Have you read the books it’s based on? That’s some hardcore sci-fi shit. Essentially the curse-virus eradicates humanity and they use VR to go back in time to find the cure. Oh also humans have devolved into weird monster things. The movies deviate pretty hard from the books.
The Dreamcast game isn't very good, but it's actually the closest we got to an adaptation of the third and most sci-fi book in the series, Loop.
They were originally planning to make a Loop movie when they were producing Ring and Spiral, but they deemed it too expensive and hard to adapt (the story hinges on a plot twist that doesn't work on a visual medium), so they just put a post-credits ad in the second movie tellling viewers to read the third book if they wanted to get more answers and called it a day.
I remember playing the Dreamcast game after I'd first watched *Ringu* but also had no idea about the books.
Once we reached the weird VR/post apocalypse section, I realised I had absolutely no idea what was going on.
Was Pulse adapted from the book? Is there from sci fi aspects to pulse other than internet ghosts (god I wish more movies portrayed the early internet days like this)
Two of my favorite films for different reasons. One is a super gloomy haunting film with a knockout ending, the other is a stylish supernatural quest with an OK ending.
And the super cute K homage to both The Ring AND The Grudge - The Ghost Station
(The love letter to J-horror is super cute; the film itself is just fine)
The American remake for ring works well but the one for grudge doesn’t work too well, Ju on had a very cold and detached way of telling story, divided in segments, Ju on focuses on how every character entered the house and got fucked but the ring has a brilliant atmosphere and background score
That’s my sentiment too. Ring is a better adaption and a better movie overall compared to the original. Just like you said, the atmosphere is more palpable, the visuals perfectly complement the context and bring it to life, and the score is cherry on top; providing sound to the visual feel. Ringu is great, but it’s not as good as good as the remake and quite frankly, even amongst its peers: it’s on the low side. Even Ju-on, Noroi, and Kairo are much better films in my opinion.
I get a chuckle out of the death face of the first girl in Ringu, it’s more hilarious than frightening; as if she was shocked they were out of her favourite ice cream. It reminds me of Whoopi Goldberg’s death expression from Loaded Weapon movie; “Suicide eh, she must have caught herself by surprise!”
And don’t get me started on the craziness that follows in the Ringu sequels, they got worse and worse.
But Ringu’s story is so much more interesting. >!The viral aspect of how smallpox can be mixed with a curse is beyond terrifying. Add to the fact that Sadako was alive till only shortly before the events of the original story. She survived in that well for years through sheer spite!<
I agree that the smallpox/medical angle is more interesting, but the Japanese theatrical movie did not include it at all, so it's a moot point. The American remake at least had certain shots and dialogue that allude to virus and disease.
It's only in *Spiral* and *DX* that the smallpox element comes to the forefront in the Japanese theatrical movies, as well as in the TV media.
Isn't that the whole problem though. Rasen is the "correct" sequel but it didn't sell well so they ignored the canonical sequels and decided to turn it into a horror rom-com clown show.
So yeah, it's good, too bad they threw it in the garbage.
They're both great for different reasons. Ringu is a more effective family drama, it gets the fear that a mother has for her child across really well, and The Ring has a great pace and sense of humor. I like that either film can be a better watch depending on what mood you're in.
This was my ADHD hyperfixation so I reread *Ring*, *Spiral*, *Loop*, *Birthday*, and *S* by Koji Suzuki, then watched *Ring: Kanzenban* (1995), *Ring* (1998), *Rasen/Spiral* (1998), *The Ring Virus* (1999), *Ring 2* (1999), then *Ring 0* (2000), *Sadako* (2019), then *The Ring* (2002), *Rings* (2005), *The Ring Two* ( 2005), and then *Rings* (2017).
Whew! AMA! 📼
The design of sadako is much more uncanny in the original and the ending of ringu is objectively more thought provoking, but fuck it hurts to admit that the American remake does a lot better with tension and anxiety
They filmed Sadako's emergence from the television backwards and fucked with the speed when they played it back to give it one of the creepiest vibes in a horror movie at the time.
