It’s six months after Rachel (Naomi Watts) and her son Aidan (David Dorfman) struggled to survive after dealing with the horrific videotape that kills you seven days after you watch. Rachel believed the events that transpired in Seattle to be the last of their kind, but The Ring Two proves that more evil is lurking in the darkness, threatening to hurt even more people. Once again Rachel will set out on a journey to solve this deadly issue before it’s too late. While she has already evaded fate once, it will prove to be far more difficult this time around.
Sound is integral to The Ring Two, as it acts as a vehicle to deliver horror and fright. This aspect of the film is successful. Eerie background noises, uncomfortable high-pitched whines, and loud, sudden bangs marry together to create a unique experience, one that keeps viewers on the edges of their seats. Hideo Nakata (who is known for directing the Japanese film of the same concept–Ringu) takes over this film and makes his English-language directorial debut, and he does all that he can to create a feature that compares not only to its prequel, but to his films as well. While this aspect of the film works well and delivers as planned, much of the rest of the film–at least the aspects that Nakata was in control of–fail to entertain like in the first film of the franchise.
The animation/special effects aren’t just flawed, they are embarrassing. In one particular scene, (without giving too much away, it’s the one with all of the deer) there are so many issues. Those deer in question are so pitifully developed that they look like something out of a cartoon–failing to deliver on an integral part of the scene and genuinely taking something away from the intensity of what Nakata is hoping to deliver at this point. Furthermore, this particular scene in The Ring Two finds itself falling victim to a serious continuity error that pulls even more from the scene. When things like this occur in a film it becomes clear that, while the cast and crew cares for the film, their attention to detail is lacking, taking something away from the entire production as a result. This scene speaks volumes toward how the rest of the film plays out in terms of general entertainment–and that’s not good for Nakata.
The whole concept of what occurred in The Ring is far-fetched for sure, but there’s something intimate about the way that films transpires, allowing for viewers to accept the content of the film. The Ring Two, while it attempts to add to the legend of Samara and the horrific video tape by potentially making things more frightening, it feels far less intimate and much more far-fetched than anything that viewers had seen in the previous film. It feels to me that what entertained so well in the first installment fails to make an appearance here, taking away from that intimacy and causing viewers to struggle with accepting what they’re watching. In addition to the even more wild concepts present in The Ring Two, it revolves far more around Aidan–and, as horrible as it may sound–I cannot stand this character. There’s something so odd and off putting about the young actor (and I’m honestly hoping that it’s the character rather than Dorfman himself). With far more screen time in this sequel, Aidan doesn’t add to the intensity as it seems many may have hoped, but rather he steals the spotlight, drowning out the good and highlighting the film’s negatives.
While there are a number of aspects that pull the film down and cause it to pale in comparison to its predecessor, there is one thing, other than sound, that shines so brightly throughout, and that is Watts. Watts puts The Ring Two on her back and does all that she can to pull the film back together, and her acting is brilliant throughout. She fits back into the shoes of Rachel wonderfully, seemingly never missing a beat from the previous film and delivering a flawless performance from beginning to end.
The Ring Two, with the help of Nataka, attempts to further the tale of Samara–but it seems to stray from what made the first film entertaining and falls by the wayside. There are some things to appreciate about The Ring Two, but sadly those things aren’t enough to keep the sequel from drowning. I had so much hope for what Nakata would bring to the table and how the story would develop further, but my hopes, much like all who watch the dreaded tape, died.
Directed by Hideo Nakata.
Written by Ehren Kruger, Kôji Suzuki, & Hiroshi Takahashi.
Starring Naomi Watts, Simon Baker, David Dorfman, Elizabeth Perkins, Gary Cole, Sissy Spacek, Ryan Merriman, Emily VanCamp, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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