In this psychological horror story from Japan, a legend circulates among teenagers that if one watches a certain video at a certain time of the night, the telephone will ring right afterward, and one week later, you will die. When Masami (Hitomi Sato) tells her friend Imako this story, she scoffs -- but a week later, Imako dies in an auto accident. Imako's aunt, a television journalist named Reiko (Nanako Matsushima), hears that not long before she died, Imako was watching a strange video with her friends -- all of whom have turned up dead. Reiko tracks down a copy of the video, and as she watches its strange, spectral images, the telephone begins to ring....The next morning, Reiko begins a desperate search to solve the mystery of the video, convinced she has only seven days to live; assisting her is Ryuji (Hiroyuki Sanada), a mathematics expert and her former husband. Ringu was a box-office success in its native Japan, and a surprise blockbuster in Hong Kong, where it became the biggest grossing film of the first half of 1999. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review by All Movie Guide
All Movie Guide
is neutral about it.
This intensely creepy psychological thriller from Japan was no less than a cultural phenomenon in its native country when released in 1996. Though Ringu spawned a dizzying onslaught of product overkill comparable to the American
Nightmare on Elm Street craze of the mid-'80s -- including sequels, a television series, and merchandise -- it owes its debt more stylistically and thematically to
The X-Files, unnervingly bringing the urban legend into the digital age. Subtlety is the key to the overwhelming spookiness that permeates this mysterious tale. With excellent cinematography and a moody, deliberate pace, the film will transfix viewers as much as the unfortunate characters who impulsively and regretfully watch the enigmatic abstract video that will certainly spell their doom. Ringu is genuinely frightening in concept and execution, and the key to the its success lies not only in its visual presentation, but also in the sympathetic characterizations and the implied urgency of solving the mystery of the sinister video before it's too late. Initially a made-for-television movie, this more effective theatrical release is as chilling as they come. An American remake soon followed, though seeking out the original is highly recommended. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide