Rasen

Spiral is direct sequel to Japanese cult horror movie Ring and both movies were released simultaneously which underlines the franchise's experimental, fresh and groundbreaking approach right from the start. While Ring has been met with critical acclaim at home and abroad, Spiral has been met with mixed to negative reviews and has almost been completely ignored abroad. As a matter of fact, an alternative sequel titled Ring 2 was hastily shot and released one year later. Spiral was criticized for its unusual scientific approach to the genre, the introduction of completely new characters and the fact that the lead character of the first film and her son die off the screen and have no significant role in this sequel.

The movie focuses on suicidal pathologist Ando Mitsuo who examines the body of his deceased colleague Takayama Ryuji. He has mysterious visions while examining the body and finds a cryptic note in his colleague's stomach. He starts investigating and soon learns about the cursed tape that his colleague watched a week before his demise. Soon enough, his colleague's ex-wife and son perish in a mysterious automobile accident. Obsessed with the case, Ando Mitsuo contacts the shady boss of the deceased investigative journalist. He also gets in touch with his colleague's former student and secret lover Takano Mai. The two solitary souls soon develop a sexual bond. They are determined to destroy all existing copies of the cursed tape. However, they soon realize that things might be more complicated than they had initially anticipated.

While Spiral wasn't met with critical acclaim, it's certainly an underestimated entry in the franchise that innovates instead of repeating patterns of its immediate predecessor. The film finds the right balance between new scientific approaches explaining the cursed tape and supernatural elements that conclude the movie on an otherworldly tone. The idea to develop the quiet student Takano Mai into the professor's secret lover and sidekick of the pathologist adds much depth to the story. The protagonist is also quite intriguing and turns out to be a haunted soul who attempts to commit suicide in the very first scene of the film which is quite shocking.

Spiral has the same gloomy atmosphere and sluggish pace as the predecessor but differs in all other departments. The scientific explanations are baffling, the suicidal protagonist is rather creepy and the supernatural conclusion seems like an antithesis to the grounded introduction. The movie experiments a lot and not all ideas might end up working out. However, Spiral deserves acclaim and attention as it pushes an already experimental horror franchise even further. The movie is filled with stunning details that justify watching it on multiple occasions. It's certainly the most creative, daring and intellectual entry in the franchise. Ignore the surprisingly negative comments and revist this forgotten gem of the Ring franchise to make up your own mind about this unusual entry.

This film follows the Japanese version of the Ring known as Ringu. Where it follows I am not sure. The back of my box which is a collection of the Japanese Rings places it second, however the alternate title here suggests it was the fourth film. All I know is that this film is a sequel to Ringu, but a disappointing one. There are things that follow the first film, then things that are completely wrong and this one makes the mistake of trying to logically explain things and give reasons for what is happening. Kind of like the Phantasm series, the first one you wondered what the heck was going on and in the later installments they tried to explain everything and it just was not as intriguing anymore.

The story starts out with a man autopsying a former colleague who was the father in the first film. This leads to the best scene in the movie as this autopsy is rather bloody. Too bad that the highlight of the film is like less than ten minutes in. This doctor lost a son and soon stumbles upon the cursed video tape. He begins seeing things, and it is not long until he has played the video. However, things completely go off track as they start introducing a sort of virus in this one seemingly dismissing the little girl all together. And it is not even a little girl this time!

Yes, this film tries to scientifically explain things this time and it just does not work. Not for me anyway. It also changes the little girl into a woman. Maybe this was not the second installment and things were explained in the previous flicks, I only went by the order given me on the box, but I still hate the cause for all the deaths and stuff they give here.

So, what we get is a sequel that changes things around, but still has the core from the original. It may be enjoyable for some, I enjoyed it up to a point, but I certainly thought the ending was very dull. I do hope the movie titled Ringu 2 is better than this one was.

Although Spiral contradicts many things in the original film ringu it is actually based on the sequel book written by the original author of Ringu. He also worked closely with the director when making Spiral. He actually wrote three books in total but the third hasn't been made into a film probably due to the lack of popularity of spiral. If anything this version/universe of Ringu is more to what the author intended and is not an awful film I thought it had quite a good plot twist at the end, however it isn't wholly satisfying as it does contradict the original to much and takes away most of the horror aspect of Sadako. I think it should be appreciated as it is a well made film and is based on the authors original intentions as a sequel to the Ringu he created in his original novel and not despised as an attempt at a sequel just made up by this director as that isn't the case.

I watched this movie and i thought this movie was ok. But how ok ? I liked atmosphere, dialog and etc, but i did not like like as sequel. This is ghost story, is must be scary but it didn't.

I will say that I am certainly a fan of all the Ring films. Even at their most obscure, they give the horror genre a shot in the arm that is has needed for a LONG time. Also, the general concept behind these films (a post-Rosemary's Baby/Omen horror story) is pretty darned brilliant.

But, this. Wow. I'm just so torn. On the one hand, Rasen has some very good scenes that are missing from the other Ring films. Most notably, it doesn't shy away from human emotion. The fascinating juxtaposition of the suicidal Dr. Ando and a videotape which can kill its viewers almost passively makes for a very interesting story. Throw into the mix the sexual element (i.e., sex/death/intimacy and the relationships among them) and you have a very complex film. Rasen further shines as the story of a man who begins with the most honorable of intentions, only to find out, to his utter horror, that he has betrayed everything he thought he stood for.

BUT, on the other hand, there's the last 30 minutes or so of this film, which just left me scratching my head. Why do we need all this bizarre junk science thrown at us. What is Sadako up to? Is Ryuji a good guy or a bad guy? For that matter, why does everybody act like HE has all the answers? WILL SOMEBODY JUST STOP JABBERING FOR A MOMENT AND EXPLAIN THIS WHOLE LOOPY, HALF-BAKED PLOT FOR WORLD DOMINATION?!?!? PLEASE??!??!?

I can't reconcile any of this in my head. I know there's a way to make this movie great, and I think it involves re-writing the last half. Hey, Hollywood! Remake this one and see if it can be a little more palatable.