I love both versions of [The]
Ring, but today is Hideo Nakata's version that gets to shine.
Like so many others, Ring was my introduction to J-horror, and, appropriately enough, I first watched it on a VHS bootlegged from the UK release because there was no US equivalent (I've since collected at least three different official disc versions, including the one that came out this year, so hey.) Nakata's direction was already dark and moody, then there's the Japanese style of filmmaking in the late 90s,
then there was the graininess of the VHS to add further grit to the supernatural goings on, so there was no way I couldn't completely fall for it.
I'm both intrigued by, and wary of, the change from
Kazuyuki Asakawa, male protagonist and distant husband/father in the original novel, to
Reiko Asakawa, divorced mother. Wary, because filmmakers (especially horror ones) often deliberately try to make their female characters "vulnerable" or "weaker" than a male counterpart in order to elicit sympathy--
particularly evident here, where Asakawa's ex-husband, Ryuji, is in constant competition with her to take over the lead role--but also intrigued because Reiko is
so much more likeable, and more of an actual protagonist, than Kazuyuki ever achieves. She's a deeper, better-developed character with a stronger connection to her son (the family in the novel are basically just plot devices) and she has a more human response to the situation than Ryuji does.
And speaking of more likeable characters, Ryuji himself (played by the legendary Hiroyuki Sanada) is just... such a welcome change from the novel version, who's just an asshole to play opposite Kazuyiki's featureless mannequin. You can tell he views the curse not just as something to save his family from, but as a personal challenge he's eager to solve. I'm really not sure why Nakata decided to add
a further supernatural angle to him (film Ryuji is basically an ESPer, a trait inherited by his son and expanded upon in the sequel) since it makes Sadako a little less unique, and allows Nakata to push some curse-solving exposition through him without having him do the same kind of research or investigation Asakawa does. But considering this is a universe where people can project their thoughts into visual media and ghosts can impart their memories on you by grabbing you,
I suppose having more psychics around doesn't break disbelief too much.
Sadako is... well... yeah. Even though she's a fairly generic onryō loosely inspired by
Okiku-san of the Plate Mansion, she's had monumental impact on horror in general. I don't think there's any modern white-garbed, long-haired ghost in Japanese media that isn't directly descended from her. Neither the book nor the original film delve too much into her character, just the circumstances of her death (putting the meaty, cartoony
thwack! from the film aside) nor do they ever stop to study the themes surrounding her, but there's whole essays to be written about the misogyny and
transphobia that turned Sadako into the unstoppable, viral force of vengeance she is. Here, again, Nakata muddles the issue further by hinting at a demonic, intrinsically evil origin, in a "she was always bad" kind of way, which I think was just his way to sidestep the deeper social issues surrounding her tragedy.
I'm also deeply amused that Kenji Kawai, whom I know best for his whimsical Ranma and anime scores, was in charge of this film's soundtrack. The American version may have more memorable themes, but Kawai's atmospheric sounds are way creepier.
It transcends its genre as a classic of film as a medium.
