After seeing “The Ring,” “The Ring Two” just doesn’t meet expectations.
“The Ring Two” fails to rise to the same level of terror as the first movie. However, the sequel triumphs, leaving viewers ready for a sequel to “The Ring Two. “
There are some scenes that put fear in viewers, but the “jump” scenes don’t occur frequently enough to make the viewer freak out.
Some of the elements from the first movie appear in “The Ring Two.”
The movie picks up where the prequel ended.
Journalist Rachel Keller, played by Naomi Watts, decides to move her son Aidan , played by David Dorfman, to a new city to escape the terror of Samara, the dead child who has been haunting them.
Unfortunately, Samara finds Rachel and her son after a teenager was killed from watching the murderous tape that claims lives in seven days.
The journalist finds her self-digging up more information to outsmart Samara one more time.
Unfortunately, “The Ring Two” is a little predictable.
The plot development leaves viewers expecting to be scared. But, there are just too many shots of a car driving from a distance or a three to five second shot of the main character walking down a long path.
So, instead, viewers end up feeling a little bored. The story has to be told, but many people aren’t going to want to sit through the long plot development.
The thing that saved the movie was the special effects. Director Hideo Nakata’s stunning work with the technical side of the movie makes up for some of the random things that happen in the plot development. The bathroom scene is quite impressive. In the scene, streams of water flow along the bathroom’s ceiling. The most amazing aspect is that the water didn’t look computer generated. The crazed, possessed deer wanting desperately to commit suicide by running into a moving vehicle can be found suspenseful, but may leave some in tears from laughter.
The special effects provide the adrenaline rush viewers are looking for. It’s a classic case of a great visual movie without the story to compliment all of those cool camera tricks and effects. The story line might give one a sudden case of narcolepsy.
The sequel goes more in-depth with Samara and her story. If you enjoyed “The Ring,” it should be entertaining to discover the motivation of the troubled Samara. The conclusion to the movie is pretty suspenseful. So the movie isn’t a complete dud.
Most sequels to horror films are not that great to begin with. In comparison with other sequels such as the sequels to “Chucky,” “The Ring Two” is not a bad follow-up. Because of the special effects and Aidan providing that unintentional comic relief, the movie is worth seeing.
Samara’s quote, “It will never stop,” still rings in my head. A fear that needs no special effects to provoke fear in my heart would be a “The Ring Three.”
Grade: C+
Contact Tejay Henderson at famuanlifesytles@hotmail.com