Ring 0 : Le Commencement

A great prequel to the Ringu series. In this film we see the human side of Sadako before her death & the cruel attitude of others towards her. By the end of the film you feel sorry for Sadako & not her victims. I enjoyed this more than the original film, in many ways this film follows a more traditional story structure than the original.

After the disappointment of a still decent "Ring 2", "Ring 0 : Birthday" is a return to form. Yukie Nakamo does a wonderful job of portraying the tragic final days of Sadako's attempt at a normal life. The sweet, innocent side of her was never suspected when I first glimpsed the malevolent presence of Sadako in the first installment. Yukie is very moving in her portrayal and evokes sympathy and empathy for the character. Similarily, Daisuke Ban gives a opens up the character of Dr Ikuma from the glimpses we've seen in previous installments. Here we see a tortured and resigned man who genuinely loves Sadako as a daughter, but can't escape from the knowledge of how dangerous she is and the steps he may have to take to prevent her harming others.

Despite the main love story and drama of Sadako's attempt at a normal life, there are still plenty of creepy moments and supernatural happenings. The scenes with the school teacher relating her experiences of teaching a young Sadako are genuinely intriguing and eerie. Indeed the story of the kids swimming in the sea and Sadako's prediction of their fate, is truly gripping, despite nothing actually being shown. The excitng scenes in the woods and cabin show how deadly Sadako can be when her evil side has control. The weird appearance and way of walking from the first "Ring" is seen again here and there's some great bonesnapping moments when Sadako hunts down her final prey. These scenes and the conclusion give "Ring 0 : Birthday" the standout sequences that "Ring 2" never quite managed to sustain from the original film.

Some of the plot points do bear a resemblance to "Carrie" but the film handles them in a different way. The story, although slow paced is always enthralling (a hallmark of the "Ring" series to date) and it seems poor Sadako never really had a chance from what awaited her. Aligned against her are: an inability to control the dark powers of her alter ego, a creepy director who learns of her secret and wishes to use her, a reporter with a grudge and a suspicious and unfriendly acting troupe who never seem to have made any real attempt at welcoming the shy, withdrawn girl into their fold. Mob paranoia and fear contribute to Sadako's fate and make her the malevolent presence she is today. As the film reaches it's conclusion, you can't help but wish that things could end differently for the unfortunate lovers but anyone who's seen the previous installments, knows that there's only one place this prequel can end. The last few minutes of the film are heartbreaking and the film's end credit song beautifully encapsulates the finality of Sadako's backstory.

Don't expect too many absolute answers here though. "Ring 0 : Birthday" maintains the mystery and ambiguity of the first two films and once again, imagination is a required element from the viewer. If you enjoyed the previous films and want to see more of Sadako, this film will give you quite a thrill ride. Whether it's poignant doomed love story, another part of the Ring puzzle or an eerie and haunting Japanese ghost story, "Ring 0 : Birthday" is a winner on every level.

After the original Ringu, there were many people who tried to ride the horror wave. Not much unlike the known Hollywood tradition, the Japanese film industry made many horror movies in the same vein, as is this prequel to the original Ringu.

This is one of the better movies to come out of the many copy-cats that followed the success of Ringu. It does tell you the story of the girl that lead her to become what she is (or was) in the Ringu movie, when you saw her. So if you've watched Ringu, you do know where this movie is going. Still it is more than interesting and engaging to see the journey of her! I don't know how it would feel if you'd watch this movie before Ringu, but one thing is for sure, if you like Ringu, you should watch this one too! It stays true to the original premise!

This is a prequel which actually works and explains things rather than giving even more questions. You can argue weather the mystery of Sadako is better left untouched, but the fact still remains; this is a good movie.

The lead (Yukie Nakama as a shy Sadako) is very good, even though it's obvious she's a Japanese version of Carrie White; misunderstood, creepy and with gifts she never wanted. That's the only real problem with this movie; the original ring movie was just that; original. This movie however, get's inspiration from other sources, such as Carrie, and that removes some of it's power.

While it's not as moody as Ring, Ring 0 still has some very good horror scenes and some smart camera-work. Seeing a white shape just at the edge of the screen is much more effective than, for example, the killer's POV.

As with Ring, this is a bit slow but builds up to a good finale. There are no special effects really, and it's very down-to-earth, one of the qualities of this and Ring.

Finally, there's the fact that it's Japanese. There's something refreshing about seeing a movie in a different language, in different environments, in a different culture.

I recommend this movie to those who liked Ring. It's definitely a worthy prequel. 7/10

I think most of you aren't looking at this film from a wide enough perspective. It's basicaly a coming of age story, given a little horror twist. A young girl growing up in a cruel environment, admonished for being different. You people are taking this Two Sadokos thing way to seriously. The Evil and Good half i believe was there to represent the good and evil within us all, and the events which lead up to us letting in to our dark sides. It was the same tale with Luke Skywalker, the same tale in the movie May. Even the name of her first play, The Mask, hinted at this.

A tragic tale of a girl who is bitter at a world who just won't accept her. A girl who becomes so enraged at being "locked away" for her differences, that she has nothing better to do but slowly die, and kill those who would never accept her kind.

A good movie, and excellent prequel.

8/10