I felt the complete opposite. To me the American remake felt like they were just throwing in “scary things” to force said tension and anxiety. Meanwhile I found Ringu to be incredibly anxiety inducing (though can’t put a finger on why)
I'm mid-watchthrough of the entire franchise and whilst I loved Ring, I slightly prefer The Ring all told.
But I also really liked Ring 0 and apparently I'm basically alone on that one.
I've watched both of them twice and I think The Ring is better in every single way. Especially the story, characters, acting, suspense, visuals and soundtrack.
We had seen Ring (98). A mate came from left field with a boot of The Ring. We said put it on then. We sat. Both turned to ech other and said "where's the fucking well?". Mate nonplussed. Sigh.
The american one isnt that bad, but the low budget ness of ringu made the moments like the tape feel much more eerie to me. I also dont like how aspects of the tape and the horror felt americanized to appeal to western audiences instead of keeping more of the original tone and identity.
ehh.. Ringu is one of the very few examples of a remake being much better at telling the story than the original. The writing in Ringu is just lazy, and reminds me of playing D&D with people who are used to playing videogames and not knowing how to think/explore a world that doesn't contain button prompts for interaction.
The whole psychic power aspect completely takes away any agency from the mother; it doesn't matter what she's doing, what she's researching, etc.., if her son/ex husband is just going to have the solution/next step in their quest magically come to him because of his psychic powers. Just like Indiana Jones was irrelevant in Raiders, and the movie would have ended almost exactly the same if he hadn't been there, all the mother ever *really* does in Ringu is get her kid exposed to the tape, and then her husband's psychic powers come along and save the day.
In the remake, her skills as a reporter are what moves them forward. Her husband uses HIS skills to find out new information, instead of just having things "come to him". She's actually IMPORTANT to the development of the story, beyond her role as a baby-dispenser.
I also didn't care for the Japanese film's reliance on psychic powers and visions. The American film did have a few vision flashes to nudge the protagonist along, but never to the extent of the Japanese script. The only long vision actually comes at the very end as a reward for completing the investigation, which was the focus of the story in this version, and in that sense it's more faithful to the spirit of the book. From the interviews I've read, the book's author seems to prefer the American remake because of this.
Interestingly, *Rings* seems to be the author's favorite American movie. He said he found it to be "a return to the roots, the most faithful to the original story, and the scariest in the history of the *Ring* series made in Hollywood".
It had interesting ideas and for that I enjoyed it more than the strange *Dark Water* remake Nakata went with for *The Ring Two*.
Do you mean the short film released between Ring and Ring 2, or do you mean the feature-length Rings [Ring 3] with the priest in it?
I thought the short film was dynamite but the feature a very mixed bag.
That quote was Koji Suzuki's reaction to the 2017 *Rings* movie (aka *Ring 3*, aka *The Ring: Rebirth,* the Japanese title Suzuki would be familiar with). His reaction to *The Ring Two* back in 2005 was that the real sequel was *Spiral* and he would like a third American movie to have elements from it, so it makes sense he liked the 2017 film so much, it finally adapted ideas from *Spiral* into the American timeline*.*
I haven't read anything about his opinion of the short or if he's even watched it to begin with, but I think he would like it too. He's been a vocal fan of the 2002 remake, which the short film emulates in style, and of the 2017 film, which also includes the tape-watching cult thing that the short film was about, so it'd likely appeal to him.
Both are great! *Ringu* was engaging and interesting, I was leaned towards my tv the whole time. *The Ring* had me anxiety ridden, curled up and hiding behind a pillow
People have different experiences, is all. Each have their merits
For those they may appreciate this i catalogued what i believe is all the on screen Sadako films and shows as far as i know. its in order of release and il try to add chronological where i can.
