Review: THE RING is based on modern day Japanese horror movie. It's Japanese counterpart was nothing short of a masterpiece. When news broke that Dreamworks was preparing to remake this film, I felt that it was a hopeless project. In no way could this American counterpart ever match up to the caliber of the original, nor get anywhere close. Japanese films that were remade in the past have included THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (SEVEN SAMURAI) and A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS (YOJIMBO). These remakes never did justice to the originals. So here comes Dreamworks, attaching Naomi Watts to the cast and the director of THE MEXICAN, Gore Verbinski, to helm the project. The alterations in the new version were announced soon after. At that moment, I had lost practically all hope. This film was a horrid mess in the making. Then the trailers, official site, and marketing scheme surfaced and I was bedazzled. Hope had returned. Can this American remake finally do what so many films before it had failed to do? Can this film finally give the original justice?

Yes.

That's right, Dreamworks got it right. An amazing cast, a spectacular director, and a beautiful script was the perfect formula that made this film the breath-taking thrill ride that was.

Hype and anticipation: these were the feelings that troubled me. Anyone who has seen the original has some fear that the remake will replace the suspense for cheap scares and change the story, so that the original meaning and effect would be lost in a Hollywood-money-making haze. I'll tell you now, none of that has happened. This remake stays surprisingly true to the original and maintains an aura of freshness to keep veterans guessing until the end. The scriptwriters for this version, Scott Frank and Ehren Kruger, have done the best adaptation to date. The dialogue is crisp, the scares are well placed, and the new take on the cursed tape is worthy to be placed with the original. Unlike the original, much more emphasis is focused on the background story. When the revelations in the plot occurs, the film itself is enhanced due to the devotion of the background story. The one thing that was not placed in the original film was a tint of humor. In a few scenes (2 or 3), you'll get a nice light-hearted laugh; a nice break from the suspense if you will. In terms of suspense, it ranks extremely high for not just a PG-13 movie, but for any movie. Having seen the original myself and already prepared for the scares in certain spots, I couldn't help but jump when it finally happened. That says a lot for the audience members that experience this for the first time. The pacing of this film is another forte. It's great in that it locks you deep into the story by presenting it in different angles. The twisted plot that unravels affects you ever more because these characters and their situations have already seethed into your skin.

There couldn't have been a better cast. Every range of emotion is executed beautifully here. The role of the lead female went to the beautiful Naomi Watts. Her journey into evil and deception allowed her to take her acting abilities to the next level. The role of the lead male went to Martin Henderson, which instead of a cold and quiet character like the original, is a more laid back and brighter man. As for the rest of the cast, they played their parts with such devotion and talent, that when their performances collided, the results were better than expected. The man who should get the biggest applause in this remake would have to be Gore Verbinski. He's managed to piece together the dreary calmness that clouds the film like a plague and the disturbing imagery of the videotape to suck the audience right in. The new cursed videotape gives a serious dose of disturbing images that exacerbates your fear just as much, if not more, as the original. The way in which each scare is executed is done with such timing and panache, that even if you expect something to happen, it'll scare the wits out of you. More than once, I could feel the back of my hair rise up and chills rush up and down my spine before I jumped in horror at what happened, and I even expected it!

Perhaps the most prolific aspect of the original Ring was the ending. Not wanting to spoil anything, I'll say what I must and move on. Fans of the original won't be disappointed, new-comers that experience it for the first time via the American Ring are in for a harrowing experience.