Sadako

I recently watched Sadako 3D (2019) on Tubi, which serves as a reboot of Ringu in Japan 🇯🇵. The storyline follows an influencer who accidentally captures Sadako's spirit and uploads the footage to YouTube. As the video spreads, people start dying. Meanwhile, a woman with amnesia is hospitalized. As she pieces together her past, it becomes clear she might hold the key to stopping the spirit.

Directed by Hideo Nakata (Dark Water), the film stars Takashi Tsukamoto (Battle Royale), Hitomi Satô (Ring 2), Jitsuko Yoshimura (Onibaba), Elaiza Ikeda (Isle of Dogs), and Hiroya Shimizu (The Outsider).

Unfortunately, Sadako 3D prioritizes CGI, special effects, and 3D gimmicks over storytelling. The film feels like a series of excuses to showcase 3D effects, from over-the-top fall sequences to random moments like a moth hitting a window. While some effects are decent, others are laughably bad. The acting is abysmal, with fake screams that are more comedic than scary. There's even a cringe-worthy phone crush scene that made me roll my eyes. To make matters worse, the film introduces cool monsters in the final minutes-leaving me wondering why they weren't featured earlier.

In conclusion, Sadako 3D is a chaotic, uninspired mess that isn't worth your time. I'd give it a 3/10.

I've read an article about Hideo Nakata's "noble attempt to resurrect dying genre of J-horror". I've also read an announcement that this movie is said to be based on Koji Suzuki's "Tide", what gave me hope of "returning to the roots" and ending the discord between the author and the director... Nakata and Suzuki made some good horrors (Ringu, Dark Water), so I hoped for another fruit of their teamwork.

But I was deceived. None of those promises were true.

For the first, this movie has literally nothing in common with Suzuki's novel "Tide", neither with any of his books. For the second, this movie is everything which original "Ringu" wasn't.

1. Lack of the music. Ringu Saga (1, 2 & 0) were richly adorned by Kenji Kawai's disturbing soundtrack, what was a huge help with building fearsome atmosphere. And in this movie we have basically no music, what makes "scary" scenes looking like stupid mockumentary. Oh wait, there is some sound - literally ONE SINGLE PIANO ACCORD, recurring sometimes - neither scary, nor touching, rather annoying.

2. Painful graphic. Although Mr. Nakata avoided casting 3D and CGI effect here and there, he still couldn't help but show off 4K resolution. I mean the resolution allowing you see the very single blade of grass. You know that human eye may see clearly either near, or far, but never both simultaneously! It's about lens's shape, which turns flat for far sight, and round for near sight. Lens cannot be both flat and round at the same moment! And... this movie shows both near and far planes painfully sharp simultaneously, what confuses and tires our eyes. What's the purpose of this showing off? Turning our attention away from plot-holes?

3. Lack of the plot. Not Sadako is the main heroine, or anti-heroine, but she's overshadowed by a generic girl with dahrrrk past (ripoff from Akane and Fuko from respectively "3D" and "3D 2") and some bratty, gloomy girl (ripoff from Nagi from "3D 2").

4. Acting. As much the characters are painfully generic and bringing literally nothing to "Ringu" franchise, as the actors portraying them are also bland. Elaiza Ikeda (Mayu) can only gape blankly with bulging eyes and opened jaws, what gives her looks of not-so-smart person. But maybe it's only an impression because of her mismatched hairstyle, which was a ripoff from Mai Takano... Maybe little Himeka Himejima tries hard, but her character is still unoriginal.

All Ringu-maniacs remember motherly Nanako Matsushima (Asakawa), snarky Hiroyuki Sanada (Takayama), gloomy Miki Nakatani (Takano)... You loved them? Too bad, because we won't see them here, even in a retrospection. From the "old school" remained only Hitomi Sato, but her character (Masami) became terribly twisted and humiliated.

5. Masami Kurahashi herself. Yes, she was just secondary character, who appeared in "Ringu 1" as cheerful, mischievous, giggling schoolgirl, and in "Ringu 2" as deeply traumatized patient with some psychic skills. In both roles I found her rather cute. Yet, now she was turned into some old, fat, perverted auntie, stalking young girls.

For people who aren't familiar with Japanese mentality... 20 years ago there existed a term "stalled Christmas cookie", referring to 25-year-old woman who was still unmarried. But it was two decades ago! Now it's not so rare for Japanese women to get married at their 30's (instead of 20's). Many Japanese women nowadays want to get education and professional career, so marriage and maternity should be postponed. Thus, instead of "stalled Christmas cookies" (25-year-old "spinsters") now we have "bimajo" (beautiful witches) - women in their 30's, who are still looking young and alluring.

In 1998-1999 Masami was a teenage kid around 17. 20 years later, respectively, she should be "bimajo" around 37. Yet, due to baggy clothes and terrible makeup, she's characterized as middle-aged lady in her 50's! Mr. Nakata, where were you during the last rwo decades, while the Japanese society managed to change their conception of unmarried women in their 30's?

