RING 2 (Ringu 2) <br /><br />Aspect ratio: 1.85:1<br /><br />Sound format: DTS Stereo<br /><br />A young student (Miki Nakatani) and a TV journalist (Yûrei Yanagi) go in search of the evil spirit which caused mayhem in the original RING (1998), only to unleash a fresh wave of supernatural horror.<br /><br />Hideo Nakata's commercially-driven sequel employs the same funereal pacing and one-dimensional characters which stifled the first film, and the results are no less disappointing. Denied the element of surprise which invigorated RING's closing sequence, Nakata and screenwriter Hiroshi Takahashi are forced to rely on a dissonant music score, creepy sound effects and a handful of traumatic set-pieces (such as a nightmarish vision outside Nakatani's apartment window, and a heartstopping encounter with supernatural horror in a dilapidated well), though much of the material feels contrived and superfluous, and the climactic sequence (in which rational science is defeated by paranormal forces) is wholly inadequate. Clearly, Nakata understands the concept of 'creeping dread', but is unable to deliver a satisfying pay-off.<br /><br />Already the subject of a comprehensive TV series ("Ringu: Kanzen-ban", 1995) and a theatrical spin-off (THE SPIRAL, directed by Nakata and released in Japan at the same time as the original RING), the series represents little more than a millennial update of old-fashioned Japanese kaidan, though its ghostly villain ('Sadako') is now a part of the cultural lexicon throughout SE Asia (rather like Freddy Krueger in western society). For some, however, the international success of Nakata's humdrum 'spook show' is baffling, to say the least. RING 2 was followed by the Korean/Japanese co-production RING (1999) and another Japanese entry, RING O: BIRTHDAY (2000), before the series relocated to America for Gore Verbinski's THE RING (2002), bringing the mythos to a wider audience than ever before.<br /><br />(Japanese dialogue)