Review of The Ring Two (2005) by Waleed A — 07 Feb 2017

If you enjoyed the first Paranormal Activity film, you can probably admit that you had a good time with the first couple of sequels. There are times when a series is dragged out, but still works, and then there are films like The Ring Two that are made for money, and nothing else. I've said many times that I'm not a big fan of the horror genre, but when a good one arises, I will be the first to admit that it's great. I have a very open mind about watching films, so even the most bizarre of premises can intrigue me. Having said that, it took a lot out of me to sit through The Ring Two. Rehashing the first film and coming up with the most bizarre plot devices and set pieces, here is why The Ring Two fails on every level.

Although The Ring Two is essentially about a video tape once again and how the ripple effects can really contribute to the terror, the opening of this film is what hooked me. Making me think this film was going to go in a new route, two teenagers are seen watching the tape that supposedly kills you seven days after viewing it. Projecting one of them into the video itself and having black ooze fills the floorboards, the tone of this film felt shifted from the first. Having said that, these tropes would just be overused throughout the film, never explaining how or why. What let me down even more was the fact that the director of the original Japanese film came back to direct this sequel.

After his smash hit in Japan with Ringu, director Hideo Nakata directed a few others, but eventually fell completely off the radar after directing this sequel. It seems very odd that the director of the original Japanese version would want to make a sequel to a remake of his own property, but it seemed promising to me that the story was good enough to make him want to come on board. Having said that, I think his style was clashing with what was set in motion in The Ring. Trying to blend his tropes with the new-age effects was very jarring to me and his slow-burn style does not work as well as it did in his original, due to the fact that the remake moved at a much quicker pace. Sadly, having him direct may have been the wrong decision.

From child-possession, to being pulled into the television set, to having a bathtub explode, to having deer attack a car, The Ring Two is full of surprises that never work in execution. I found myself chuckling at the fact that everything was being taken so seriously, when clearly it's going far too over-the-top, even for a horror film called The Ring Two. This is a problem I have with almost every horror film released nowadays, but the use of CGI is supposed to add to your film, not make it look artificial. The Ring Two was the beginning of an era that would overuse CGI, because it made it easier than building practical elements.

In the end, The Ring Two is a film that tries to invent new ways of telling this plot, but goes too far over-the-top to be able to buy into it. Aside from a very cool opening in my opinion, there isn't much to like about this film. Clocking in at 109 minutes, this film really feels its length. Of all the films made involving this premise, this one finds a way to be the most boring, most uneventful, and the most poorly written and directed. Sure, you may be able to find a few frightening images, but this film as a whole just isn't all that scary. For these reasons and more, The Ring Two is one of my least favourite horror films of all time. If you haven't checked it out yet, you aren't missing out on anything.