prefers the version they see first. "
I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU
i've seen the original first and then the american version and i was disappointed by the remake, it was not as suspenful as the asian version cause the asian version is more subjective
So far I've only seen the remake, but I'm interested to see the original now.
I for one, unlike a lot of people, have a "general" interest/opinion. I like all kinds of movies, Japanese/samurai, foreign/english language, mobsters/westerns, fantasy/adventure/family, crime/thriller/mystery, horror, comedy/animation/musical, action/subtle, remakes/sequels/adaptations, etc, etc. I don't have any prejudice. I'm completely open-minded simply to what delivers and what doesn't.
As for the remake (The Ring) I thought it was a very good movie and was well-delivered to it's own merits. I understood everything about it, everything made sense IMO. Everything like the horses, water, ring - was simply revolving around the murder scene of the mother throwing her daughter into the well - as you can see horses in the background, the well is full of water, and when the well is covered you see the ring shape. And the movie was very creepy, the creepiest I've seen so far - which I'll admit I haven't seen too many horrors. The twist at the end is also good. For a second you think it's going to end one way and it turns around for a surprise and ends in a much better way. It compliments on how bad the movie could have ended. Therefore it is well-delivered, IMO.
Sorry if I went a little off-topic.
"the moral is, it's all subjective. watch the film for yourself. it's also worth mentioning that almost everyone prefers the version they see first."
I agree, except I'm one of the weird ones who actually prefers the one I saw second (the original) to the one I saw first. I think they are both worthy films, no matter which is subjectively "better."
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There is absolutely no competition as far as I'm concerned. The original is a terrifying and expertly made horror classic, the re-make is a passable if diluted American photocopy. No competition.
shareThe fact that so many people are on this board having a discussion so vehemently on which is better and why it is and the fact that so many feverishly run to support their belief, both sides equally having defenders, just goes to prove that BOTH are good and superior in MANY ways. I loved both versions. So to say one is definitely better than the other is not so easy. Now, that being said, I definitely can not stand all the others that have followed i.e. The Grudge (I watched that and after I found out where the horrible curse was originating I said to myself "That's it?") Pulse, One Missed Call, a whole slew of others I can't even recall. Blah, I need to vomit. And I agree from what I saw written by an earlier poster. I'm sick of these scary long dark haired girls causing havoc. Time to move on to a new and original theme.
shareThe original was better than the remake.
shareI thought the remake was alot darker,and so I liked it better then the original.Although "the Grudge" is the complete opposite,Original was a hell of alot better then the remake.
shareThe original is indeed slower in pace and doesn't have many "spooky" moments. But its extremely suspenseful and its leading to the Mega Ultra scary finale! :)
shareI prefer the originals, but in this case, I enjoyed the remake much more. My best friends covered their television sets for a week.
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HPDH in 2 parts, yay!
I thought The Ring was miles better. Its atmosphere... the creepy video. Also, I actually wanted Naomi's character to survive. I did not felt empathetic towards the Japanese actors... don't know why. :\
Are you ready to jump?
I liked the American version better. Admittedly, the Japanese deserve the credit for coming up with the idea but the American version took it to the next level. The characters were far better developed, the plot was more sinister, and the cinematography was superior. Also, I thought the Japanese version had too many easy outs what with the Ryuji being a psychic (they didn't need to examine the tape and research Sadako's history because he could just lay hands on a person or an object and know what had happened.) If you want a scare go for the Ring. That said, the Ring II was crap. Hopefully Ringu II will be better than the American version - haven't seen it yet. Anyone have any thoughts on Ringu II or Raisen?
shareI would say examining the tape was an unnecessary side trek for the story but oh well. And wasn't the remake's kid also a psychic?
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Remakes are copyright infringement of the soul.
I saw the original on the weekend and much preferred it. Much more authentic and less Hollywood. I didn't find either version overly scary but still enjoyed the story. It's made me compelled to watch more Japanese cinema.
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