6. Sadako herself. In "Ringu 1-2" she was terrifying, powerful demon wanting revenge (Rie Inou). In "Ringu 0" she was sweet, innocent girl, who wanted to love and be loved (Yukie Nakama). Even in "Rasen" she was purpose-driven, sentient being. In Suzuki's books she simply wanted to be reborn, and the tape was the key. There were also rules, making Sadako kill some people while sparing some others.

And now... she's just a mindless "uuuh, braaaiiins!" zombie without sensible purpose... aside killing everyone indiscriminately, without any rules...

And she's now a ripoff of her own clones:

• Kayako (crawling, using her hair as ropes)
• Hikiko (using brute force to drag people)
• Mitsuko (producing dark water and drowning people - sadly, not the first Nakata's auto-plagiarism, vide "Ghost Actress" and "Ghost Theater")

...While originally she had no problem with standing and walking, and didn't even need lift her finger to kill people - she simply stopped one's heart from afar... But hey, at least she isn't a grasshopper, like in 3D atrocity.

7. Shizuko Yamamura - she's now pretty, but empty porcelain doll. Shizuko, portrayed by Masako, was able to show strong emotions (shock, rage, despair). This one's acting is very artificial, and her emotions look lukewarm at best.

8. Backstory of Sadako and Shizuko, alongside the events from the original saga, became shamefully flattened and shortened.

9. Cursed video itself. I know that some actors passed away during the two decades, what may cause some copyright problems, but Mr. Nakata could simply pay their heirs for reusing scenes with them (Masako, Yuko Takeuchi). And pay the other "old" actors to make good reminiscences with Asakawa, Takayama or Takano. Instead, we have some bland, chaotic scenes. Which are, like the whole movie, overly bright and colorful.

Sadako lived in times when most of the movies were black-and-white, and their quality and resolution was questionable. So her "nensha" movie should be black-and-white and pixelated as well. It's NOT a flaw! It's crucial for the horror's climax. The video's bad quality gives us an impression of something old, obscure, abandoned and long forgotten.

While the new video is sepia-colored ("warm and nostalgic" and not "cold and ominous") and in 1080p resolution...

Sorry for this long rant, but... When the author and the director don't get along, the grudge is born... And this grudge is not even close to real horror... Just Hideo-us.

Sadako is not a masterpiece but is an enjoyable film. The script is thrilling with some changes about the classic scenes of the first films. The film locations and cinematography are great and creepy. There is some good moments but the film is weak. An entertaining movie for the Ringu franchise.

You would think with eight films in the Japanese series already, including crossing over with The Grudge ghost Kayako, that The Ring series may be reaching a level of overexposure. With the original director of the first two films returning for Sadako, one might think that there is some hope for the latest addition to the series.

This was... a very average film. There wasn't anything special about it that made it stand out; it didn't add anything new to the series. It's just Sadako haunting another bunch of people with a new plot line. That being said; average for the ninth film in a franchise isn't so bad. At this point, looking at other franchise, it should be pulling a low average of one to three. A four out of ten is relatively decent for this point in the franchise's life span.

Sadako has very good tense moment that had me glancing away from my screen uneasily, feeling anxious and getting my heart racing. The suspense is still something that remains strong throughout the franchise and I feel that is partly due to Nakata Hideo returning to direct this. With a mix of an urban legend mixed with a curse-ghost haunting plot line, this is really the only thing that stands up against it. Hideo continues to prove he's a master of suspense and, honestly, it's the only reason I'd think about watching this again - for the few moments that Hideo provides us that makes the heart race. With a ending worthy of the cringe-worthy award, especially with the final two moments, Sadako doesn't really hold up to the legacy that the Ring franchise has held for so long. I kind of wish they'd let Sadako haunt her well in peace and let her be at this point.

With a slightly underwhelming ninth film, it's definitely time to exorcise Sadako, let her move on from her cursed state, and throw the towel in with this one. Sadako barely holds up - a tenth would be physically incapable of holding up anything else.

So my biggest problem is the movie is it's not scary and why it's not scary is very individual. I am not scared of women or of small children. So that is maybe why and it didn't help this movie was way too lit up so I could see what was going on all time.

God damn this movie was too bright most of the time it hurt my eyes because this screen was so bright. We just maybe one of the reasons why I just begin to get and headache.

And the characters are just boring, not any simpleism in any kind of things going on in them. I like how to woman dressed. It was cute and she looked good in it, but most of the time. I was just like am I supposed to connect these hollow Shields of characters.

And the only fun part of the movie was making fun of it with one of my friends with a glass of wine in my hand. It's just so weird Who is this movie for?, the only people I can think of, are people who want more history behind the ring movie.

And I don't even think those people are interested because it doesn't give anything.

All and all , waste of time only enjoyable with friends.