Movie Review 

'Ring' spooks viewers' minds

by Jaclyn Roco
LV Life Editor

In America, we usually refer to life as a road. Life is like a road, we say, because there are bends, turns and straightaways that represent the everyday struggles Americans usually go through. In eastern culture, people prefer to think of life as a circle, where things tend to recur and become connected to each other.

Based on a Japanese horror flick titled "Ringu," the newest sensation, "The Ring," follows its eastern influence to the core. Although it should aptly be named "The Circle of Life," naming the movie "The Ring," is probably close enough to the real thing.

Naomi Watts ("Mulholland Drive") plays the reporter, Rachel Keller, who is out to investigate the horrifying death of her niece. In her investigation, she becomes involved in a series of clues all leading up to a mysterious videotape thought to be the last thing her niece ever watched.

Whoever watches the tape, legend has it, will die within seven days. The word death, however, cannot begin to describe the sticky, ill feeling one gets when watching one individual die after the other.

The question that is most important to ask is who will die next?

Obviously people who watch the tape die, except in certain cases when the circle of life, or "the ring" of life, plays into full throttle. The tape is not just an enjoyment piece; there is an actual message waiting to be shared.

All Keller has to do is uncover the missing pieces and put the puzzle back together. She also has to protect those she has dragged into possible death row, including her own son, Aidan (David Dorfman) and her love interest Noah (Martin Henderson, "Windtalkers").

Easier said than done, especially when the investigator has only seven days to uncover hidden secrets that stubbornly remain out of view. Or so one would think.

Director Gore Verbinski ("Mouse Hunt," "The Mexican") does a great job in conjuring up visuals for his Western audiences. It's like going on a scavenger hunt, one could say, and the audience becomes involved in unraveling the rest of the tale.

Added to this are the sound effects, or lack thereof, that play such a key role in jolting audience members out of their seats each and every time. This is definitely one heart thumping experience, and will be enjoyed especially for those prejudiced against the usual cheesy footfalls or fake cries for help associated with modern horror films.

"The Ring" is definitely in a class of its own, and probably can only be compared to "The Sixth Sense" and "Signs." If one wants a movie that actually exercises one's brain, this is a movie that is worth talking about once the bright light of reality shines again.

Confusing? Certainly it should seem so, but this movie is not just an average cheap, American horror movie that today's audience has grown jaded against. Don't underestimate the "Godzilla" stricken Japanese movies that are associated with this particular culture; watching "The Ring" will definitely have you spinning in circles days after.