The Ring Virus Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: Sadako's long lost Korean cousin decides she wants to take a dip in the well.

Review: So, yes, this is the Korean remake of "Ring," but they don't do much to differentiate themselves from the Japanese films. Essentially, they cherry picked ideas from the various entries and overlapped them onto the basic "Ring" plot. For the most part, this does work and the added layer of polish to the production was certainly welcomed. They did manage to make the story feel more concise and to the point, yet, the running time somehow increased. Huh? The only major change you will notice is that the Ryuji character has become some kind of pathologist who loves puzzles. Other than that, the Reiko equivalent has a daughter now instead of a son for whatever reason. There are tiny details that add some spice to the mix, but, at this point, I think we all have the gist of how this story will play out.

You'd think with everything in place, including a better presentation of the material, that this would be superior to the original but it's not. There is a shallow feeling to the experience whereby important aspects are skipped over in favor of playing up unnecessary plot points. For example, how Eun-suh (the Sadako equivalent) is killed by the half-brother, thrown in the well, and the resort area built over it, are all brushed over. Meanwhile, we get emphasis on the most cornball, cliche as fuck, romance between the Reiko and Ryuji equivalents. Come on, dude...there is no chemistry there. Considering this film even calls itself "The Ring Virus" they don't stress that plot point at all. This Reiko equivalent is the weakest of all her incarnations as she is a crybaby, doesn't figure jackshit out, and seems to care the least about her kid; this didn't sit right with me especially when that character is supposed to be a guy anyway. Eun-suh coming out of the TV still looked pretty good, but her appearance is the least intimidating between her, Sadako, and Samara; was adding lame, green tint to the screen necessary too? Speaking of the the worst additions...this is, by far, the lamest of the cursed tapes. I mean, really, what was supposed to be unsettling about the images? You'd see scarier shit after taking one hit from a bong. Also, what's up with the cursed tape having a little soundtrack?

Despite confusion in what ideas to focus on, this film is decent nonetheless. If this were a standalone film it would have felt great, but as a remake it is simply above average. Certain aspects are better than the original, especially in the production value, but other ideas are a step down such as the romance and the bullshit ways they uncover the mystery. There aren't really a lot of scares, however, the classic ghost story vibe remains intact. Between the three remakes, I'd rank this last with the caveat that it's better than all the sequel entries.

Notable Moment: When that one guy was playing spin the bottle with himself. Whaaat? It was a funny little nuance.

Final Rating: 6/10