Ringu

[Eirik]

I have a question about Ringu, the Japanese movie that "inspired" the Ring (I put "inspired" in quotes because it looks like The Ring was a direct remake).  Why is it unrated?  Is it just because the studio never bothered to submit it for a rating, or does it have sex/violence that would have netted it an NC-17?  I don't object to NC-17 levels of sex/violence, but I'd like to be prepared going into it if there's going to be hard things to watch.

[Neville]

Probably it is unrated because, as far as I am concerned, the film has never been officially distributed in the US (I might be wrong). I've seen it and it is not that explicit. Maybe it is even less explicit than the US remake, now that I think of it.

[Mr_Vindictive]

Neville's answer is correct.  The film was never rated due to the fact that it never got a real American release.  Don't worry about it being graphic.  Just as Neville said, the remake was actually a little more graphic than the original.

Do go out and rent Ringu though.  I own an imported Japanese DVD of it and it is completely amazing!

[Neon Noodle]

Skaboi wrote:


> Do go out and rent Ringu though.  I own an imported Japanese
> DVD of it and it is completely amazing!
>

I own Ringu as well. I think it's MUCH scarier than the American version, but to each his/her own.

My wife loves the American version and gets quite freaked out by it. I bought her the American version (since she hates Asian films) but with a twist -

- I bought it on VHS.

Funny thing, she hasn't watched it yet....

[Mr_Vindictive]

LOL Neon Noodle.

Yeah, I'm in the same boat with my wife.  We saw the American version while on our honeymoon.  She still prefers it over the original due to the fact that the original is subtitled.

[Eirik]

You guys are right.  Ringu is a better movie for several reasons:
(Spoiler warning)

1)  The lead actress was better I thought - especially in the scene where she catches her son watching the video.
2)  When Sadako finally peers through her hair, the use of a person's upside down eye is a lot freakier than The Ring's boring special makeup effects.
3)  It was shorter, tighter, and more concise when they went out to the island.
4)  It was original!!!  (see my thread "Inspired by...")

[jmc]

I saw RINGU before seeing the remake [actually, I saw it at least a couple of years before people even started talking about a remake of it], and have had opportunity to rewatch both over the last several months.  I think all in all, the remake is a better film.  About the only thing RINGU has is that the scary scenes are scarier than in the remake, but I don't like the rest of the film.  It's just too slow.
I know a lot of fans think they should have just released RINGU in the states instead of doing a remake, but I really don't think RINGU would have done very well here...most horror fans would probably be like me and not like the art-house pacing, and most foreign film fans would be put off by the horror elements.   This is probably the only time it's ever happened, but I like the remake better than the original.  

And if all the makers of remakes did even half as good a job as the makers of THE RING I probably would quit complaining about remakes.