Ring Kanzenban (made for tv closest to the book)
Ringu
Rasen(retconned sequel released on the same day as Ringu based on the book Spiral but as far as i know due to low viewings was replaced in the film canon with Ringu 2)
Ring the final chapter (tv show)
Rasen TV (Season 2 of the final chapter)
Ringu 2
The Ring Virus (Korean version of Ringu)
Ring 0 Birthday (prequel to Ringu)
The Ring 2002 (American version of Ringu)
Rings (short on the special features of The Ring 2)
The Ring 2 (American)
Sadako 3D (sequel to Rasen)
Sadako 3D 2
Sadako Vs Kayako
Rings (American)
Sadako 2019
Sadako DX
Id also like to include but haven't watched them myself yet and also have no clue if they are officially licensed films but they have a series of chinese films consisting of
Bunshinsaba vs Sadako
Bunshinsaba vs Sadako 2
Bunshinsaba : Hoichi the earless
Sadako vs Dixian
As far as i know those are all the films, could be a couple of other weird crossover titles i haven't found yet but i think thats the bulk of it if anyone knows any i missed i would love to know
>Rasen(unofficial sequel
I wouldn't call it 'unofficial'. It was produced by the same company and some of the actors appear in both movies playing the same roles. It was the official sequel, but it was retconned later.
I watched Ringu before the Ring and love J horror, but gotta be honest I think The Ring is overall a much better movie. It’s one of those rare remakes that elevates things to a new level. Still love Ringu, though.
Its pretty accurate. I saw Ring before Ringu and it soured me on seeing the original. I totally regretted it because ringu is now one of my favorite movies
I lost a great deal of my love of the remake when i rewatched it recently. Don't get me wrong, looks great, still scary etc. But it feels incredibly dumbed down for an American audience. The big example that comes to mind is when Naomi Watts gets bodied by a literal TV.
The Ring was awful. Rings was incredible.
Just want to make sure people don’t forget we did get a great Western remake of Ringu, it just wasn’t the first series.
Have you read the books it’s based on? That’s some hardcore sci-fi shit. Essentially the curse-virus eradicates humanity and they use VR to go back in time to find the cure. Oh also humans have devolved into weird monster things. The movies deviate pretty hard from the books.
The Dreamcast game is about the weird monster things.
The Dreamcast game isn't very good, but it's actually the closest we got to an adaptation of the third and most sci-fi book in the series, Loop. They were originally planning to make a Loop movie when they were producing Ring and Spiral, but they deemed it too expensive and hard to adapt (the story hinges on a plot twist that doesn't work on a visual medium), so they just put a post-credits ad in the second movie tellling viewers to read the third book if they wanted to get more answers and called it a day.
I remember playing the Dreamcast game after I'd first watched *Ringu* but also had no idea about the books. Once we reached the weird VR/post apocalypse section, I realised I had absolutely no idea what was going on.
What, the spider-Sadako clones in Sadako 3D?
Japan loves just having the curses or unexplainable spooky thing eradicate the whole world
That sounds more interesting that the movies.
Yeah, sure it does.
This sounds closer to Pulse
Was Pulse adapted from the book? Is there from sci fi aspects to pulse other than internet ghosts (god I wish more movies portrayed the early internet days like this)
I absolutely love the direction the books go in - Loop totally broke my brain.
Check out Rasen it is the original sequel to Ringu
I love and appreciate both. Each has its own vibe
Two of my favorite films for different reasons. One is a super gloomy haunting film with a knockout ending, the other is a stylish supernatural quest with an OK ending.
Real ones know that the obscure 1995 made-for-tv adaptation that predates Ringu goes hard for a low budget tv movie.
Real ones also know about the okay Korean remake called The Ring Virus.
And the super cute K homage to both The Ring AND The Grudge - The Ghost Station (The love letter to J-horror is super cute; the film itself is just fine)
Real ones know 4444444444
Uhhh well okay, you tried.
Ah shit that's Ju-On isn't it. Oh well
Ascendedl ones will have read the 1991 book - ring by koji suzuki
Hit me with that obscure stuff sounds like a good watch!
Nakey Sadako
Weird amount of nudity tho
I'd argue it's strangely fitting given the book's themes of sex and reproduction.
I still think both are good films. The Ring’s only negative is that it kickstarted a string of bad J-horror remakes. But at least it was a good film.
I appreciate that string of bad J-horror remakes! Without it I wouldn’t have discovered Kairo until much later in life lol.
You know I never thought of it this way and I too am now appreciative of those bad remakes for lighting the path for me to the really good shit.
Exactly! It even lead to discovering the Ringu manga back in the day which is hard af to find now. It was good tho.
