It is also doubled by a reflexion on the power of the image. The thrust of "the Ring" isn't only to entertain and to make shiver. Lighting and makeup shouldn't also be forgotten. This entails an unsettling aura which helps to convey a latent tension. Besides, what is notable in "the Ring" is that Verbinski delays as much as possible chilling sequences to better play with the viewer's nerves. It is well-crafted and set with clockwork precision for the schedule of spooky moments. His directing is also worth the price of admission. On an unhurried pace, Verbinski takes all his time to film Rachel's investigation. Still better, Verbinski shows respect for the audience by clarifying as much as possible obscure points of the story. Special effects which have seemed to become the backbone for many horror flicks are used only when necessary and without flashy effects. What distinguishes "the Ring" from other horror stuff of these last years is that there's a solid scenario which holds water until the very last minutes of Rachel's adventure and shelves quite an important number of formulaic ingredients. "The Ring" could well illustrate this famous premise: "to understand evil, we've got to go back to the sources.". She has one week to find out the meaning and the omen of the video. What do these outlandish and eerie images mean? What lies beneath them? At her own risk, she and her son watch the video. The main character, Rachel wants to investigate about a mysterious and cursed videotape which causes the death of the viewer seven days after the latter watched it. The starting point promises great things and Verbinski will deliver them throughout his flick. I haven't seen the original movie and so I will avoid any comparison. It has enough commendable stuff in store to grab the audience. I think they misjudged it and I found this supernatural thriller quite intriguing and gripping. Some friends had told me: "don't watch "the Ring", it's a hokey movie". "Mousehunt" (1997) was a formulaic but enjoyable comedy but "the Mexican" (2001) was a lame movie. Against all odds, he made a killing with it although he's an uneven director. Gore Verbinski chose a more direct and easy way to get interested in Japanese culture: to make a remake of a Japanese movie which became a sleeper: "Ringu" (1998). In the derivative "the Last Samurai" (2003), Tom Cruise discovered the secrets and treasures of Japanese civilization while Sofia Coppola used the city of Tokyo as the backdrop for her triumphant "Lost in Translation" (2003). Quentin Tarantino's violent and hollow "Kill Bill" (2003/2004) was supposed to be an homage to the samurai movie (but I'm not a Tarantino buff by a long shot). These last years, apart from the rendering of popular comic strips and the adaptation of TV series for the big screen, American cinema feels a vivacious interest for Oriental culture, especially the Japanese one.
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