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Let me get this out of the way.  I liked Gore Verbinski's version, "The Ring", better than the original Japanese "Ring".  This was mostly due to the characters relying on their investigative skills and wits in a desperate attempt to understand and overcome what was happening to them, rather than the plot advancing because one of the characters was psychic.  Also, Rachel and, uh, that guy actually seemed scared nearly to the point of breaking as the seven-day countdown loomed.  In "Ring", Ryuji and, um, his ex-wife were so stoic about the whole thing it didn't even seem like that big a deal.

"Oh, dear, in seven days we will die."
"Bother.  We ought to do something about that."

Anyway, I'm just trying to say that I like The Ring quite a bit.  It doesn't have much rewatchability but the first viewing was a good horror movie experience.

I do not consider The Ring 2, from the director of the Japanese "Ring", a worthy sequel.

It's a lot like a typical Dario Argento movie, actually.  There's an opening setpiece to introduce us to the killer and her methods, then the real plot introduces itself, takes a break for the middle part of the movie so there can be some visually striking scenes sort of connected to the plot, and then the plot shows up again for just enough time to be resolved at the end.

The main plot does some things with Samara, everyone's favorite little ghost girl, that I don't like.  In The Ring, Samara was Death.  In The Ring 2, she kills people.  Understand the difference?  There is one other very important revelation about Samara that comes out during the course of this movie that seems to contradict itself.*(spoiler below with my thoughts)

There is also one huge, unforgivable continuity error.  Not to be spoilerific but, if a child had just gone missing from the hospital where you work, and a doctor, who had obviously just committed suicide, were found in his room, you would at least casually mention the latter fact to someone you were telling about the former, wouldn't you?  Hell yes, you would.  In fact, you might even call the police or something.  As the movie stands, there's no indication anyone else at the hospital even noticed the doctor's suicide.

Aside from that, there a few little problems, such as no one in Rachel and Aiden's extremely nosy neighborhood noticing a man getting his face melted off in the middle of the street.

And ... the deer scene.  Sweet mother of all that lives and breathes, the deer scene.  The deer scene is the most drop-dead, laugh out loud, unintentionally funny thing I've seen in a major movie in years.  With each successive buck ramming into Rachel's car, I found a new upper limit to how much I can laugh without passing out.  I mean, come on, deer -- DEER -- tearing apart a car.  All seemingly just to set up the "spooky" scene of Rachel finding all those antlers in Samara's Dad's basement.  Samara's Dad must have been one hell of a hunter!  He must have killed damn near every deer in the state to collect that many antlers!

The bit where Rachel's stove and other appliances started shooting fire and sparks at her provided much mirth and reminded me of the similar appliance rampage in Nightmare on Elm Street 2.

So, what do I think the movie did right?  Well, not much of anything, honestly.  It looks great.  Naomi Watts was still good as Rachel, and the kid who plays her son was still good.  It seemed like they were injecting a little (teeny tiny) bit of an incest vibe into things, though.  There was just something about the way he looked at her, and the way she fawned over him and touched him sometimes.  Hell, maybe the kid playing Aiden was just getting his thing on for Naomi Watts and it showed through.  Couldn't blame him.

(Hmm ... maybe they were just building on that scene in The Ring when Rachel was walking around in front of Aiden in a little, lacy, black bra and panties.  Mmm ... Naomi Watts in a little, lacy, black bra and panties.)

Aside from some nice camera work and the performances of its two leads, The Ring 2 barely has a leg on which to stand.

***SPOILER***
We are told in this movie, as I understand it, that Samara was possessed by a restless spirit when she was a baby.  She asked her mother to kill her to prevent the spirit from getting back into the world but her mother failed.  So, apparently, it's the ghost inside Samara that's doing all this, not Samara herself.  If that's so, then why is it clearly Samara's own ghost that was behind the tapes and the mischief in this movie?

I'm sure I'm just thinking about it too much.  I liked it better when Samara was  just ... something you didn't know, that came from somewhere you probably didn't want to know.  In The Ring she was horrifying, almost too frightening to look at even though she was just a little girl because you knew ... that she really wasn't.

In this movie she's just a little lost child crying for her mommy.  What a comedown.

Bugger.  I've been meaning to see this one, despite knowing that it wouldn't hold up to the first.

I enjoyed the original, but like you akira, I really enjoyed the western remake.  I've only seen it once, but that final scene is still etched in my head like a vivid memory, that's how freaky it was.  Plus really well filmed.  Shame about that Samara plot-point you mentioned, it really does sound like a let down.  But still, I should probably see it if not for the fact I haven't watched horror lately, so if I happen to be walking past the video store and it happens to catch my eye, I'll pick it up.