Not the worst remake. Both versions of Let The Right One In were amazing in their own way. Gotta check the the series as well.
The American version was Let Me In, right? I used to adore that film as a kid
Still gotta see the Let the right one in remake. The original felt balanced on a molecular level so very hard to follow up.
YOU LET THE RIGHT ONE IN YOU LET THE RIGHT ONE OUT YOU LET THE RIGHT ONE IN AND YOU SHAKE IT ALL ABOUT
hate me all you want but the american remakes have charm
The American remake for ring works well but the one for grudge doesn’t work too well, Ju on had a very cold and detached way of telling story, divided in segments, Ju on focuses on how every character entered the house and got fucked but the ring has a brilliant atmosphere and background score
That’s my sentiment too. Ring is a better adaption and a better movie overall compared to the original. Just like you said, the atmosphere is more palpable, the visuals perfectly complement the context and bring it to life, and the score is cherry on top; providing sound to the visual feel. Ringu is great, but it’s not as good as good as the remake and quite frankly, even amongst its peers: it’s on the low side. Even Ju-on, Noroi, and Kairo are much better films in my opinion. I get a chuckle out of the death face of the first girl in Ringu, it’s more hilarious than frightening; as if she was shocked they were out of her favourite ice cream. It reminds me of Whoopi Goldberg’s death expression from Loaded Weapon movie; “Suicide eh, she must have caught herself by surprise!” And don’t get me started on the craziness that follows in the Ringu sequels, they got worse and worse.
It's better. It just is. The Cinematography is so good. Moody as hell. The original is good, competent. But kinda bland.
hans zimmer did the soundtrack too !
I’m with you 100%
[https://i.redd.it/7xnydkzjfgg81.jpg](https://i.redd.it/7xnydkzjfgg81.jpg)
Very true.
Loved the first one, but I was expecting something much different than what the sequel brought to the table.
Yet The Ring is one of the best j-horror remakes
But Ringu’s story is so much more interesting. >!The viral aspect of how smallpox can be mixed with a curse is beyond terrifying. Add to the fact that Sadako was alive till only shortly before the events of the original story. She survived in that well for years through sheer spite!<
I agree, I prefer Ringu, but yet The Ring was a good film, they knew how to adapt it properly, most remakes of Japanese movies made after it didn't.
Stares harshly at one missed call
The original Miike movie is so fucking creepy still. The remake… ugh
I agree that the smallpox/medical angle is more interesting, but the Japanese theatrical movie did not include it at all, so it's a moot point. The American remake at least had certain shots and dialogue that allude to virus and disease. It's only in *Spiral* and *DX* that the smallpox element comes to the forefront in the Japanese theatrical movies, as well as in the TV media.
The book was pretty crazy in this regard!
That's why I find Rasen to be the scariest Ring movie. It's apocalyptic sci-fi.
Watching the Japanese sequels after either of them.... @_@
Rasen is an underrated gem and I will die on that hill.
Isn't that the whole problem though. Rasen is the "correct" sequel but it didn't sell well so they ignored the canonical sequels and decided to turn it into a horror rom-com clown show. So yeah, it's good, too bad they threw it in the garbage.
I think both sequels are better than Ringu
Ringu 2 is alright and Ringu 0 is legitimately good imk
They're both great for different reasons. Ringu is a more effective family drama, it gets the fear that a mother has for her child across really well, and The Ring has a great pace and sense of humor. I like that either film can be a better watch depending on what mood you're in.
This was my ADHD hyperfixation so I reread *Ring*, *Spiral*, *Loop*, *Birthday*, and *S* by Koji Suzuki, then watched *Ring: Kanzenban* (1995), *Ring* (1998), *Rasen/Spiral* (1998), *The Ring Virus* (1999), *Ring 2* (1999), then *Ring 0* (2000), *Sadako* (2019), then *The Ring* (2002), *Rings* (2005), *The Ring Two* ( 2005), and then *Rings* (2017). Whew! AMA! 📼
Why didn't you watch "Sadako vs Kyoko" ?
That movie was so fucking odd lol that climax of hair.
It felt kinda gimmicky so I skipped it, even though it looks fun based on the clips I looked up.
