Cast:
Kōichi Satō (Mitsuo Andō), Miki Nakatani (Mai Takano), Hinako Saeki (Sadako Yamamura), Shingo Tsurumi (Miyashita), Shigemitsu Ogi (Maekawa Keibuho), Yutaka Matsushige (Yoshino), Daisuke Ban (Heihachiro Ikuma), Naoaki Manabe (Kobayashi), and Hiroyuki Sanada (Ryūji Takayama) Directed by George Iida.
Review:
It is a very strange thing to be watching a sequel to a movie that was released on the same day as the first film, but here we are. Hideo Nakata's Ring (also known as The Ring and Ringu) and this film (also referred to as The Spiral and Rasen) were distributed by Toho on January 31, 1998. A handful of actors are present in both films, but, well, they are distinctly different films due to having different writers and directors. George Iida (also known as Jôji Iida) serves as both writer and director of this film. Iida, a native of Suwa, Nagano, had been a scriptwriter for "pink films" and assistant director on other productions before branching into efforts involving film and television. One of these scripts happened to be the original adaptation of Koji Suzuki's novel for television in 1995 on Fuji TV. Of course, this is loosely based on the 1995 sequel book (for which it shares the same name). Ring 2, with Hideo Nakata as director, was released in 1999 that ignored the events of this film (and for good reason, if one reads how this film goes). So yes, you trade in the supernatural for medical jargon and sci-fi mumbo jumbo (men with codes hidden in their stomach is only the tip).
I can't fathom trying to make a cash-in of having a horror film and a horror sequel that feel like two different ideas of its key threat rather than one consistent idea. The key threat is handled with such varying ridiculousness that might as well have been made out of the back of a cereal box, particularly since it jumps around from being a possible virus with you-know-who rather than just a tape before eventually getting to another idea of, um, diaries and "perfectly dual-gendered" folks. The climax is barely even a climax at all, since the only scares would be the idea of looping around and watching this more than once. Watching this film is a divine experience of boredom when you consider that a viewer had the choice of seeing this right after seeing Ring. That film was atmospheric and spooky with its build of tension, but this is exhaustingly tedious, particularly with all of the flat pacing that comes through here. Admittedly, the idea of a curse being present in a man who seems on the verge of suicide anyway could have made an interesting prospect, but, well, the tension in the film is about on par with looking for the remote for the TV, where you really don't think there is that much to be concerned about. Well, I take it back, the scene in the opening involving an autopsy where a body seems to be rising from the dead to talk to our lead is mildly involving. The ending, uh, okay, so it involves a threat that basically is a succubus. Yes, the character you saw come out of a TV is now in the business of having a plan involving them and sex. Oh, and some sort of deal to then bring someone back from the dead for a price. Sato holds only some of it together, but every time I try to think about this film and "emotional connection", I draw a blank. One may say the words about being afraid to die, but it all seems hollow here. It lacks atmosphere for, you know, the idea of scares, as if they really thought going as a thriller that drones guesses and explanations (TB? no wait, smallpox) is going to fool the audience. The ending should make me feel something other than make me throw my hands in the air at its brazen ridiculousness. I can't hate the film, because the Ring offshoots could only get "better" or "worse" from there.
Overall, I give it 5 out of 10 stars.
Next: Say goodnight to Halloween The Week After, Year Five with Army of Darkness.
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