Rings (2005) Reviews

• Great!

  Movienut882005-03-12

  After purchasing the collector's edition for The Ring, one of my all-time favorite films, I immediately popped in the bonus disc to check out the new features. I was treated to a bunch of cool new supplements including lots of cast interviews, trailers and much more. But the real main attraction of the disc was a short film entitled "Rings", which serves as a prelude to The Ring Two. I saved the best feature for last and eventually hit the play button. "Rings" features Ryan Merriman as Jake, a high-schooler who becomes obsessed with the videotape and its strange new following. It seems as if the infamous videotape has become a cult following, with many people watching it, seeing how long they can stand to live after watching it and then finally passing it on to the next person, who does the same. They post their experiences online at a public website. People believe that it is a window that shows us either heaven or hell, and that the experience should be cherished and not feared. However, once Jake is introduced to the tape by one of these cults, he starts to unravel as he sees strange things and experiences horrors that no one should ever have to bear. The cult that supposedly had his back and his "tail" (meaning the person who he passes the tape on to) turn their backs on him, wanting to finally have a perspective on what happens on day seven. Also appearing in this short is Emily Van Camp, who plays Jake's classmate Emily. Both Merriman and Van Camp are featured in the upcoming sequel. This short does a great job of linking the two "Ring" films together. It is shot in a different style that works very well for it, making it both creepy and visually appealing. The script is well-done as is the direction by Jonathan Liebsman. The acting is fine as well. And just in case you were curious, Samara does make an appearance here. And just because this film is short doesn't mean it isn't scary. There are several creepy moments that echo the first film and many jump scares as well. The atmosphere also adds to the intensity. Overall, "Rings" is an excellent short film. It makes me anticipate the sequel even more than I once was, and was surprisingly very well-made. It was interesting, entertaining and scary as hell. Plus it ends with a cliffhanger that makes waiting for the sequel even more unbearable. This new DVD set is a must-buy for fans of the first film, as well as those who are anticipating the sequel. Get it now before the sequel comes out. You won't be disappointed. 8/10 (A-)

• Oh that this would be the sequel

  BrandtSponseller2005-04-26

  This is a 15-minute long film that serves as a sort of prequel to The Ring Two (2005) and which chronologically follows the events of The Ring (2002). It begins with Jake on day 7 of "having the Ring curse". He's on the phone with someone and he's scared, but he's being advised to "record everything he sees". Then we move to a flashback showing Jake's story--from his initial involvement with "The Ring" up to the opening point of the film and slightly beyond. As a bridge to The Ring Two, Rings only really links to the beginning of its feature-length sibling. That's bad news for The Ring Two, because this is a much better film. It has a more interesting story, the "background premise" is much more interesting, the effects have more impact, and the cinematography is much better. Just for anyone not familiar with the gist of "The Ring Curse" (it's a prerequisite for "getting" this film; I'd advise skipping this paragraph if you haven't seen The Ring yet), the basic idea of the series is that there is a creepy piece of short, mysterious video (usually on a videotape, but not always) that some people were watching, initially by accident. After the video, which featured a strange little girl with long, straight, black hair hanging over her face like Cousin It from "The Addams Family" (1964), finished playing, the viewer would get a call telling them that they only have seven days. If they didn't get someone else to watch the tape in that time period, they would die at the end of the seven-day period, almost to the minute of their watching the Ring video. The background idea in Rings, which was suggested by the last few pages of Kôji Suzuki's Ring novel, is that subsequent to the events shown in The Ring, knowledge of the curse, as well as copies of the videotape, have burgeoned into a bizarre kind of underground subculture. Groups of people watch each other's tapes, especially for new members, to ensure that they can have a "Ring Experience". Internet sites and support groups have blossomed. People have figured out that while under the Ring curse, one sees bizarre things that others do not see, whether they're "windows on another (level of) reality" or merely hallucinations. As the days go by, the visions become more intense. Part of the attraction to the subculture is seeing how far one can go before showing someone else the tape and ridding oneself of the curse. It's basically a combination of acid tripping and being a daredevil--taking increasingly chancy risks with one's life, all in the knowledge that one will be safe in the end, as long as one does not push it too far. This is an excellent idea. It's a pity they didn't continue the story as the bulk of The Ring Two. However watching Rings first will at least give The Ring Two more depth for you, because otherwise the opening scenes of The Ring Two, which are a continuation, will seem far more unrelated/disconnected. Rings has an amazing visual sense. The cinematography, by Lukas Ettlin, who also shot 2004's American remake of Ju-On: The Grudge in conjunction with Hideo Yamamoto, is fantastic throughout, although if you have an aversion to "MTV-styled cinematography" you might not appreciate it as much. Director and co-writer Jonathan Liebesman has Ettlin employ a lot of different filmstocks, different kinds of cameras and methods (handhelds, steadicams, cinema vérité, tracking shots, etc.), and different processing techniques. The shifting visual styles constantly "cycle", or "ring", if you like, for the length of the film. Although Ring Two also had fine, bizarre events and effects, Rings tends to trump its big sister in that regard, as well, especially since Liebesman packs as much or more into 15-minutes than the two hours of its successor. The overall feel here is much more surrealistic and horrific. To me, that seems to be what a Ring film should aim for. The bottom line is that if you're a Ring/Ringu fan, you shouldn't miss this short. It's fun to imagine an ideal world where Rings is stretched to full length as the "real sequel" and The Ring Two is a shorter footnote. The bad news is how Rings was made available to us--packaged with a re-release, exactly the same as the earlier release, of the first film. I'm sure most Ring/Ringu fans already owned The Ring on DVD. I did, and I had to buy it again to get a copy of Rings. But, we can just pass on our second copy of the Ring DVD to someone who hasn't seen it, thus ensuring we get past what is otherwise a seven-year expiration date on our lives.