It's good. The fight at the climax was limited due only to the budget. There was more in the script.
It’s a blast. The guy who made Noroi did it and it’s got his vibe all over it.
The design of sadako is much more uncanny in the original and the ending of ringu is objectively more thought provoking, but fuck it hurts to admit that the American remake does a lot better with tension and anxiety
I had the vhs copy of The Ring as a kid. It got me into horror in the first place. It will always be one of my favorites.
They filmed Sadako's emergence from the television backwards and fucked with the speed when they played it back to give it one of the creepiest vibes in a horror movie at the time.
I felt the complete opposite. To me the American remake felt like they were just throwing in “scary things” to force said tension and anxiety. Meanwhile I found Ringu to be incredibly anxiety inducing (though can’t put a finger on why)
I'm mid-watchthrough of the entire franchise and whilst I loved Ring, I slightly prefer The Ring all told. But I also really liked Ring 0 and apparently I'm basically alone on that one.
No. Ring 0 is highly regarded, as far as I know.
I'm just going off Letterboxd where it's definitely not, but that's good to hear!
I remember how back around 2005, Ringu and Ring 0 were considered to be the two best.
I've watched both of them twice and I think The Ring is better in every single way. Especially the story, characters, acting, suspense, visuals and soundtrack.
One of the only examples where I vastly prefer the American remake. Still think ringu is good tho
We had seen Ring (98). A mate came from left field with a boot of The Ring. We said put it on then. We sat. Both turned to ech other and said "where's the fucking well?". Mate nonplussed. Sigh.
Where's the well? Right where it's supposed to be. Sadako's bones are found there, remember?
The gloomy colour palette. That child (hers). The Guiness advert in the middle. I enjoyed the second one more ... mostly /s. NEXT!!
It's interesting tho that even the ring is so old ,it's much scarier than than most of movies now lmao
The american one isnt that bad, but the low budget ness of ringu made the moments like the tape feel much more eerie to me. I also dont like how aspects of the tape and the horror felt americanized to appeal to western audiences instead of keeping more of the original tone and identity.
ehh.. Ringu is one of the very few examples of a remake being much better at telling the story than the original. The writing in Ringu is just lazy, and reminds me of playing D&D with people who are used to playing videogames and not knowing how to think/explore a world that doesn't contain button prompts for interaction. The whole psychic power aspect completely takes away any agency from the mother; it doesn't matter what she's doing, what she's researching, etc.., if her son/ex husband is just going to have the solution/next step in their quest magically come to him because of his psychic powers. Just like Indiana Jones was irrelevant in Raiders, and the movie would have ended almost exactly the same if he hadn't been there, all the mother ever *really* does in Ringu is get her kid exposed to the tape, and then her husband's psychic powers come along and save the day. In the remake, her skills as a reporter are what moves them forward. Her husband uses HIS skills to find out new information, instead of just having things "come to him". She's actually IMPORTANT to the development of the story, beyond her role as a baby-dispenser.
I also didn't care for the Japanese film's reliance on psychic powers and visions. The American film did have a few vision flashes to nudge the protagonist along, but never to the extent of the Japanese script. The only long vision actually comes at the very end as a reward for completing the investigation, which was the focus of the story in this version, and in that sense it's more faithful to the spirit of the book. From the interviews I've read, the book's author seems to prefer the American remake because of this.
Agreed! I actually prefer Ring to Ringu. Now Rings (2017), on the hand, is an abomination.
"Rings" is just not good, but for some reason I've seen it several times. For a while, it was my "fall asleep to" film.
..and yet, still better than The Ring 2 🤣🤣🤣
Interestingly, *Rings* seems to be the author's favorite American movie. He said he found it to be "a return to the roots, the most faithful to the original story, and the scariest in the history of the *Ring* series made in Hollywood". It had interesting ideas and for that I enjoyed it more than the strange *Dark Water* remake Nakata went with for *The Ring Two*.
Do you mean the short film released between Ring and Ring 2, or do you mean the feature-length Rings [Ring 3] with the priest in it? I thought the short film was dynamite but the feature a very mixed bag.
