Naomi Watts as Rachel Keller
Simon Baker as Max Rourke
David Dorfman as Aidan Keller
Elizabeth Perkins as Dr. Emma Temple
Gary Cole as Martin Savide
Sissy Spacek as Evelyn
Ryan Merriman as Jake
Emily VanCamp as Emily
Kelly Overton as Betsy
Daveigh Chase as Samara
Kelly Stables as Evil Samara
Analysis:
It is very rare in the film community that a movie sequel can bring the same intensity of the first film, a fact which is compounded by the knowledge that The Ring was a creepy remake of a 1998 Japanese film called Ringu. This Japanese film was the first of many fabulous Asian films now entering the Hollywood market and remade with contemporary American actors to appeal to Eastern audiences. In a bizarre twist of circumstances, Hideo Nakata, the director of the original Ringu not only created the sequel for Ringu in 1999 called strangely enough Ringu 2 but has returned as the driving force behind this sequel for The Ring.
In the first movie we discover that the enraged spirit of a girl, who was left to die in the bottom of a well, found a loop hole in which to reap vengeance upon scores of dim witted twenty somethings. So you watch the creepy tape, get the even creepier phone call saying that you have 7 days to live, then have a week to lose your sanity followed by a nasty death. We follow nosey reporter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) who discovers the origin of the tape and subverts her and her sons own demises by making a copy of the tape. The movie leads you to believe that now only 2 other copies exist other than the original tape.
The second film begins some 6 months later with more twenty somethings dying from the supernatural tapes with a major plot twist where now just making a copy will not get the job done, you must also have a new person watch your copy within the 7 day limit like a chain letter that kills. For those of you planning on watching this film in the theater let me side step for a second and wet your appetite. The theatrical version jumps right in the thick of things with soon to be dead Jake (Ryan Merriman) trying to coerce young co-ed Emily (Emily VanCamp, Everwood) to save his life by watching his copy minutes before his drop dead time on his seventh day. The screening that I attended at SXSW also included a short film titled Rings that gives major insight to this kid and other Ring groupies that have created a wild subculture of those who assist and advance the watching the tape. This short which is said to be on collector’s edition DVD for The Ring on the bonus disk and is a must see prior to watching The Ring 2
In this installment of the Ring, Rachel and son have moved out of the city to escape the horror the previous film. Her past quickly catches up with her thanks to the aforementioned Jake and Emily. The evil Samara has new plans for Rachel and son Aiden (David Dorfman) in this new town, and it is only a matter of time before reaching her goal. Assisting Rachel’s family is fellow reporter Max Rourke (Simon Baker, The Guardian) and rounding out the cast is Elizabeth Perkins as local shrink Dr. Emma Temple and a real shocking cameo of Sissy Spacek as Samara’s birth mother, Evelyn.
This film is no less creepy than the original Ring film but special effects carried this film to the next level. One particular scene that has been shown briefly in trailers is a bath tub with water pouring toward the ceiling. CGI effects combined with the film direction of Ringu master Hideo Tanaka have created a true testament to the first film. Where many sequels tend to dilute the strength of the first movie this modern suspense film leaves you begging for more. The Ring 2 brings all the fear of The Ring with creative skills of the man who knows more about Rings then anyone else well ok maybe just after Peter Jackson.
