Ring 0 : Le Commencement

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!

Wonderful? Great? Excellent? I read with disbelief some of the reviews here. Was I watching a different movie? Of the three Ringu movies, this one was definitely the weakest link. The problem was, I couldn't quite decide whether Ringu 0 was a horror movie, or a throwback to 1970s Asian romance movies. Specifically Taiwanese ones, where the female half of a romance usually ended up either blind, stricken with some incurable disease, or dead, and there were usually an evil parent, step-parent, in-law, or rival in the background. Ringu 0 had an incomprehensible plot, and was mostly melodrama at its worst. Where were the scares that defined Ringu and Ringu 2? A repeat of spooky scenes from the first two movies (e.g. mad mother staring into the mirror, bone-cracking walk/crawl, etc.) do not count. There were simply no original scary scenes here. Plus, what was that nonsense about Sadako splitting into two? Aieee!! What works well in Japanese horror manga (for example, the excellent "Tomei" series about a teenage girl who cannot die despite being murdered repeatedly because her body parts simply regenerate into separate identical persons) simply do not work well on screen. I wished the producers had stopped at Ringu 2. Sigh...

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

Combining elements of drama and horror, Ring 0 is a very worthy installation of the indie horror franchise. This film really starts, though, as a drama, telling us the story of Sadako in a very linear fashion (which, deliciously, has become the more difficult and confusing path to take, since we already know the end of the story). We see Sadako as a human (!) who is not scary or evil at all but actually seems rather pleasant and almost painfully shy. A while later in the film, we see that Sadako is actually warring desperately with herself . . . and is losing. Her eventual slide into the monstrosity of the first and second Ring films is a sight to behold (and, hardcore fans will note, is echoed by a similar fall of Ando Mitsuo in the less popular Rasen).

The social overtones of this film are also outstanding and a fine addition to the series. Whereas the first two films are more exercises in combining psychological terror with techno-horror, Ring 0 takes a more Romero-esque approach to the social aspect of Sadako's transformation, meditating on the cruelty of her peers and the burning need for revenge of one journalist that brings the whole tragedy crashing down.

Incidentally, although it takes some time, this film WILL scare the hell out of you at the end. Just wait for it.

Very, very good. See it.

When Ring conquered the far east in 1998, then began to spread to the west, audiences were shocked at the nature of new horror. No longer was blood, guts and gore the content used to scare viewers, but sheer unadulterated terror caused by a whole new approach of psychological tension and a surreal dreamlike fear. It spawned a decent sequel which didn't *quite* live up the original due to convolucence of the plot and slight contrivance. But for the 3rd movie in the series (I ignore the Korean 'Ring Virus') they went back to basics, and told a simple story. Ring 0 is a prequel. Yes, not everything is cleared up, but for sheer story telling and quality of drama Ring 0 is the best in the series. It doesn't quite contain the same level of fear as Ring, but that's on purpose to portray Sadako (Who could well be one of the most enduring 'villains' in movie history) as a vulnerable girl - to convey her upbringing and troubled existance. And on this level the movie works extremely well, and the viewer identifies with her. But it just wouldn't be Ring without a scare or 2, and the ending, while not *quite* as terrifying as Ring's ending (Due to the fact we are now getting familiar with Ring's 'tricks') is still extremely chilling and will scare you. Overall, excellent movie and thoroughly recommended.