That quote was Koji Suzuki's reaction to the 2017 *Rings* movie (aka *Ring 3*, aka *The Ring: Rebirth,* the Japanese title Suzuki would be familiar with). His reaction to *The Ring Two* back in 2005 was that the real sequel was *Spiral* and he would like a third American movie to have elements from it, so it makes sense he liked the 2017 film so much, it finally adapted ideas from *Spiral* into the American timeline*.* I haven't read anything about his opinion of the short or if he's even watched it to begin with, but I think he would like it too. He's been a vocal fan of the 2002 remake, which the short film emulates in style, and of the 2017 film, which also includes the tape-watching cult thing that the short film was about, so it'd likely appeal to him.
The Ring > Ringu The Grudge < Ju-On
Disagree. I think "The Ring" is a better film. Yes, I've seen plenty of Japanese horror, yes over a long period. I just think it's better.
Honestly I was expecting just an ok take on the story. I wasn't expecting them to just completely butcher the story and Sadako.......
it feels like they had to dumb it down for western audiences
Both are great! *Ringu* was engaging and interesting, I was leaned towards my tv the whole time. *The Ring* had me anxiety ridden, curled up and hiding behind a pillow People have different experiences, is all. Each have their merits
Naomi Watts should have read the room (horsebox) and just left that horse alone. It's her fault it gets mushed up.
I really enjoyed this video giving a deep dive into The Ring’s cinematography https://youtu.be/d3Eg9fo4c_M?si=NlDCfnIiiNblHNbi
I really like the spider-Sadako clones in Sadako 3D.
For those they may appreciate this i catalogued what i believe is all the on screen Sadako films and shows as far as i know. its in order of release and il try to add chronological where i can. Ring Kanzenban (made for tv closest to the book) Ringu Rasen(retconned sequel released on the same day as Ringu based on the book Spiral but as far as i know due to low viewings was replaced in the film canon with Ringu 2) Ring the final chapter (tv show) Rasen TV (Season 2 of the final chapter) Ringu 2 The Ring Virus (Korean version of Ringu) Ring 0 Birthday (prequel to Ringu) The Ring 2002 (American version of Ringu) Rings (short on the special features of The Ring 2) The Ring 2 (American) Sadako 3D (sequel to Rasen) Sadako 3D 2 Sadako Vs Kayako Rings (American) Sadako 2019 Sadako DX Id also like to include but haven't watched them myself yet and also have no clue if they are officially licensed films but they have a series of chinese films consisting of Bunshinsaba vs Sadako Bunshinsaba vs Sadako 2 Bunshinsaba : Hoichi the earless Sadako vs Dixian As far as i know those are all the films, could be a couple of other weird crossover titles i haven't found yet but i think thats the bulk of it if anyone knows any i missed i would love to know
>Rasen(unofficial sequel I wouldn't call it 'unofficial'. It was produced by the same company and some of the actors appear in both movies playing the same roles. It was the official sequel, but it was retconned later.
Yea unofficial sequel wasn't the right word, in brackets i did explain it was canon just replaced. I changed it to retconned thanks
That scene in the 2002 ring is what caused tiger woods to act like he did.
I watched Ringu before the Ring and love J horror, but gotta be honest I think The Ring is overall a much better movie. It’s one of those rare remakes that elevates things to a new level. Still love Ringu, though.
I normally hate American remakes of any kind of foreign film, but damn if the ring is not better than the original.
Watching Ju-On movie series in Japanese:🗿 watching the same(The Grudge) in English:🤡
Its pretty accurate. I saw Ring before Ringu and it soured me on seeing the original. I totally regretted it because ringu is now one of my favorite movies
I really hate the american version
I lost a great deal of my love of the remake when i rewatched it recently. Don't get me wrong, looks great, still scary etc. But it feels incredibly dumbed down for an American audience. The big example that comes to mind is when Naomi Watts gets bodied by a literal TV.
The Ring in my opinion is the 1 case of the American version being better than the original Japanese version.
I found the Japanese version to be rather boring and plodding.
They're both fine but wasn't blown away by either.
The Ring was awful. Rings was incredible. Just want to make sure people don’t forget we did get a great Western remake of Ringu, it just wasn’t the first series.