• They should have picked this instead of The Ring 2

  jentlke_in_black2006-05-29

  I shall be honest about this. I liked it, it was the best short movie I ever saw, as far as i am concerned. In a matter of fact, I liked this one way better than the true sequel. It's very thrilling, to watch how a teen slowly grows insane while being in the presence of Samara Morgan. It's very realistic, just like how I would see it happen in real life. It's far more realistic than The Ring. i mean, if I'd been Rachel, I would have freaked out the first day or something. Screw 'finding out what mystery lies behind the tape'. I'd lose my mind! Sometimes I actually screamed and crushed my friend's arm. So a big bravo.

• Better than the sequel

  CuriosityKilledShawn2005-04-10

  Rings is the bridge between The Ring and The Ring 2. In the six months between the 2 films the copy of the infamous videotape made by Rachel has multiplied many times (still no explanation as to how people know they're going to die) and it's become such an urban legend that there is a website devoted to it. Jake, the unfortunate high school kid at the start of The Ring 2, has watched the videotape in order to save the life of one of his so-called friends, thus taking on board the responsibility of making someone else watch it in 7 days or die by Samara's fright. Initially Jake is intrigued and is offered a glimpse into the bizarre world of post-videotape viewing that we only saw thru Rachel's eyes in the first. Nothing is explained in any greater detail but the paranormal universe Jake falls into is fleshed-out more and is highly spooky. The short even manages to outdo The Ring 2 by giving us a couple of frights. I don't care how ridiculous the movies are, the image of Samara climbing out the well will ALWAYS be spooky. Anyone who has seen The Ring 2 will already know what becomes of Jake and his would-be girlfriend Emily (the one he forces to watch the tape) but if you're a fan of the films then this is essential viewing. If you've yet to see The Ring 2 then it's the perfect introduction.

• Find me one single equally terrifying fifteen minute short

  TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews2009-07-14

  This is best described as a prologue for The Ring Two(and it is located on the DVD of it), and it relies on the viewer already knowing the concept as explained in the first(American remake) movie. It sets up the sequel, and scares the crap out of us, all in less than twenty minutes(!). Seriously, apart from the fact that this does use stuff that has already been gone into in the franchise, it manages to deliver exposition, give us characters to sympathize with and shoot us full of a healthy dose of fear. The pace is fast, but never too much so, and the frightening parts are still heavily based on build-up, mood and atmosphere(and frankly, no gore, none, and it works beautifully). All of the acting performances are solid. The editing and cinematography are energetic and creative, and there is really no point in this where it slows down, and yet it doesn't feel rushed. Sound and music are perfect, absolutely spot-on. The idea here is very well-thought out, and they get excellent moments out of it. This is immensely effective, and if you have the opportunity to watch it, and you have the knowledge required beforehand. I recommend it to anyone who is into psychological horror. 10/10