The Ring 2 – March 20, 2005

round and round and round we go… My family and I watched THE RING 2 last night. It wasn’t that bad of a movie. I’d be willing to bet most viewers found the linear plot a lot more accessible. The story advanced the original mythos, and took it in a slightly darker direction. We were given a better idea how encompassing this story was, and how the ghost of the girl had become so powerful in the first place. The ripples of this plot resonate quite nicely with the first movie. In fact I’d go so far as to say that as I watched the second movie I felt myself being haunted by the first. A lot of nice water imagery, and ring images. Still, there were some holes in this ring. Number one was the main character. Why did she spend so much of her movie leaving her boy alone? The child is being haunted by an ancient evil, you think she might want to keep a better eye on him, wouldn’t you? And what gives with the television? Early in the movie we see her move into her new house, and the central item in her living room is a big fat television with a VHS. Now call me paranoid, but if I’d been chased through my television set by an ancient water ghost, I’d give some serious thought towards going teevee-free. I would have liked to see it start with her main character avoiding televisions. Pulling her boy away from the television store with all of the televisions in the front window. Maybe even freaking out at the boy’s teacher, (and why wasn’t the kid in school anytime in the movie?), over exposing the boy to a television at school when they watch a science movie. I would have liked to see her become neo-luddite, refusing to use her computer monitor, scribbling on notepads, doing everything to flee the dark evil that haunted her. What about mirrors? And fountains, and any sources of water? Wouldn’t she have stopped bathing? An entire closetful of wet wipes…, imagine that? Then, when Samara caught up with her she’d be really evil. Still, I enjoyed the movie. Went away entertained. Was really creeped by the deer-rush. I recommend it, but only if you’ve fully enjoyed the first RING. Yours in horror, Steve Vernon

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