The history of the original Ring franchise proves to be as strange and convoluted as thar of lank-haired, ghostly antagonist, Sadako herself. We’ve already what touched on the first attempt to sequalise Hideo Nakata’s instant, techno-fear classic, Ringu, thanks to the all but forgotten original sequel, Spiral – but after that maligned follow up was metaphorically sealed up within its own well after failing to strike at the box office, things got slightly weirder.
After the non-performance of George lida’s adaption of Koji Suzuki’s trippier second entry into the Ringu universe, the rush was on to seemingly delete Spiral from existence entirely as Hideo Nakata was swiftly brought in to fast track another “part 2” that more accurately recreated the groundbreaking creeps he’d delivered in the first film. Thus Ring 2 was born, despite there already being sequel in existence. But due to the reuse of characters and actors in far different ways, there was no way in Hell Ringu 2 and Spiral could ever coexist. Yes, the newer upstart managed to supplant it’s unloved predecessor – but was it actually a better film?
Time to tune in and find out.
As we once again turn our attentions to the aftermath of the original Ringu, this time we find the authorities removing the remains of the murdered Sadako from her resting place to make a terrible discovery. The decomposition of her body suggests that the girl actually survived the original murder attempt by her father and even still lived after being thrown down the well, but that would mean that she was still alive when the thing was sealed up, which meant that had been alive for the past 30 years before finally expiring only two years ago. As we mull over such a ghastly existence, its easy to see now why the spirit of Sadako holds such violent rage and as questions fly about the whereabouts of reporter Reiko Asakawa and her son, Yoichi and the bizarre deaths of her ex-husband Ryuji Takayama and her father, a new batch of curious souls find themselves caught in the stringy strands of Sadako’s web-like hair.
As police add clay to Sadako’s remains to rebuild her face and find out her identity, Ryuji’s assistant, Mai Takano finds herself on a quest to find answers that brings her deep into the urban legend of that cursed videotape that calls forth the murderous spirit seven days after you’ve viewed it. Teaming up with one of Reiko’s associates, Okazaki, both approach the conundrum from different angles. The later obtains a copy of the tape from a terrified schoolgirl who has watched it who beseeches him to take her curse onto himself with a viewing of his own; while the former tracks down a deeply traumatised, hospitalised witness to a former death. But as both paths lead back to an in-hiding Reiko and her son, we find that Sadako’s curse is changing somewhat, and little Yoichi may now be a receptacle to some of Sadako’s murderous power.
If you define success as “being better and grossing more than Spiral”, then I guess Ringu 2 justifies its existence with flying colours – but even though Nakata and returning screenwriter Hiroshi Takahashi deliver a continuation that follows the continuation of their previous aesthetic and ditches the more grandiose themes of both the book and film version of Spiral, they still struggle when trying to recreate the chilling majesty of their earlier fit. Still in attendance is the sparce, tense atmosphere that sees its characters have to try and decipher an unfathomable mystery – however, there’s a sense of urgency lacking in Sadako’s second (third?) outing that manages to punch a sizable hole in that oppressive feeling.
For a start, the ticking clock that loomed over the first film is nowhere to be seen which immediately knocks the fear levels down by a couple of notches as no one here is racing against that Sadako mandated seven day deadline in order to avoid a fatal, yet iconic, run-in with their television. Interestingly, Nakata and Takahashi use some of the characters from Spiral to carry the tale with Miki Nakatani playing the second incarnation of Mai Takano in two years and we also have Hiroyuki Sanada once again pulling a ghostly cameo as he delivers enigmatic pep talks from beyond the grave. However, a massive benefit from this second go-round is that rather than cursing Nanako Matsushima’s Reiko with a rather ignominious, off screen death, she gets to reprise her role to make the seams between movies all the more solid. But while Ringu 2 is a much more controlled and stylish beast, it’s surprising how much it does many of the same narrative tricks that Spiral does, but just in very different ways. Other than spectral returns and shock, vehicle related deaths, the story attempts to alter and morph Sadako’s curse into something akin to a virus that’s trying to move beyond the limitations of analogue media. But strangely, the main influence of Ringu 2 appears to be, of all things, John Boorman’s legendarily flawed Exorcist II: The Heretic, as the latter half of the film attempts to explain away Sadako’s supernatural rage with a mix of scientific and spiritual mumbo jumbo that throws in an attempt to draw out and purge the villain’s evil using the water in a swimming pool.
The result is a far less focused film than Ringu, but that doesn’t mean that the director can’t drop in some nuggets of pure gold here and there that manage to evoke the chills of the original. A scene showing the survivor of the opening Sadako attack from the first film institutionalised in a hospital has her being led through the TV room with a screen blocking her from the idiot box draws out some legitimate creeps, as does a genuinely cruel and nicely underplayed subplot that sees a reporter promise a terrified schoolgirl that he’ll break her curse and watch a copy of the tape, only to leave her hanging. Elsewhere, the film also delivers some diverting chills with the information that it actually took Sadako 30 years to actually die and a new look that replaces her once hidden face with a clay reconstruction, but sadly there’s nothing here that even comes within cursing distance of that famous set piece where Hiroyuki Sanada discovered that you can get far worse things than eye strain from the telly.
So is Ringu 2 the superior sequel? Well, yes, but mostly because Nakata was able to make it connect far more satisfyingly to his earlier film. While Spiral followed the novel’s more epic ideas, Ringu 2 switches out distracting big swings about ghosts rebirthing themselves through possession, and keeps things smaller and more in line with the memorable changes Nakata made to the first story. However, when it comes to matching the original in terms of legitimate scares, both follow ups are almost equal, with the newer film edging into the lead.
A clutch of solid scares can’t disguise the fact that Ringu 2 tends to lack the ruthless focus and brutal minimalism of its predecessor, however it does manage to carry the continuity on to something that fits far better than that first attempt. However, while a perfectly serviceable sequel, Ringu 2 shows that Sadako’s powers may already be on the wane.
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