The Ring Two

I have been waiting in anticipation for this film to come out for a few months, especially given the fact that I love the movie poster (and paid a whopping $85 to purchase a copy of it online). As such, I went to see The Ring Two on its opening night, Friday, March 18, 2005 at 9:40pm over at Coral Ridge Mall's Cinema 10. The theatre itself was packed even for the 9:40 showing, and I was worried whether it might be sold out as I arrived so late (8 minutes before start time).

The audience seemed primarily composed of teenagers, which unfortunately meant a great deal of them were talking at the beginning and felt the need to continue talking in portions throughout the film. There were too many various crowds chattering, so telling any one group to please be quiet would have been worthless, and the film itself wasn't so awe inspiring that it really mattered.

The Ring Two begins with what happened to the main characters, Rachel (Naomi Watts) and Aidan (David Dorfman) Keller, after the first film (once we get past the starting scenes involving someone dying due to having watched the tape, of course). They've moved locations, supposedly so Rachel can spend more time with her son Aidan. There is a scene early on addressing how Aidan feels the need to call his mom Rachel rather than mom or mommy, something we all likely wondered in the last film.

It its small way, this scene is an extension of how the entire film will proceed. We will be taken on a ride to attempt to explain everything beyond what the first The Ring did. This does not work out in a variety of ways with the movie lacking both the originality and suspense of the prior movie. There are some good scenes such as when they visit a farmer's market on the outskirts of town, but the movie's endless need to bring about sense to everything and tie up all loose ends was its undoing. There are even some moments of comedy in the film, however, cathartic moments to cut the tension weren't needed since this movie lacked much tension at all.

My rating is an okay for this second time attempt to rework an already good movie. They should have stopped at one.

Please feel free to comment on this review or on the movie itself at the forum thread devoted to it at this location.